What we've seen of Alone In The Dark suggests that it has learned well from its competitors- the emphasis on keeping a cool head under pressure as seen in Resident Evil 4, the sense of alienation of Konami's Silent Hill, the unsettling visual effects as seen in Fatal Frame- all wrapped up with the freedom to roam the park as you wish. And, because of that, you've got yourself the recipe for the first of the next breed of survival action games. But, despite having more fresh ideas than you could wave a lampshade at, it's still the sense of the familiar that lingers longest in the player's mind.
Central Park, although several square kilometers wide, never feels empty, with even long trawls through the forest having the same eerie atmosphere as that opening pathway in Silent Hill 2. As Polloni points out: "Isn't it weird that there's a huge park in the middle of New York? A city as crowded as that. You can stand in the middle of this bustling city and not be able to see a single building. Doesn't it make you think that something sinister is going on?"
Yeah, it does... now.
A lack of ideas will never be Alone In The Dark's shortcoming- but perhaps an over-saturation of them might be. Eden admit that their big ideas are proving difficult to balance out, although these are ideas and avenues that need to be explored if the genre is going to advance beyond current king, Resident Evil 4. We applaud Eden for having the initiative- and bravery - to go for it. From what we've seen, we think this could be a real- and really frightening - sleeper hit.
