THQ Nordic and Pieces Interactive are creating a modern remake of Alone in the Dark, the series that kicked off the survival horror genre.
The developers describe the new Alone in the Dark as a "reimagination" of the original game. You'll explore the Derceto Manor in Louisiana, just as in the original game - but here, it's a countryside mental health clinic. You may recognize writer Mikael Hedberg from his credits leading the script for Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Soma, and as he explains in a presentation to press ahead of today's announcement, the mysterious Jeremy Hartwood is alive in this version of the story. "I sent him to therapy," Hedberg jokes.
You'll still be able to select between two playable protagonists: Emily Hartwood, Jeremy's niece, or Edward Carnby, the private detective Emily's hired to help find out what's happened to her uncle. You'll get different reactions from NPCs depending on who you play, see different cutscenes, and in some cases explore different areas - meaning you'll need to play through the game twice to see everything.
Whoever you select, you play from a third-person perspective as you explore the manor and some surrounding parts of Louisiana. As you'd expect from a traditional horror game, there's a balance of esoteric puzzle-solving and combat against unearthly creatures. The latter was the weakest bit of the footage the developers showed, as the monsters don't show much reaction to getting blasted by shotguns at close range.
Alone in the Dark has been in development since late 2019 at Pieces Interactive, which previously created the modern expansion packs for action-RPG Titan Quest. There's no release date yet, but it's coming to PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC - no old-gen versions in sight.
A Playable Teaser - yes, the devs give a wink and a nod with that cheeky PT reference - called Grace in the Dark will be on the show floor at Gamescom later this year. It'll be a prequel story that won't appear in the final game, featuring Grace from Alone in the Dark 2. There's no word on whether this teaser will make it out to a wider audience, but it will offer at least a portion of the public a taste of the remake.
The best horror games will keep you on the edge of your seat.
