This year we’re putting together a list of 31 Retro Horror games. Games that have come from dead console generations, back to haunt us. Sadly, not all of these games will be available for you to play due to the complicated nature of video game preservation. However, we’re going to note if it’s possible to play them on modern hardware. We’ll be covering games from the Seventh Generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) and earlier. So basically anything before 2006.
Day 18
Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark is the first game to really codify all of these preexisting video game notions into what we would come to know as the survival horror genre. Alone in the Dark is called the granddaddy of survival horror–and for good reason–it was “first” in a lot of ways. In fact, it was this game that would make Shinji Mikami choose the fixed angle third person view for Resident Evil.
While Alone in the Dark has had a few sequels, and a few remakes (one of which released just this year) the original game probably stands as the most important work in the series. In fact, I’d argue that without Alone in the Dark the horror game landscape would be much different–and would probably have stayed more in the point and click realm for longer than it did.
Alone in the Dark has both aged poorly and pretty well. It suffers from horribly clunky tank controls that are floaty but sometimes require laser precision. Actions are done through a menu instead of being dedicated to keys. If you want to open a chest you have to select “open” and then approach the chest.
Puzzles in Alone in the Dark have had to be the inspiration for Resident Evil, also. Some of the puzzles, especially towards the end of the game, feel a little absurd. But they’re not any stranger than what the Resident Evil series has come up with.
If you want to play Alone in the Dark these days, it’s available on steam as part of a bundle that includes 2008’s Alone in the Dark along with the original trilogy of Alone in the Dark games. Ironically, the remakes have done little to make Alone in the Dark standout from the survival horror pack. I’d almost recommend trying to play the clunky original–or at least watch a let’s play of it–before playing any of the remakes.
Σχόλια