The original Alone in the Dark did more than invent survival horror—it pioneered new ways to play and new ways to fear

GamesHorrorAlone in the DarkThe original Alone in the Dark did more than invent survival horror—it pioneered new ways to play and new ways to fearWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Infogrames)

Edward Carnby in the original Alone in the Dark.

Still, inspiring one of the most popular franchises in gaming history and sparking the emergence of a subgenre that defined two successive console generations in the late 1990s and early 2000s was hardly the extent of Alone in the Dark’s influence. Perhaps less overtly, the progenitor of survival horror has guided the evolution of the medium in two other ways since its release 32 years ago.

The rise of cosmic horror

(Image credit: Infogrames)

A Lovecraftian altar in the original Alone in the Dark.

(Image credit: Infogrames)

Exploring the library in the original Alone in the Dark.

In the wake of Alone in the Dark’s spectacular success (shifting more than half a million copies in the limited PC market of the era), Lovecraftian themes started to proliferate. First, with Infogrames own follow-ups (developed as tie-ins with Chaosium’s tabletop role-playing system, Call of Cthulhu), Shadow of the Comet and Prisoner of Ice, then at slowly but steadily increasing rates, out of which arose the occasional gloomy classic: Anchorhead, Eternal Darkness, Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, Dark Corners of the Earth.

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And in the last decade or so, cosmic horror has become ubiquitous in gaming. A quick search of the keyword “Lovecraftian” on Steam yields nearly 1500 results, more than thirty of which were released this February alone. The theme has become so all-pervasive, it can be encountered in genres that are not typically associated with horror—from action RPGs like Bloodborne, to turn-based roguelikes like Darkest Dungeon.

New ways of seeing; new ways of playing

(Image credit: Infogrames)

Edward Carnby viewed from below in the original Alone in the Dark.

Glancing back at Alone in the Dark’s most accomplished Lovecraftian predecessors (including the three titles mentioned a few paragraphs earlier), one makes an intriguing observation: all of them were text adventures. Games had been drawing from horror movies since the mid-1970s (with Jaws, then the Alien franchise being especially popular sources of inspiration during these formative years) but had trouble finding ways of actually scaring the player in the 8- and 16-bit eras. Cosmic horror in particular, with its glacial pace and frail protagonists, was an obvious mismatch for the platformers and shoot ‘em ups that dominated the market in the 1980s. If a Lovecraftian game were to exist—one that did not rely on the the typed commands and obstinate parsers of interactive fiction—a paradigm shift was needed. Alone in the Dark provided that.

(Image credit: Infogrames)

Edward Carnby pointing a gun at a monster in the original Alone in the Dark.

A couple of misguided sequels churned out in haste to capitalise on the original’s success, a forgettable film adaptation, and two fascinating but flawed attempts at a reboot mean the original Alone in the Dark is remembered more as the game that inspired Shinji Mikami than for its own considerable accomplishments. Among the numerous Silent Hill and Resident Evil homages, it’s disappointing to note that there are so few contemporary titles directly referencing Infogrames’ trailblazing classic (I have managed to locate only two, both of them well worth a look for series veterans:The PadreandA Room Beyond). Still, with a third attempt at resurrecting Alone in the Dark set to be released in a few days, this might be the perfect moment to climb the stairs to Derceto’s attic once again and, in the process, rediscover one of gaming horror’s underappreciated gems.

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The rise of cosmic horror#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

New ways of seeing; new ways of playing#

The rise of cosmic horror

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

New ways of seeing; new ways of playing