E3 06: Alone in the Dark Exclusive First Look

While the Resident Evil horror series popularized the term "survival horror," it was actually a game from the early 1990s called Alone in the Dark that laid the foundations for third-person action adventure games based on exploring creepy environments full of deadly monsters and other assorted dangers. And yet, the next game in the series, which will also be called Alone in the Dark, is being created by Eden Studios--a developer that openly acknowledges last year's Resident Evil 4 as being one of the best horror games in years. Resident Evil 4 took the risk of changing around that series' perennial control scheme and switched the focus to action over walking slowly and carefully rationing bullets. Like Resident Evil 4, the new Alone in the Dark will put much more focus on action, as well as on an intriguing new narrative style.

Even though the new game takes place in modern times circa 2006, for whatever reason, the hero of the new Alone in the Dark will be a man named Edward Carnby, star of the very first Alone in the Dark game--which took place in the late 1920s. You could say that Carnby has a mysterious past, and exactly why or how Carnby has ended up more than 70 years in the future yet stays around the same age is one of the game's many secrets that won't be revealed at this time. At any rate, Carnby has somehow landed in New York City--Central Park to be exact--and finds himself embroiled in an investigation of paranormal activity that, according to Eden, will ultimately explore what happens to living beings after they die and exactly what lies beyond this mortal coil.

To that end, Carnby will explore Central Park, which is a metropolitan area with more than just grass and trees. The area has, among other things, its own zoo, theaters, and restaurants, and is located in a cultural melting pot, where people from many different origins and with many different beliefs live. The use of Central Park as a location fulfils several purposes: It's a real-world location that Eden hopes will serve as a frightening contrast to the game's otherworldly themes, and the metropolitan location will lend itself well to a story in which characters from different cultural backgrounds will contribute different interpretations of death and afterlife--which may or may not be applicable to Carnby's investigation. These different beliefs will help frame some of the key decisions that Carnby will be able to make, with either "good" or "evil" leanings that can change the outcome of the game. Finally, Central Park is a large, open area, a nice contrast to the tiny, claustrophobic buildings that so many horror games are situated in; the openness will lend itself to the new game's emphasis on action over slow-paced exploration.

According to Eden, Alone in the Dark's gameplay will be highly varied and will include elements of exploration, puzzle-solving, stealth, and even melee combat. The developer suggests that the action will focus mainly on the game's interactive environments, which, with the aid of Havok 3.0 physics, will be highly intuitive and won't require learning a new control scheme. That is, Carnby will find himself in "survival" situations in realistic environments and will be able to use whatever he finds there in a logical manner. More specifically, the developer hints that fire will be implemented in a unique way that will affect gameplay. Eden also suggests that, yes, Carnby will be tangling with otherworldly critters, whose behavior is being scripted with the help of next-gen middleware developer Kynogon.

Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of the new game will be its unusual narrative structure. As the developer explains it, Alone in the Dark will try to adopt the same kind of episodic, cliff-hanger style popularized by TV shows such as 24 and Lost, rather than trying to model itself after a feature-length motion picture, as many action games do. Specifically, the gameplay is being designed to be played in sessions of about 30 minutes (rather than in sequences that take hours and hours to sit through). Not only will these sessions let busy people pick up and play the game without missing a beat, but each session will also have its own concluding cinematic sequences, as well as "coming up next" sequences that tease the next part of the adventure. And when you return to the game later, you'll even be treated to brief plot summaries that will catch you up on what has happened so far, so you won't have to worry about forgetting where you left off.

Though we've seen only a little of the game in action, we can say it looks extremely impressive. We watched a brief real-time demonstration of the game that showed the highly detailed and haggard face of Edward Carnby, complete with beads of perspiration and tiny, bloody cuts. Carnby was shown standing opposite a hanging corpse in a dark corridor in various types of lighting, including low light and light filtered through a rotating fan that cast highly realistic shadows. According to Eden, the graphical look of the game is intended to mimic the expressiveness of professional photography by creating highly picturesque scenes. If the rest of the game can match the quality of what we've seen, the game will definitely make good use of next-generation game hardware.

Though we've seen very little of this upcoming horror sequel, we've at least had a glimpse of its impressive visual design and have gotten an understanding of its story structure. The fact that the developer openly acknowledges the excellent, action-packed gameplay of Resident Evil 4 can't be a bad thing for the game's prospects, either. If Eden can successfully bring together these intriguing elements, Alone in the Dark will combine next-generation graphics with next-generation horror gameplay. The game is scheduled for release next year.