Survival horror Cosmic and Lovecraftian horror Psychological horror Horror puzzle

Alone in the Dark

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Search Derceto Manor for a missing uncle, as Emily Hartwood or Edward Carnby.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Mostly Positive on Steam (78% of 4,970 reviews); Metacritic 63 on PS5 and 67 on PC; 3.8 of 5 stars on the PlayStation Store from 11,278 ratings
Length: About 8 hours per campaign; two campaigns for the whole story
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard and mouse or a controller (full controller support).
Made by: Pieces Interactive
Released: 2024

No. 23 of the tentacle horror games · No. 15 of the swamp horror games

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What frightens In Derceto Manor, a Louisiana asylum between the wars, Emily Hartwood and detective Edward Carnby search for her missing uncle; a corridor can open into a nightmare world without warning, and eldritch creatures with claws and tentacles come out of the dark while bullets run short.
Content: violence, blood and gore, strong language, themes of suicide and depression.

Alone in the Dark (2024) is a third-person survival horror reimagining of the 1992 classic. Playing as Emily Hartwood or private investigator Edward Carnby, you explore Derceto Manor, a Louisiana asylum, solving puzzles and fighting eldritch creatures with scarce ammunition as reality slips into nightmare.

About Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark was developed by Pieces Interactive and published by THQ Nordic, and came out on 20 March 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It is a reimagining of the 1992 game often credited with founding survival horror, written by Mikael Hedberg, with Jodie Comer as Emily Hartwood and David Harbour as Edward Carnby.

Emily has hired Carnby to find her uncle, who has gone missing at Derceto, an asylum in the American South between the wars. You choose one of the two to play; each has their own scenes and levels, and the store says the game demands to be played twice. The makers put a single run at about 8 hours when rushed, and both runs are needed for the whole story. You explore the manor's rooms, read documents, gather keys and clues, and solve puzzles to open new areas.

The fear comes in two forms. Derceto itself is full of secrets and troubled people, and a step through a door can take you without warning into another place entirely, a nightmare realm that should not exist. And from the dark come creatures of claws and tentacles that you fight with guns, melee weapons and too few bullets. Underneath it all lurks something very old.

Critics were mixed: Metacritic lists 63 on PS5, 67 on PC and 66 on Xbox Series X|S, and OpenCritic shows 43% of critics recommending it. Players have been kinder, with 78% of nearly 5,000 Steam reviews positive. Voice acting is in English, French, German and Japanese, the soundtrack leans on doom jazz, and a free demo, Alone in the Dark Prologue, is on the PlayStation Store. It suits players who like Southern Gothic mysteries, Lovecraftian themes and a slower survival horror built more on exploration than action.

How to play Alone in the Dark

Buy it on Steam, GOG, the PlayStation Store or the Xbox Store.
Choose Emily Hartwood or Edward Carnby; each has their own scenes and levels.
Explore Derceto Manor, reading notes and collecting keys and clues.
Solve the puzzles that open new rooms and paths through the nightmare realms.
Fight or avoid the creatures, making every bullet count, then play again as the other character.

Screenshots

Alone in the Dark screenshot: Emily aims a pistol at a tall, root-like creature in a foggy night street

Alone in the Dark screenshot: a spindly creature stalks toward Emily in a misty street lit by headlights

Alone in the Dark screenshot: Edward Carnby with a pickaxe in a candlelit chapel room full of statues

Alone in the Dark screenshot: Carnby swings an axe at a creature in a dark courtyard

Alone in the Dark screenshot: Carnby stands in a burning, flooded room of the manor

Alone in the Dark screenshot: Carnby and Emily talk in a wood-panelled parlour beneath a painting

Alone in the Dark screenshot: Carnby raises his hands to calm a maid in a bonnet at a kitchen doorway

Tips

Search rooms carefully: ammunition and healing are limited.
Use melee weapons and thrown objects to save bullets for the dangerous creatures.
Read every document; they hold puzzle answers and the story of Derceto.
Play both campaigns to see the whole story.

Questions

Is Alone in the Dark (2024) a remake?

It is a reimagining of the 1992 original: the same mansion and characters, Derceto, Emily Hartwood and Edward Carnby, with a new story and modern third-person play.

Should I play as Emily or Edward?

Either. Each has their own scenes and levels, and the store suggests playing both to get the full experience.

Is there a lot of combat?

There is some, with guns and melee weapons, but exploring and puzzles take up much of the game and ammunition is limited.

What platforms is Alone in the Dark on?

PC (Steam and GOG), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

How long is Alone in the Dark (2024)?

The makers put one campaign at about 8 hours when rushed. Seeing the whole story takes two runs, one as Emily and one as Carnby.

Is there a demo?

Yes. Alone in the Dark Prologue is a free demo on the PlayStation Store.