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Survival horror games are an extremely popular genre these days. Some of the greatest game series have sprung from it, like Resident Evil and Amnesia. None of those games would exist, however, without the original Alone in the Dark. Alone in the Dark is literally the grandfather of survival horror video games. Released in 1992, it predates Resident Evil by four years, and it established survival horror tropes that are still being used in games today. Mechanics like inventory management, puzzle solving, running from fights, and sudden death traps all originated with Alone in the Dark.
Alone in the Dark has had its fair share of sequels, reboots, and remakes since its original release. While not all the iterations of the game have been as well received, impactful, or beloved as the original, that doesn't mean gaming has no room for the horror icon to return. With the recent increase in popularity of survival horror games, it is no wonder that THQ Nordic announced during their 2022 Digital Showcase that Swedish developer Pieces Interactive is rebooting the series once more. Unlike other Alone in the Dark reboots, this one looks incredibly promising, and survival horror fans should be excited.
This isn't a complete remake of the original Alone in the Dark, but the game is heavily based on it. THQ has referred to this game as a "Re-imagining" and a "Love Letter" to the original. Obviously, there have been some major technological advancements in games since its release. The new Alone in the Dark is not only capitalizing on those advancements, but it is also borrowing from modern survival horror games like the Resident Evil series and Dead Space. However, the game will still be set in the 1920s American South, and it will follow the original game's protagonists, Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, as they explore Derceto Manor and other locations.
The reboot also has some incredible people working on it as well. Guy Davis is designing the creatures for the game. He has done creature designs for films like Academy Award Nominee Nightmare Alley and Academy Award Winner The Shape of Water. Davis also provided the creature designs for Gears of War 4. Alone in the Darks re-imagined story will be written by Mikael Hedberg, who wrote games such as SOMA and some of the Amnesia games.
The story promises to be more active and cinematic than previous Alone in the Dark games, but that won't be the game's only focus. Combat will be a large part of the new Alone in the Dark, and it won't be a typical third-person shooter. Players will encounter a great many monsters throughout the game, and they will have to fight the creatures with firearms and melee weapons. It has also been implied that defeating all the creatures in the player's way may not be an option, so gamers may need to run or avoid combat when necessary.
Several Alone in the Dark games that followed the original failed to recapture the magic of the original game while also updating it for audiences. Fortunately, it seems like THQ and Pieces Interactive may have finally figured out how to terrify players all over again. There are some incredibly skilled people working on the game, and it looks like it will be a true horror experience. There is no release date set at the moment, but THQ did say that there would be a playable teaser at Gamescom this year, so fans can expect to see a lot more from Alone in the Dark soon.