Alone in the dark, we saw the survival horror remake in action

The fact that it has largely disappeared from the modern imagination, also due to the birth of historical series such as Resident Evil and the recent emergence of Silent Hill, should not make us forget a truth as simple as it is important: in the beginning it was Alone in the dark The first 3D survival horror, and from those foundations the genre has evolved into the myriad variations we know today. However, a flashy name is certainly not enough if there are no decent developers to back it up, and the presence of this saga in modern games has been so weak that it has led many gamers (even long ago) to forget it almost entirely. The regression was such that the future of the “rivals” is still being discussed practically everywhere, the announcement of A remake of the original Alone in the Dark It almost passed on Sly, even though it’s slated for release this year.

Indeed, it is understandable that the expectations are not exceptional, given that the team behind the project – Interactive Pieces, mainly known for Magicka 2 – does not possess a method capable of giving enormous certainty; The very little that has been played so far has certainly not improved matters. However, the game has recently re-emerged, and what we saw reinvigorated our interest. In fact, the intent seems to be to make this legendary horror series popular again, with a nod to the many recent developments in the genre.

Healing from cosmic horror

there hypothesis The new Alone in the Dark movie is very similar to the original, but some changes could lead to unexpected developments to say the least. It’s hard not to be optimistic about the writing, as it is about the director and author Michael Hedberg – Author of “Soma and Amnesia” – whose abilities are not underestimated.

The mystery begins when Jeremy Heartwood sends his niece Emily a letter warning her that he is being stalked by a dark, faceless figure. What is written is delusional enough to lead the girl to run to her uncle, accompanied by the private detective Edward Carnby. However, in this remake, Jeremy does not commit suicide himself, and is actually undergoing major therapy Villa Dercito, inhabited by more than one rather shady person. For Heaven’s sake, everything still seems to revolve around dark rituals and cosmic horrors of various kinds, but given who’s at the helm of the project, it’s reasonable to expect many twists regarding good Jeremy’s presence in the plot and the topics covered.

The story is clearly one of the central elements of this remake, and to ensure it is conveyed in the best way possible, Pescis has enlisted the help of Two established actors To play the game heroes. Giving face to Edward is a very good thing David Harborwhile Emily is played by the able-bodied Jodie Comer: With motion capture, their interpretations are an integral part of the experience, and during the presentation it was pointed out many times how high their skills were in the overall quality of the events. We’re a little sad that Edward’s iconic mustache waved to maximize Harbor’s expression, but we understand the choice.

However, that’s not all: presence Two playable characters It’s not secondary, and experiencing events like Emily or Carnby completely changes some events and some characters’ reaction to their actions. We haven’t gone into too much detail about the contents, and at the moment it’s hard to understand if there will be different playable sections – like in the Resident Evil 2 remake, for example – or only plot-related changes; Whatever the case, to get a complete picture it will be necessary to tackle the campaign using both.

Residential evil

I don’t see much Play Again, but if nothing else, we now have a better idea of ​​how this works Fighting, and what we noticed closely reminded us of Capcom’s recent remake. Also in this renewed alone in the dark, indeed, The view is close to the back, with deliberately clumsy aim management to maximize tension, and limited but useful evasiveness to facilitate repositioning when attacked by the monsters that inhabit Derceto and its surroundings. However, Hedberg was careful to stress the differences, specifying how the intention was not to imitate the competition’s recent successes, but to suggest an update as faithful as possible to the concept of the original.

It seems eg that Ammunition will be scarce, and sometimes forces you to use improvised objects to throw enemies, or fight with weapons to defend yourself. The ability to set some map elements and oil slicks on fire also seems to be another very important mechanic for gaining advantages over dangerous groups of enemies. That wasn’t enough, the puzzles here have a relevance and presence similar to the battles, sometimes requiring careful exploration of the surroundings and the collection of clues to overcome them.

Of course, the developers are still thinking of gamers who aren’t too used to puzzles, as they’re introducing utilities that make it easier for anyone who doesn’t want to rack their brains too much, but if nothing else positive, they see how they want to stand out in the genre by introducing a title. Slower and more reasonable than usual. The focus here is on psychological horror, and the intention seems to be to make Villa Derceto some kind of disturbing entity, around which unspeakable dark forces move.

for any concern technical sectorIt doesn’t seem to us that the title has anyone who knows what the production values ​​are, and Slash clearly doesn’t have the technical capabilities that Capcom and Bloober have shown in recent years; However, it must be said that, compared to previous shows, the steps forward have been really impressive, which is indicative of the fact that development has progressed quickly and without much hindrance. The fact that the series’ original creator, Frédéric Raynal, has given his blessing to the team calling them “perfect for the job” is also a very good sign. Who knows, maybe this will be the time for a revival of this great name, and the return of the original trinity of horror series.