Alone in the Dark is the grandfather of all survival horror games. As a huge fan of the genre and the Resident Evil series, playing this game was long overdue, luckily I finished it just in time for the remake. While we're at it, a remake is definitely needed. Not just because of the technical aspects like the bad resolution, awful controls, dozens of useless items which gets annoying 'cause it was combined with limited inventory and the combat is also pretty bad. Once an enemy manages to land a hit, you will be staggered and most of the time you can't do anything against it until you are dead. The steam version also has a few problems for example the window shrinking when you minimize it and the visuals are very pixelated when you maximize the game on a modern monitor. But I always had to laugh when Edward punched a zombies with the loudest SMACK sound effect. I was also pleasantly surprised by the the voice acting. I didn't expect the game have voice acting and it was very well-done. I really appreciated the voice acting because the information in the notes was often necessary to defeat certain monsters and I just hate it when I have to read so much in games. Overall I enjoyed my time with the game, it has a great atmosphere, cool monster design and I see much potential for the remake. But it was really short, at max you probably need around 4-5. I'm glad I finally beat this game because of its historical value and importance to my favorite gaming genre, survival horror.


Games I finished in 2024 ranked

this game does have some of that 90s point n click bs, from obscure puzzles, to timed sequences that can result in game overs, to, well, being able to even get a game over, to the pixel hunt, to the excess mouse functions that could have really been streamlined (seriously when do you ever use push in this game?)
but
the story, the writing, the visuals, the voice acting, everything else comes together to make this one of the best point n click games of the 90s... just play with a guide and have a separate save for every day (you'll thank me when you forget to leave the snake scepter under the cushion and screw yourself over on the final day)

If you're reading this you either want to know WTF this game with a long name is or if you know that whether it's any good (does Psi think 3 stars is bad).

To answer WTF, this is a point and click game which seems very much a homage to Broken Sword, similar in themes, jet-setting, comedy and even with some nods to that series.

3 Stars is because this game is good but not without faults, part of me think it's harsh "is this just the most 7/10 ever?" as it succeeds in being a version of that series both in good and bad ways.

If you liked the series, you will enjoy this but you will both find some puzzles annoying and some dialogue bad or even distasteful.
You will also though enjoy the conspiracies, enjoy the settings and probably get a small laugh at some of the jokes and some of the nods.

My lower score is simple, it's still not as good as the first two Broken Swords and it also makes some similar mistakes to them.
Annoying partly controlled timed clicking puzzles that gave me bad memories of a goat alongside not enough voice lines to tell you if you're hot or cold when on the right path.

Overall though, I'm glad this exists, I hope there's a sequel- you have to hope that's the plan with the subtitle - and hopefully with more time, money and experience the team can create an even better game.