Alone in the Dark was easily the most difficult review I’ve ever had to write. Eden Games created some amazing sights that are best experienced to understand how amazing they are. Alone in the Dark also sports a few unique features such as DVD style controls and a complex item system. Unfortunately, the game, much like Central Park, holds a dark secret. (SPOILER: The controls suck!) So, does Alone in the Dark deliver? Hit the jump to find out.

The premise behind this new instalment of Alone in the Dark is that you play Dr. Edward Carnby who has woken up in the middle of New York City in a state of anarchy. You continue on to discover that Central Park holds a dark secret. I did enjoy the story, but I found the voice acting leave a bit to be desired without detracting from the story.

The game sports some interesting features that don’t affect game play directly. Eden Games split the game into several episodes. If you resume game play from a saved game, a short video will play summarizing the game so far. If you choose to quit the game after the end of an episode, a teaser video will play to try to make the gamer want more. I’m especially fond of the video reminding the player what has happened so far. I always tend to forget story lines if I’ve not played in a while, so a reminder is a pretty awesome concept. Alone in the Dark also features a DVD-style chapter select so, if you get stuck, you can skip that part and move on to the next. Many will appreciate that particular feature.

The item system is impressive. Many items can be combined to create unique weapons. For example, combining sticky tape with a blood packet punctured with a knife creates an item that can be attached to enemies to create a distraction. A handkerchief combined with a bottle of alcohol can create a makeshift Molotov Cocktail which was easy my most used weapon in this game. Many of the puzzles in the game require combining items, so experimentation is necessary.

Eden Games did an excellent job with the in-game cinematics. While trying to reach an objective or driving through the city, the camera pans to give breath-taking views of the action. At times I found myself feeling like I was watching an action film rather than playing a game. I’ll touch a little more on this later.

Unfortunately, the controls hinder the positive aspects of the game. I often felt that controlling the vehicles in this game would be like what controlling a drunk driver feels like. Slightest taps on the control stick would often send me into a wall or, preferably, to my death. It sounds strange to wish for death in a video game, but I found that it was usually faster to just die and do the scene over than dealing with the controls to right yourself. Attempting to use the protagonists’ pistol to aim precisely was often an exercise in futility unless you had the foresight to have some sticky tape and alcohol available. The game continuously told me I could kill baddies by shooting them in the “fissure”, but I was only able to do this once. This accomplishment was prior to achieving the “spectral vision” ability that was supposed to make this easy to do. I stormed away from the game frustrated and angry more than once because of the controls.

Just to add to the frustration, the game engine also had a tendency to glitch at very important times. Imagine this. During the first driving scene. you’re driving through the city while the sidewalk is cracking behind you! Canyons are forming all around you! Windows above you are exploding, and digital people are trying to escape as quickly as their digital legs can digitally carry them.

“Wow!” you think, “This is incredible! I have to survive! Central park needs me!”

You see a jump ahead to get across the canyon! “Bring it on,” you mentally scream as you slam on the gas! Alone in the Dark delivers scenes like this like Papa John’s delivers pizza. The game is so ridiculously cinematic that at times you can only look on in awe. I hope developers take a lesson from Eden Games in cinematic presentation.

Your car flies off the jump, over the canyon, and comes to a complete stop on landing. The car was situated perfectly for a good landing. Nothing was blocking your path. You just landed and glared in surprise and disgust as the game flipped the bird to a well-known concept in physics called ‘inertia’. There’s no time to accelerate to get away from the creature that’s chasing you. You’re dead, and, if you’re like me, you’re screaming at the top of your lungs because that’s the fourth time you’ve played this scene because of a glitch.

As I said before, this was a difficult review to write. I absolutely love the presentation and innovations of Alone in the Dark, but I loathe the glitches and frustrating controls. I’ve put a lot of thought into how to weigh the good qualities against the bad qualities. Unfortunately, the amazing presentation isn’t as important to gameplay as the controls and glitches. I will say that I hope Eden Games is given another chance to create a game like Alone in the Dark.

I recommend that fans of the survival horror genre definitely check out Alone in the Dark. All other gamers should proceed with caution for the reasons above.