Alone in the Dark is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows via Steam.
The new game from Pieces Interactive is a full modern remake of the original game released in 1992 by Infogrames, the company today known as Atari SA.
Now, what made this remake even happen is Atari SA itself. Atari sold the rights to the Alone in the Dark property to THQ Nordic in 2018, and yes, at this point THQ was owned by Embracer Group.
Getting back to their 1992 original game, it is both true that the first Alone in the Dark has not aged well, and it is one of the most influential PC games of all time. The theme of a Lovecraftian murder mystery treads similar ground as Remedy’s recent release, Alan Wake 2. But Alone in the Dark did it decades earlier, and the 3D polygon based graphics also raises its historical significance.
In 2024, we are used to much better 3D than what was available in 1992. In fact the adventure genre experienced a major revival in recent years, and expectations are way high for this Alone in the Dark and what it will do for the franchise.
And so, THQ Nordic must have known that they were filling in big shows. They cast David Harbour and Jodie Comer to play franchise protagonists Edward Carnby, a private eye, and Emily Hartford. Much like the original game, Emily hired Edward to help her find out what happened to Emily’s uncle Jeremy.
This new title also features many of the same themes as the original, but with the demands of a new age, perhaps adapted to better fit the cinematics, things that were not yet really created or possible in that time.
There is unfortunately, reason to doubt this release. Partly because Pieces Interactive isn’t that well known quite yet as a good developer. But this may also partly be because this title is really coming from Embracer Group, at a time when Embracer is instituting layoffs and shutting down more famous and well known studios themselves.
We understand, then, what could possibly happen if this new Alone in the Dark does not perform in the market to Embracer’s expectations. We can’t predict at this time how reviewers will take this remake, but also, one wonders how many of those reviewers and buyers remember the context of getting this game back in the day.
Alone in the Dark didn’t have to be a particularly excellent game to change the industry. This one may also make its own impact in its own way to the gaming audience.
