Set in the 1920s,Alone in the Darkpays constant homage to the works of theinfluential yet problematicH.P.
Its when developer Pieces Interactive leans into this storytelling tradition thatAlone in the Darkis at its strongest.
Its fitting, then, that puzzle-solving is the core around which the game is based.
Alone in the Darkoften feels lopsided.
The in-game documents and clues are lavish affairs, often with their own voice acting.
It makes for immersive and compelling moments of investigation.
However, this cant be said forAlone in the Darks vocal direction overall.
Protagonists will often repeat canned phrases and conversations with non-player characters are limited and stilted.
Effort noises are shamelessly repeated and begin to grate after a while, too.
The weakest aspect ofAlone in the Darkby far is its combat sections.
Clunky and unresponsive controls punctuate poorly designed combat setpieces.
Ranged combat options feel imprecise and unfulfilling.
This incompatibility serves only to makeAlone in the Darks failed attempts at action combat seem all the more dire.
As you delve deeper, youll find that disparate threads begin to weave together.
A name drop here or a little clue there can become invaluable later on.
Alone in the Darkis unremarkable in its accessibility offerings but offers a few helpful tweaks.
Camera shake options, text and map highlighting, and adjustable subtitles are all available.
The game also provides two difficulty options, one of which provides players with extra hints and clues.
There are no dedicated parameters for colorblind users.
ThoughAlone in the Darks more intriguing elements are buried deep, they are certainly present.
The game encourages you to speculate and hypothesize, filling in blanks deliberately left by the developers.
In many ways, this is the essence of effective horror games.
Hampering an already shaky presentation, Pieces Interactives offering suffers from bugs, too.
Buried deep insideAlone in the Darkis a compelling Lovecraftian mystery.
However, any prospective detective will have to wade through layers of presentational and mechanical obstacles.
Looking for an alternative?
Try our lists of thebest horror gamesand thebest story games.
