Alone in the Dark (1992)

Modern survival horror would not exist without this game, which feels like Sherlock Homes stuck in a haunted house.

User Rating: 8.5 | Alone in the Dark (1992) (3.5" Disk) PC

By Bozanimal | Review Date: April 10, 2007

AITD (Alone in the Dark) was one of the first PC games I purchased. I bought it for its impressive artwork and macabre atmosphere, which appealed to me at the time. Infogrames paved the way for future survival horror with this title. Resident Evil and its many top-rated sequels would not exist without AITD. However, we might have been spared several bad movie adaptations of Resident Evil and Alone in the Dark had it not been made.

Gameplay
The game is well paced. You begin in an attic and before you've left the room you will likely have encountered two of the undead. The game never deviates from its dark macabre atmosphere and continues to draw you in today. Even the copy-protection, which consisted of a tiny book of combinations of items found throughout the game, alluded to the darkness of AITD. You do not progress physically, but you will find a number of useful weapons throughout the house such as knives and shotguns, as well as some more innocuous items that are used to solve puzzles and prevent certain creatures from appearing.

In order to solve many puzzles you must dies to get an idea of how you might have solved the situation, so frequent saves are a must. The pacing is typically solid with only occasional parts where the player might not be sure what they should do next. However, the character's demise is always entertaining when they step into a trap. You feel very much like Sherlock Holmes stuck in a haunted house.

Graphics
Today the graphics are poor. Lame 3D models for both the characters and creatures contrast against the stunningly detailed 2D backdrops. However, at its release in the early 90's the 3D animated characters and extreme fixed camera angles were unique and fresh. The environment is still as impressive today as any other horror game, albeit at a lower resolution. The contributing artists obviously put a lot of heart and soul into the content creation.

Sound
Sound is generally appropriate, pacing up with the mood of each room. A midi soundtrack and wav sampled sound effects are typical of this 8-bit audio game. However, due to space limitations at the time this was not inappropriate. Zombies moan, wolves howl, and eerie effects about. While the soundtrack reflects its age, it was solid at its release.

Reviewer's Tilt
The nostalgia factor on AITD is high. The game also gets bonus brownies for originality. The retail box included a period newspaper, which was representative of the level of detail developers game the game. Detracting slightly was a sense of frustration when the player was unable to figure out why certain items existed. However, it is likely that many dead-end items, such as books, existed purely to add atmosphere to the house, which was impressively spooky. The game is worth a play-through for fans of survival horror.

Other Helpful Reviews for Alone in the Dark (1992) (3.5" Disk)

• Rating:7.2

  Alone in the dark is an old, old-school game. If you can tolerate the graphics and like survival horror - play the game!

  By dark_being | Review Date: Jul 26, 2007 | PC

  “Alone in the Dark” is a classic survival horror game, some even say it was the first real 3D survival horror game, and I’m not about to argue with them. All I can tell you is that “Alone in the Dark” is fun, I mean real... Read Full Review

  7 of 7 users found the following review helpful
• Rating:8

  Classic survival horror mystery game-play!

  By ebbderelict | Review Date: Oct 29, 2009 | PC

  Alone in the Dark lets you take the role of puts you in the of Private investigator Edward Carnby or of a woman named Emily Hartwood. Which ever character you choose, will find themselves in an estate of a man who had su... Read Full Review

  8 of 9 users found the following review helpful