I’m a harsh critic when it comes to horror games. Games like Dead by Daylight and The Park didn’t stay in my library for long because, honestly, nothing kept me on the edge of my seat or made my heart race in anticipation.
Then Alone in the Dark appeared. While it seems random to get a remake of this 30+ year old survival horror classic in 2024, I was intrigued by the premise and the lead actors. Jodie Comer and David Harbor play the two main characters and it’s a pairing I didn’t expect to see on my PC.
I have a complicated relationship with this game, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it or wouldn’t recommend it to someone else. Before I delve into all that, I’ll give you a brief synopsis to help you understand why I initially thought it was going to be a really scary game and why it ultimately failed to deliver on that promise.
The story makes up for the boring horror.
Alone in the Dark follows Emily Hartwood (Comer) and Edward Carnby (Harbour) as they travel to a psychiatric mansion to find Emily’s missing uncle, Jeremy. However, they discover more than they bargained for: from strange artifacts to horrible creatures lurking in the mist. You can choose to control either protagonist, and both stories contain unique perspectives and chapters to complete.
While the lack of horror disappointed me, I couldn’t get mad because the story was so engaging and fun. The narrative makes up for the non-existent fear factor, as evidenced by my constant need to turn on my PC and get back to this game. I think the developers really tried to make everyone afraid. Unfortunately, there was too much narrative exposition.
For the first half of the game, I wandered around a bright mansion, going from room to room solving puzzles that were, honestly, a little difficult. There were also endless, random conversations with residents that took me out of the game. Of course, it’s important to prepare the story quickly, but there was nothing scary in sight.
There were some scary moments sprinkled throughout. For example, there were unexpected shocks that arose from hallucinations or being transported to nightmarish worlds beyond our own. But other than that, I didn’t find the game all that scary.
All that said, the over-the-top exposition worked for the story. The narrative shined as the game is so focused on building an engaging plot rather than throwing classic horror tropes at you. I kept coming back to this game to learn more about the mansion, solve puzzles, and find out what was really going on with Jeremy. Alone in the Dark managed to keep me hooked as I explored this world and its hidden mysteries, something other horror games sometimes fail to do.
Comer and Harbor deliver the goods
The story is great and Comer and Harbor are a big reason why. His performances seemed real, as did his interactions with other characters. This caught my attention even more. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know how interested I would have been in continuing the narrative.
Comer’s Emily Hartwood is an apprehensive and anxious person who tends to be candid, especially when trying to gather information about her uncle. You can see her confused facial expressions every time a resident says something strange, and she really tries hard to create a character that is believable and relatable.
The same goes for Edward Carnby of Harbour, who is a determined researcher. His conversations felt natural, as did his minor grunts every time he had to traverse some unpleasant landscape. Voice acting isn’t easy, but these two pull off their respective performances to perfection.
So… it’s not a horror game?
Alone in the Dark is a fun game but it’s not exactly scary, despite being a survival horror title. I’d say it’s more of a mystery adventure game with an intriguing premise and solid characters. Sure, there are occasional parts that are almost scary, but none of it hits the mark. Honestly, it’s more confusing than scary. Yes, I’m a horror connoisseur, but I think most would agree with me.
My advice is to go in with low expectations. That way, you’ll probably enjoy the best aspects of Alone in the Dark. It’s not a horror masterpiece like Until Dawn or Dead Space, but its story should keep you glued until the credits roll.
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