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Alone in the Dark (1992) is a survival horror video game developed by Infogrames (now Atari). The game has spawned several sequels, as part of the Alone in the Dark series, and was one of the first survival horror video games, after the 1989 Capcom game, Sweet Home. Alone in the Dark was also the first game to use 3D characters, and set the standard for later survival horror games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. In 2005 a film adaptation was released, which did very poorly at the box office.
Plot
Jeremy Hartwood, the owner of the legendary Louisiana mansion Derceto, has committed suicide. His death appears suspicious yet seems to surprise no-one, for Derceto is widely reputed to be haunted by an evil power. The case is quickly dealt with by the police and soon forgotten by the public. The player assumes the role of Edward Carnby, a lone investigator who enters the house to learn more about the incident. Soon after you enter Derceto, you are thrown into a nightmare that has been Jeremy's daily life. Hideous hidden monsters around the mansion, creepy catacombs down underneath, shadowy corridors foreshadow a great evil that fills the atmosphere and the very house itself. As either Carnby or Jeremy Hartwood's niece Emily, you must uncover the truth behind Hartwood's mysterious death and survive through the night by any means necessary.
Gameplay
Players are given the option of choosing between a male or female character (Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood), and are then trapped inside the haunted mansion of Derceto after dark. The player character starts in the attic, having ascended to the top of the mansion without incident, and is then tasked with exploring the mansion in order to find a way out while avoiding, outsmarting or defeating various supernatural enemies including zombies, giant bipedal rat-like creatures, and other even more bizarre foes.
However, combat only plays a partial role in the gameplay. For example, the total number of zombies throughout the entire game is only about a dozen, and many opponents can be beaten by solving a particular puzzle rather than a straight fight - indeed, a significant number of opponents cannot be killed, and must be carefully avoided. Much of the game involves exploration and puzzle-solving, and searching the house for clues to advance the story and learn more about what happened before the player arrived.
The story is revealed to the player through an extensive series of books and notes found throughout the game, and is heavily influenced by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The occult tomes found in the mansion's library include the Necronomicon and De Vermiis Mysteriis, both taken from Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Other mythos references include books that feature the narrated history of Lord Boleskine, a direct reference to another Infogrames Cthulhu Mythos based game, Shadow of the Comet, and the last name of player character Edward Carnby, a reference to John Carnby, a character in the mythos tale, Return of the Sorcerer by Clark Ashton Smith. Several of the supernatural opponents are recognisable creatures from the Mythos, including Deep Ones, Nightgaunts and a Chthonian.
Sequels
The game managed to produce several sequels.
- Alone in the Dark 2 (1994)
- Alone in the Dark 3 (1995)
- The New Nightmare (2001)
- Alone in the Dark: Near Death Investigation (TBA)
The first game is generally considered slightly superior to at least the first two sequels, for having non-linear gameplay throughout (the second and third games are entirely linear), greater emphasis on story, survival and investigation as opposed to combat, and for its use of the popular Cthulhu Mythos - the other games do not reference the Mythos directly, and contain no characters or creatures from it except in references to the first game.
The 2001 sequel bears comparatively little resemblance to the first three games, notably because the main protagonist, though sharing the original name of Edward Carnby, is effectively a different person - in age, appearance, backstory and behaviour.
Movie
- In 2005 a film adaptation was released called Alone in the Dark. It was directed by Uwe Boll and was a complete box office flop, costing $20,000,000, which was not recovered. The movie draws no inspiration from the original series, but is a sequel of sorts to the 2001 game The New Nightmare.
See also
External links
- Alone in the Dark - Adventure Classic Gaming Game Information & Screenshots
- Imdb
- gameFAQ's
- MobyGames
Alone in the Dark series | 3DO games | Mac OS games | DOS games | Atari games 1992 computer and video games | 1993 computer and video games
Alone in the Dark | Alone in the Dark (videojuego) | Alone in the Dark | Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare Alone in the Dark | 鬼屋魔影
"Alone in the Dark (video game)"