I bet YOUR average B-rate action movie doesn`t have arsonist MacGyver swearing his balls off!
OMG, flop! Yes, PC/Xbox360 release was, mildly saying, bad. Ruined by poor controls, horrible camera and numberless glitches, the unique action-adventure game was heavily criticized by reviewers and slaughtered in forums by fans and those unfortunate souls who had bought it. Hell, even I remember giving it 1.0 for PC version, though temporary, because I hadn`t finished it. Anyway, the developers decided to clear their name in the eyes of fans and fixed the stuff most broken to release it in late PS3 version. And so they did.
Unfortunately fate wasn`t too forgiving for the series main protagonist Edward Carnby. Waking up in a worse shape than a party lion on Sunday morning, Edward finds himself captured by short-tempered men with guns and no memory of himself whatsoever. After miraculously escaping his execution, he must escape the building which is torn apart by a mysterious force. After meeting a young female Sarah and an old man, Teophile Paddingdon who claims to know Edward, they escape through the mess that was once streets of New York. To make matters worse, they end their climatic journey in Central Park which appears to be the epicenter of everything. Edward receives a mysterious stone from Theo and is chosen to walk `The Path of Light` - the only way to stop the worst day of New York since Black Tuesday.
The plot of Alone in the Dark can be best described as a B-rate action movie. Story is quick to get moving, mysteries and twists are actually interesting to follow and Edward`s lost identity is cleverly tied with the original AitD trilogy. However the screenwriter, Lorenzo Carcaterra, writer and producer of many Law & Order episodes, as well as writer of the movie Sleepers (featuring Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt), seems to have written the scenario during his lunch break. Characters drop the F-Bombs a little too often and sometimes the writing seems very immature. Then again, it`s New York and Lorenzo himself has grown up in Hell`s Kitchen, so... It portrays New Yorkers as they, apparently, are? Perhaps I should explain.
Demon: Give me the stone!
Edward: I don`t have your stone, and f**k you anyway!
Charming, ain`t it? Well, some lines made me laugh, and it`s a B-rate movie (err, game) after all, so don`t expect earth-shattering blockbuster storyline. Another weak point is text messages what are delivered to Carnby`s PDA during 2/3 of the game. They explain some of the most important twists, but, I mean, come on! I did gave a game 9.5 score where the gameplay consisted of basically 40+ hours of text but that one came out in 1999! Perhaps the developers had planned a few extra episodes during the development process, but couldn`t finish them on time, so they just threw all the cut out content the content into Carnby`s fancy handheld computer. Oh, and the game has a lame ending too. Two endings actually. They both are abrupt, disappointing and make no sense, one of them though hints a possible sequel, but that makes me even more disappointed. Talk about a bad storytelling – you name it, Alone in the Dark has it.
To enhance the movie feeling, the game uses DVD-like menu. Alone in the Dark is separated in 8 episodes and every episode – in various sequences (checkpoint to checkpoint respectively). You can select the menu anytime and skip that annoying puzzle/boss fight or just rush to the end and give the copy back to the rental. At the end of every episode, there is a cliffhanger and when you load the game or simply skip over to another sequence, a short movie `Previously in Alone in the Dark` plays, which quickly sums up the game`s story up to the point where you left off. Pretty neat feature, especially if you`ve played it some time ago and came back to finish it.
Anyway, let`s move on to the gameplay. Critics did praise something in the original release, and it was the innovative game mechanics. Unlike other survival horror games, where you solve illogic puzzles, carry around tons of useless items as well as whole arsenal of guns in a seemingly infinite inventory, Alone in the Dark presents setting and mechanics as realistic as possible. You see, Edward can only carry around as much items as his jacket`s pockets can carry. When you press Down on your D-Pad, Carnby opens his jacket and you see all your belongings in first person view. There you can combine everyday items into creative, destructive weapons. Even though you`ll be mostly carrying around bottles with fuel or alcohol and all sorts of sprays, not to mention tapes, handkerchiefs, bandages, ammo and some other things, you`ll still have a very MacGyver felling. To be honest, I rarely felt any tension or, let alone, fear. You see, items are scattered around way too generously - it does help against frustration though - and makes figuring out puzzles and combat really easy since all the necessary ingredients are right at your feet, but, I mean, it`s a survival horror game, come on! What about cautious and prudent use of items? What about thanking all living deities for that medical spray? Where`s the bloody `survival` element? Obviously not in that heap of glycerin-filled bottles lying on the floor. Even with all these flaws I, personally, loved puzzling and improvising part the most.
