Studying the origins of the survival horror genre, many texts point to classics like Haunted House for Atari 2600 or the adaptation of the Japanese film Sweet Home by Tokuro Fujiwara. But if your idea of survival horror is a lone character at a disadvantage, forced to face hordes of monsters and other indescribable horrors, the most forceful example goes back to 1992, when Infogrames released Alone in the Dark.
Resident Evil hit shelves in 1996, and the horror genre in video games changed forever. Two years later its sequel appeared, and in 1999 we received Resident Evil 3. It would be a grave mistake to forget Silent Hill, which debuted that same year. It was a privilege to end the century with the best of survival horror injected into our veins... but those games do not represent its starting point.
To find it, we must travel back to 1992. MS-DOS dominated the world, and the PlayStation was still cooking in Sony's ovens. The French studio Infogrames was still relatively young (it had been on the market for nine years), but it managed to surprise the entire world with a game that served as inspiration for dozens of titles in the following decades. Of course, I'm referring to Alone in the Dark.
Alone in the Dark: The Best Lovecraftian Horror in Three Decades
The special edition of the Mystery Examiner published on August 25, 1924 reports “A Tragedy in Louisiana”: the apparent suicide of the local artist and wealthy man Jeremy Hartwood. “Apparent” because the authorities seem convinced of it (they found his body hanging in the attic), but residents suspect there might have been something more behind the incident.
The servants described Hartwood as a broken man after losing his father, disturbed by terrifying visions, and immersed in studies, seeking a relief that never came. His gigantic mansion, Derceto, only increased the fear and desperation, enveloping the artist in an oppressive and relentless atmosphere.
This is where the story of Alone in the Dark splits in two. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to take on the role of private investigator Edward Carnby, or of Emily Hartwood, Jeremy's niece.
Carnby is a smart and intuitive man, but with few “human skills,” apathetic and occasionally arrogant. His main contact with others is through threats and debt notices. When antiques dealer Gloria Allen seeks his services, Carnby thinks it's a blackmail case, but she hands him 150 dollars in advance, the key to Derceto mansion, and a goal: explore the piano in the attic and recover anything inside it. Skeptical to the core, Carnby imagines the task as “paid vacation,” delighting in the idea of escaping the clutches of his banker...
Emily Hartwood's story, on the other hand, tells of a woman deeply impressed by the news of her uncle's death. Convinced of the “morbid and terrible influence” of Derceto mansion on Jeremy's mind, Emily firmly opposes its sale (recommended by the family lawyer) and decides to explore the property herself, hoping to find a note, letter, or warning that explains the fatal outcome. Emily has a more complete knowledge of the mansion, especially its secrets, starting with the piano drawers...
Regardless of the initial choice, the challenges in Alone in the Dark are the same: something is very wrong in Derceto, and both Edward and Emily confirm it soon enough. Horrifying monsters roam the mansion's halls, mutant and hungry birds smash windows seeking new prey, and even the most mundane objects can become traps.
As if that weren't enough, some enemies are immune to physical attacks and weapons (which also have limited ammunition). The only way to overcome them is with more creative strategies, or simply by speed. The books scattered around the mansion contain keys to solve puzzles, eliminate complex enemies, and better understand Derceto's twisted history, but you must be careful: in Alone in the Dark, reading the wrong text can cause death. Saving often is not a bad idea.
A memorable line from the game: “I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am.”
Edward and Emily's progress inevitably leads them to the truth about Derceto and the horrifying influence that drowned Jeremy Hartwood in madness. Caves with rickety bridges, strange pillars of ancient rock, putrid waters guarded by primordial horrors, and an ominous mastermind await at the end. Escaping the mansion is more of a miracle than a goal.
What if I want it on Windows?
Playing Alone in the Dark and its direct sequels is very easy these days. The folks at Good Old Games offer the complete original trilogy at a more than reasonable price, and it comes preconfigured under a DOSBox environment that eliminates compatibility conflicts. My recommendation is to review the manual to learn the commands that control Edward and Emily. There's no mouse support here, and all movements are performed with the keyboard. On the other hand... I think you should disable the music. Its soundtrack isn't bad, but playing to the footsteps of Edward and Emily through the mansion, the moans of monsters, and the sounds of breaking glass greatly improve the experience.
And to finish... Alone in the Dark will have a second reboot. The first one was dreadful from every point of view, and nobody talks about its film adaptation as a global agreement to preserve the mental health of the population. In general, this new project looks “good,” but it conveys a feeling between BioShock and the new Resident Evil that doesn't quite fit for someone “alone in the dark.” We'll be waiting.
