Alone in the Dark

May 22, 2008 -
Atari wants everybody to beat Alone in the Dark. That includes everyone from the most casual gamer up through the core gamer. If you hadn't heard, that would encompass you and so you may be wondering how the company plans to meet this lofty goal. We are talking about a franchise that carries some significance as the father of survival horror, so pleasing everybody is no easy task. It remains to be seen how one of the publisher's big 2008 releases will ultimately turn out, but after getting our hands on the game at a recent showcase it's easy to see that Atari and Eden studios have taken steps in the right direction.It begins with borrowing a feature from DVDs. After completing the opening sections of the game, a chapter and scene selection becomes available. Can't beat a tricky part? Pull up the menu and skip to the next. Want to replay a cool moment? No problem. This nonlinear structure may seem a bit odd in a game that is ostensibly all about plotline and tension, but this is the first step towards removing hurdles that prevent some gamers from tackling titles that could otherwise be overwhelming. You won't be able to get lost after a short break from the game either. Each chapter begins with a "previously on Alone in the Dark" recap trailer to get you up to speed.

Of course, features don't mean squat without the game itself. Atari is looking to make adjustments to keep the game accessible there too. When you wield a melee weapon, the controls are mapped directly to the analog stick. Swing it from to top bottom to take an overhand swipe at an enemy with a board. Grab a heavy fire extinguisher and make an arc from the bottom up and you'll use it like a battering ram on a door. Conventional game design wins out in many other situations -- the trigger is still used for firing weapons, for example -- but Atari is hoping these changes will add some sensibility to control.Now don't start thinking Atari has forgotten about the people that made Alone in the Dark a successful franchise in the first place. This is a title that has hardly forgotten its roots. It's just looking to make them grow. If you think the DVD style chapter select ruins the challenge, don't worry. Achievements can only be unlocked by playing through the stages and you won't get to see the final cinematic unless a certain portion of the game has been completed. And to do that, you'll have to survive some action packed sequences and horrific events.

The game opens with Edward Carnby slowly coming to. You can't move just yet and your vision isn't the best. As you're led towards the roof to be put out of your misery, it's up to the player to keep clicking the analog stick to clear up the blurred vision as it wanes. Obviously, you never make it to the roof. Some great evil is on the loose and it manifests itself through cracks in the walls. As they tear through the building, Carnby's captors are systematically turned into piles of goo. Once the building starts going down, some platforming and deft use of fire becomes necessary to make it out in one piece.In case you hadn't heard, the fire in Alone in the Dark is one of its key selling points as far as tech goes. Each surface in the game has been assigned a flammability rating so that the fire can spread dynamically in real time. And since fire is the great equalizer against possessed humans, it's both a friend and an enemy. A chair makes for a good melee weapon, but a flaming chair is way better.

Making use of your surroundings has become somewhat of a staple of survival horror games, but simply grabbing a blunt object and swinging isn't all Alone in the Dark offers. Carnby's inventory (also known as the pockets in his overcoat) is a bit of a do it yourself chemistry set. Small knick-knacks might turn out to be important when combined properly. A flammable liquid added to your bullets can make flaming bullets (hey, we never said this was realistic) which are way more effective against the forces of evil than regular bullets. The ultimate goal in all of this is to restore order to earth. To do that requires a trip to Central Park in NYC. Getting there requires some basic platforming to start with and a classic high speed race through the streets of Manhattan. Your actions are restricted a bit at first, but you'll eventually find the entire park open to any budding explorers. And we're told it will be worth the effort for those of us that simply must do everything in a game.

Alone in the Dark has the necessary visual chops to provide a thrilling experience. Watching the light stream through a slowly rotating fan evokes all of the horror movie emotions you could want and the fire is a mighty fine sight to behold. There are a few oddities -- the light from a torched chair casts a circular glow that doesn't look too realistic and while we were playing we noticed a few troubles with collisions, for example -- but hopefully most of these small issues will be gone when the final game ships. Look for it on PC and 360 (as well as a slightly different version on PS2 and Wii) on June 24 in the US. The PS3 version will follow later this year.