Pieces Interactive and THQ Nordic have been clear that the upcomingAlone in the Dark is meant to be a reimagining of the 1992 original.So far, fans have seen a little of what that means in terms of gameplay, but what about the characters themselves? How have they changed and how have they remained the same? Even more important is Derceto Manor itself. Is it a truly haunted place or is it just a location? Well, in the game’s latest"Into the Madness" trailer,fans can get a better sense of it all.
Something fans will notice in this video, and perhaps even in past trailers, is that Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood aren’t just glorified avatars. Rather, it looks like they’re going to be very similar to Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil 2. That is, while they might be going through the same basic story, their goals and the paths they’ll take through it differ. It seems that other characters, like the residents of Derceto Manor, will treat them differently too. Hopefully, this will make Alone in the Dark replayable in the same way Resident Evil 2 was, but it’s probably still too early to make any definitive guesses there.
One more thing to note regarding that, though, are some of the comments made in this trailer by David Harbor, the voice actor for Edward Carnby. He talks about enjoying games with different endings as well as those where players get to choose their own adventure or can affect the game’s world somehow. He also mentions that there was something about this game, Alone in the Dark, that really appealed to him. Perhaps the comments aren’t as connected as the video makes them out to be, but they could also very well hint at the overall player experience here.
It seems that Derceto Manor itself will have just as much of a role in the story as its residents.
The same goes for the residents of Derceto Manor. Little is actually said about them, but Jodie Comer, Emily’s voice actor, remarks that they all have an effect on the story from the moment they’re introduced. So, if nothing else, fans should at least be able to look forward to a colorful cast to interact with.
As for Derceto Manor itself, one cannot help but get the idea that it’s not merely the location where all this stuff happens to be playing out, and that’s not by accident. Creative Director Mikael Hedberg had this to say:
“One of the most important parts of the game is the place. It’s, at its very core, a haunted mansion story. That’s why we needed to make sure we recreated Derceto again!”
If Dercetowasjust a place, then the team at Pieces Interactive likely could have just set this new Alone in the Dark in an entirely new location. As Hedberg said, though, Derceto Manor is special. Whatever it is that Edward and Emily encounter there, it must be closely tied to the house somehow. Here’s hoping that getting to know the place and all the people involved will be as interesting as it looks.
Alone in the Dark launches on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
