By himself with a lack of light?
Fast forward to the present day and I can remember being at a behind closed doors presentation of the game at E3 with a number of American journalists when one of those looking at the game with me said AITD was (and we quote directly) “like a Resident Evil clone”. Clone indeed! AITD is returning after a decent hiatus and the game that arguably started it all is looking like it still has some original ideas to offer up, not just in terms of game style, but even when looking at the way the medium will be delivered to us adventure hungry consumers.
The first Alone In The dark game was a pioneering effort. It was one of the first games to feature truly scary adult narrative, not just the cheesy slapstick stuff or Slaughterhouse or Mortal Kombat. More importantly AITDit was one of the first true 3D adventures and as such, a huge omen for the future of gaming as a whole.
Alone In The Dark is looking to make a comeback too, many years after the last game in the series quietly disappeared from shop shelves. Just to shake things up the game takes place in a part of the world previously untouched by the series, New York. In particular it will focus on occult happenings in Central Park, which as anyone who has been there at night will tell you can be pretty spooky.
Everyone loves a good sunset
You are Edward Carnby, the eponymous hero from the previous games. The time period is listed as ‘present day’ however AITD places us in an alternate vision of our times, with strange happenings occurring around the cemetery in Central Park. An unseen malevolent force from another dimension is looking to burst through to our world and the park seems to be at the centre of it all.
At E3 a demonstration of the game’s technology featured a terrified Carnby sprinting for his life as he scrambled about in a dilapidated building. While he ran from room to room the walls and floor collapsed all around him. Finally when he is cornered by an unseen shadowy being the whole floor collapsed in from of him and the poor soul is left dangling from a gargoyle that is jutting out on the edge of a high rise apartment block.
The initial demonstration of the technology that will power the game was impressive. The lighting was very detailed and used lots of tricks like fogging, real shadows and volumetric light. Also the chaps from Eden Studios were quick to point out that the action wasn’t scripted. Instead they showed us how you could control Carnby as he clung to the edge of the structure and grappled with the uneven surfaces on the side of the building.
You had to save Carnby by grabbing hold of a beam and it is this sort of clever interactive environment that Alone In The Dark will strive to present. The Xbox 360 version of the game is looking amazing and there were some stunning cinematic effects, with the developers using light and shade a lot to give you a sense of foreboding as each shadow potentially conceals a new threat.
No ganados in sight...
Alone In The Dark will mark an experiment for Atari too. The game will be delivered in episodic form with small passages of play available for purchase. The idea is gamers will enjoy the game like they might enjoy a weekly drama serial. This new distribution approach could prove interesting if it lowers the cost of a game or delivers intense smaller episodes in a series while keeping you eager for more action. Even though it was clearly a very adult production Alone In The Dark was one of the best looking games on show at the E3 expo and it could well be a dark horse (in more ways than one) that you should look out for in 2007.
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