Atari recently held a special press event to showcase the latest iteration of their Alone in the Dark franchise. The series originally debuted in 1992 as one of the very first survival horror titles and has paved the way for successor games of its genre, such as Silent Hill and the revered Resident Evil. Seven years after the last installment, Alone in the Dark marks the fifth game in the franchise and the first modern, fully 3D incarnation.

Phil Harrison, the president of Infogrames Entertainment, the parent company to Atari Games, was on hand to personally introduce the title. By helping establish the survival horror genre, Alone in the Dark gave the adventure game genre a new path. Although more recent franchises like the before mentioned Resident Evil have shaped survival horror games, Atari hopes to bring the Alone in the Dark series back to the forefront. Their plan to accomplish that is by blurring the lines between successful media formats such as games, film/ movies and TV. Alone in the Dark spearheads what Mr. Harrison hopes to see in terms of media convergence. He spoke briefly about breaking down the barriers that prevent players from completing titles, and envisions a future where everyone will be able to finish and fully complete games the same way one would expect to finish a movie or DVD eventually.


Nour Polloni, the lead producer for Eden Games [of V-Rally and Test Drive Unlimited fame] was also on hand to walk through the innovative features of the new title.

The first thing that stands out about the title is its unconventional structure. Rather than following the linear progression of a traditional game, the Alone in the Dark menu is laid out much like a television series DVD. Each level is broken into episodes, which are then broken up into the chapters which translate into checkpoints in the game. Reloading a gamesave launches into a mini-trailer that recapped events previous to that point, so that you can be brought back up to speed with the story thus far. Needless to say, the RPG fans in the audience were highly impressed.

In line with Phil Harrison's vision of creating games that everyone should be capable of completing, Eden also allows players the ability to skip ahead past chapters. Should someone be too scared or find a particular part too difficult, you can skip that point and continue on. However, you cannot simply skip straight to the end; in order to progress you need to complete a certain percentage of a chapter.

Next they discussed the dynamic physics of the game. Since much of the game revolves around fire, Eden set out to create some of the most impressive fire physics yet. Not only do the flames look incredibly realistic, they actually behave realistically as well. Flames cast their own dynamic lighting as they spread across objects and they consume materials as you would expect in real life. You can pick up a chair, set it on fire and use it as a flaming weapon to attack your enemies, or you can use your flaming chair to light your way through a dark room. The choice is yours. If you let an object you are holding burn too long, eventually the fire will consume it and force you to drop it lest you burn yourself. Fires, if left unattended will spread realistically across all potentially flammable surfaces. If you are not careful, you may find yourself trapped in the center of an inferno. All this is very impressive stuff, but still just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the physics engine is capable of.


Puzzles are not simple lever fetch-quests. Should you find yourself at a locked door, you can attempt to decode the combination for the keypad, shoot open the case and attempt to re-wire the door, burn the door down or simply bash the door open with a nearby object. Again, the choice is yours.

Your inventory system is handled in real-time by glancing down at your jacket. Your standard handgun doesn't offer much protection from an army of possessed monsters, so if you need to dispatch a group of enemies, you can combine materials you've gathered along the way. In true MacGuyver style, you can create an impromptu blowtorch using a flammable aerosol can and your always handy zippo lighter. Need to clear your way through a large mob? Pour a portion of flammable liquid into an empty water bottle and shoot it while in the air to create an instant flame grenade. Again, the possibilities were impressive.

The story centers around one man, who in one night has to survive long enough to discover the hidden secrets of New York's Central Park. Edward Carnaby from the original Alone in the Dark title returns as the main protagonist. He is brought from the 30's era into modern times by a mysterious group attempting to harness the power of an arcane amulet. Abandoning the horror clichés of tight hallways, awkward camera angles and confined corridors, you navigate Edward through the open areas of Central Park at night. You can commandeer nearby abandoned cars at a whim, or travel by foot. The choice is up to you. The game can be almost played all the way through in either first person or third person view. Both of which can be switched to on the fly. In the few levels that were available for previewing, Alone in the Dark seems to have captured the look and feel of the best of horror movies and blended that in with what the best Hollywood summer blockbuster films have to offer.


Development on Alone in the Dark is currently completed and awaiting certification. It is set to be released on June 24, 2008 for Xbox360, Wii, PS2, and PC. A PlayStation 3 version is in the works and set to be released this fall. Fans of the franchise, survival horror, adventure games, or anyone simply interested in a good story should definitely keep this one on their radar.