Alone in the Dark Progress Report

January 22, 2008 - It's been quite a long road for Alone in the Dark, the latest title in the classic survival horror franchise. The game is a departure from the standard situations that Edward Carnby found himself in: exploring haunted mansions, mysterious towns and strange islands. Emphasizing more action survival than survival horror, Carnby's newest adventure throws him into a supernaturally twisted Central Park and New York City. We were able to check out a few stages from his adventure to see how frightening the Big Apple is when the sun goes down.

The first stage that we were shown during our demo was set in the sewers under Central Park, as Edward moved past rats and industrial hazards. Some of these hazards, such as moving past steam vents, could easily be avoided with careful moves and timing. Others required manipulation of the environment, such as grabbing planks of wood scattered in the sewers to move live electrical wires out of pools of water or grabbing these wires and thrusting them into fences to electrocute monsters. Interestingly enough, just about any object that Edward comes across can be used as a weapon and can be swung in two different ways: players can swing quickly to attack an enemy or slowly to push items and objects out of the way.


Much of this is due to the inclusion of Havok 4.5, which provides incredibly realistic physics simulations in the game's environments. Chairs and wood splinters realistically, and items with varying mass move at different speeds. However, the most impressive feature of the game's engine is its rendering of fire, which snakes and spreads along flammable surfaces naturally. Players can break apart chairs or pieces of wood and set them ablaze to create impromptu torches or create makeshift weapons.

Now, there wasn't any specific explanation as to why Carnby was underneath the ground, but we were informed that this was merely one phase of the game. Other stages would be a mix of on-foot navigation of areas and vehicular driving with puzzles and combat sequences mixed in. Regardless of the stage, the one thing that persists through the entire game is the HUD-less presentation of the title. Instead of life bars or other health indicators, players will get a sense of how damaged Edward is by his physical appearance, such as blood seeping through his shirt from injuries. This can actually be a dangerous situation, as some monsters can smell blood and track you across an entire level.

Nah -- nothing creepy down in the sewers...
Nah -- nothing creepy down in the sewers...
Sensory perception is a huge factor for the creatures within Alone in the Dark, as they'll use their sight, sense of smell, and hearing to hunt for Carnby and anyone unfortunate enough to be near them. For example, one unlucky sewer worker stumbled upon what could only be described as "dark water." The liquid appeared to be sentient and moved quickly towards the man, swallowing him in a large puddle. Fortunately, these senses can be exploited to Carnby's advantage. For example, by shining a light towards the water, the liquid retreated and Edward could safely run past. Other monsters could be distracted by making a noise and leading them into a trap or an ambush.



Some of these can be set up by Carnby's ability to create seemingly anything from a number of items that he has in his trenchcoat. Instead of having a magical inventory that can hold everything, you're constrained by the number of items that can reasonably fit into pockets sewn into his jacket. Many of these can be combined to create new objects for Carnby, primarily through the use of tape. Players can use sticky tape and glowsticks as impromptu path markers, or tape and aerosol cans as adhesive grenades. These portable bombs can be placed on walls or thrown onto unsuspecting monsters and blown up later. You also have the option to detonate the cans in mid-air by shooting them, and the game will enter slow motion to give you a chance to pull this move off.

Items won't be scattered in "breakable boxes" or found from disappearing monsters. Instead, they'll be placed in logical areas, such as stockrooms or closets, and you'll need to search through them to find what is useable and what isn't. However, while you can hotkey your favorite items, players have to be careful, because the game doesn't pause as you search through your inventory for objects. As a result, you'll need to find a safe place to equip gear or risk being attacked.

Anyone want fried monster?
Anyone want fried monster?
The other level we saw was a driving stage where Carnby was trying to make his way through the city streets as quickly as possible. This wasn't a simple race against the clock – the streets of New York were falling into a deep chasm, and only by staying ahead of the crumbling streets could he stay alive. The rest of the city at this point appeared to be completely gripped in chaos: at one point, we saw a car engulfed in flames, with the driver still attempting to steer his wrecked vehicle. The buildings weren't faring any better, with the upper floors of buildings (complete with gargoyle statues) falling in Carnby's path.

While Carnby was confined to one particular vehicle on this stage, we were informed that there will be lots of vehicles that will be found throughout the game. Players will be able to smash the windows of any cars they come across to search their interior for items. Carnby will also be able to hotwire these vehicles, or move from the front seat to the back seat if a monster attacks you as an attempt to put a little protection between you and the beast.

Looking better and better - God im a sucker for a resi or silent hill game

I heard the game was posponed to bad ee

what is saw in the Trailer, its a sort of Silent hill