There is no life bar as well. When you are wounded, bruises appear on Edward`s body, just like real life. By pressing Left or Right on D-Pad, you can view his body (again in first person) and the horrible things your carelessness has done. Deep bleeding wounds needs to be bandaged but most injuries and simply be healed with a health spray. Believe or not, your clothes don`t magically renew along with your wounds. Carnby will eventually start looking like a bum, but when you load the game, he`s in brand new clothes again. I don`t mind it, since I don`t feel like walking around covered in bloody rags even if it`s just a game.
Another great change of pace is logical and creative puzzles. In this game, fire is your friend and enemy at the same time. Everything that can be burned in real life burns in the game as well. Don`t have a flashlight? Set a chair on fire. Wooden logs blocking your path? A lighter and a bottle with flammable liquid will help. Can`t open a door? Either shoot the lock or stick a taped bottle with fuel in it and shoot it. Perhaps pick up a heavy object and smash through the door? Don`t get confused though – the game is linear, only the Central Park area allows some free roaming.
At some points, Carnby will be thrown into the gloomy, unwelcoming darkness of the Central Park. All 3.4 square kilometers are free to explore. The main objectives will mostly involve hunting for `Evil Roots` - out of the ground growing, tentacle-looking things. In order to proceed in some stages of the game, you`ll have to hunt and burn down a number of them. By disposing of those roots, Carnby will be awarded with `Spectral vision` - when you enter first person mode and close your eyes (yes, Carnby can do that), monster weak spots will glow, making them a little easier prey. The feature also comes in handy during some of the puzzles.
Of course, you weren`t thinking about going all those distances on foot? You can freely jack cars and use them to travel the rather large territory of Central Park. Vehicle controls are not bad, but you`ll often be very frustrated by the messy collision physics. The game tends to treat small obstacles like objects of the size of the Moon and when you`ll be jumping from one of those cleverly placed ramps, you`ll often find your brand new jacked car landing on the front bumper. Anyone, who`s ever seen a car, will agree that landing vertically works fine only with helicopters. Overall, driving sections are average from both technical standard and entertainment value.
Lady Luck has her good days and her bad days. Carnby has obviously has hit the jackpot calling her a (*insert any random profanity here*) during her period right after she had been dumped by her boyfriend, leaving her alone with six children and empty bank account right before her tax payments. How else can you call coasting down a pitfall of a collapsing skyscraper on a rope while stuff blows up all around you and the camera seems to be directed by a triple-A Hollywood movie director? I believe that my first thoughts during the platforming scenes were something between `Holy ****! ` and `Sweet mother of Jesus ******* Christ!` Jumping between microscopic ledges and swinging around in suspiciously thin ropes with the environment being torn apart and blown up is the element where Alone in the Dark shines so bright your eyeballs will dry up and pop out. These segments, unlike driving, combat and movement, have no control issues and they are easily the most exciting and thrilling parts of the game.
Now what would have been an apocalypse without hordes of stupid, murderous dudes fresh out of Hell? There are three types of enemies in Alone in the Dark –blood-sucking bats, insect-like rats and damn ugly bunch of humans as well as free-roaming ground fissures and black goo (don`t ask). The first two possess very little threat, since they can be easily taken out by Carnby`s trusty handgun. Of course you can light up a Molotov, or, if you`re feeling awesome enough, blow it up in mid-air to incinerate anyone who`s stupid enough to stand nearby. A mosquito spray and a lighter will help you to burn through the hostile concrete jungle and pieces of furniture will come in handy in arguments between you and those ugly-looking dudes looking for a friendly hug. During the adventuring process, Carnby can freely switch between third person and first person view. Shooting a gun and incinerating things with a spray can only happen in first person mode, while tossing Molotovs and melee attacks require to look over Carnby`s shoulder. I don`t really want to dick about the inconsistent aiming or the miserable amount of gas in sprays, but even a blind hobo could not tolerate the mess that is called `melee combat`. Basically you can pick up any item that has ever been listed as a murder weapon in police files. By that I mean axes, metal pipes, baseball bats, chairs, katanas, wooden planks and fire extinguishers. To use the nearly-broken lock-on system, you have to press L1 and hold it. Now Edward can attack by moving the right analog stick. Genius, right? WRONG! How am I supposed to move the camera now, huh? And what if the lock-on thingy refuses to do what it is supposed to do, that being CENTRING CAMERA ON THE ENEMIES?? You`ll end up swinging a chair around like a drunk while those ugly bastards stab you with precision of a professional fencer. But it just doesn`t have to end here – after you`ve whacked the hideous humanoid demon, and considering the horrible hit detection, it may take a while, Carnby has to incinerate his filthy remains or the bastard will come back to life a few seconds later. In case if you don`t have the necessary items, you have to pull the body to the nearest bonfire (quite amazing that there is at least one nearby every combat spot, it`s almost like somebody has placed them there on purpose….) and drop the corpse into the purging flames…. by moving the right thumbstick. I can only guess on what mind-enhancing drugs the developers had been onto. I mean, in real life, you can look over your shoulder. In the game you can`t. So how the hell am I supposed to see what`s happening behind Carnby`s back? Oh, how many glorious times have I stepped into the flames and gotten killed? That`s right, many.
