Dec 27, 2007

Our recent previews of Alone in the Dark delve into the use of light as a weapon and the creepy, gigantic Central Park setting. For our next trick, we talk to the game Producer, Nour Polloni.

First, let’s talk about influences…

Polloni: Well, our influences for Alone in the Dark fall firmly outside the horror genre. That’s not to say we’re ignoring the heritage of the brand and the genre the first game helped to create but, for us, the excitement lies in creating tension and pressure through other means than the tools you’d expect in a classic horror situation. Some of the most exciting and tense entertainment of recent years has been TV series like Lost where you’re gripped by a tight dynamic of action, plot twists, character revelation and cliffhangers. Those shows have directly influenced the structure of the game to give us the same dynamic in our gameplay. But we’d say our number one influence is probably the original Die Hard. Not only is it an action masterpiece, it’s also pretty much the ultimate story of one man’s survival against impossible odds - a central theme of AITD.

The original Alone in the Dark’s major theme was the Cthulhu mythos; the second, voodoo; the third, Western - where does this one sit?

Polloni: It’s linked to the universal question of what lies after death, a topic relevant in pretty much every religion you can think of - so we’ve taken influences from a number of the world’s faiths to put the story together. It’s also no accident that we’re bringing these influences together in New York - one of the world’s greatest melting pots of culture and belief.