The free-roaming fissures may prove to be quite an adversary, since they move quicker than rabbits during mating season. Fine, I have the reflexes. But what really grinds my gears is the so-called black goo. So, here we have an inch-thick substance which could drown an elephant! To avoid such fate, Carnby must create a path of light since the being fears it. Now, every normal person could cross it by simply holding down the flashlight at their feet. But the goo thinks you`re a cheater by doing so and drowns poor old Edward. So, you are forced to toss around tons of glow sticks (flares don`t create enough light, apparently) to make a path and then… drown! The whole black goo thing is so buggy and messed up you`ll be constantly swearing like Christian Bale.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, you`ll come across more than enough ammo as well as bottles with combustible liquids. Sure, it`s pretty sensible to have bottle of booze in a trash can, but by the amount of those dangerous substances lying around it seems that Manhattan`s inhabitants have an ENORMOUS drinking problem or an obsession with glycerin-containing liquids. Judging by the amount of ammo you`ll stumble onto, it seems that crime rate has skyrocketed, leaving Detroit in shame. Then again, it takes quite a lot of bullets to take down a human opponent thanks to the pretty awkward aiming. Here I thank the auto-aim function. It`s really convenient to take out smaller monsters, but when it comes to Homo Sapiens, it may not seem so rosy anymore – you see, you can only kill the possessed people by shooting bullets into their fissures (scars) with flame bullets – lead combined with a flammable liquid (LOGIC ERROR). The problem is, when you come across a demon with three scars, you can possibly hit only two. The last one is on the creature`s back, and guess what, no strafing helps. What`s even cooler, creatures tend to move around in packs of three at least. Imagine that with all the flaws I mentioned. Frustrating? Hell yeah! Fun? Hell, no!
Alone in the Dark has a very little replay value. After you`ve beaten the 10 hour or so story mode, all you can do is collect trophies – it`s one of the easiest Platinum`s though – or replay your favorite sequences through the convenient level menu. The question is, will you want to? With no unlockable features, like documentaries, concept art or even banal alternate costumes, your copy of Alone in the dark will quickly start gathering dust once you`re done with it.
I would lie if I called Alone in the Dark an ugly game. Sure, I`ve seen better-looking titles, but what there is, is enough to please you. Textures are surprisingly sharp, character models are good, dynamic lighting is spectacular and fire looks as close to life as it can be. With plenty of special effects and correct real-time shadows, the game is quite a looker; at least it was for me. I sure could complain about far-from-perfect facial animations, various glitches, pop-ins and cheesy physics but why should I? The scale of New York`s destruction should leave you at least a bit impressed and being alone in the dark, atmospheric Central Park does give you some chills and thrills.
I was very surprised that the game doesn`t support surround sound – it is recorded only in stereo. It is common belief that the sound is one of the most important aspects in horror games, but as I already said, the game doesn`t even try to scare you. All the substantial sounds are done well, so is the voice acting. Edward Carnby is actually voiced by James McCaffrey who, as few know, was behind the hypnotic, monotonous voice of Max Payne. Mr. McCaffrey delivers a good aural experience (as well as the other characters) but the quality is let down by the poor writing.
Composed by Oliver Deriviere, the composer for horror game Obscure, and performed by Grammy award winner `The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices` , the soundtrack is simply mind-blowing. The unique Bulgarian vocal talents and suspenseful instrumental score is different, eerie and a beauty to behold, but not in the usual manner – it`s out-of-this-world, hair-raising and even somehow alien sound. If I was to vote for the best music in a video game in 2008, I`d undoubtedly pick Alone in the Dark. Damn, I even own the soundtrack, and so should you.
If you`re in for some action adventure this generation lacks, Alone in the Dark is worth taking a look at. Even with all its glaring flaws and inconsistencies, it makes me think `cool B-rate action movie` whenever I look at the cover (which is pretty darn cool by the way).The game might not be a very good full-price purchase, but it`ll definitely provide some good times as a weekend rental.