Alone in the Dark is a "love letter" to the original that's an Easter egg hunter's dream

The THQ Nordic remake of Alone in the Dark
(Image credit: THQ)

Alone in the Dark is among the slew of classic horror games currently being remade for the modern age. Having bought the rights to the scare 'em series that essentially founded the survival horror genre from Atari, THQ Nordic and Pieces Interactive helm the ambitious reimagining of Detective Edward Carnby's now 30-year-old tale – currently in its alpha stage of development, due at some stage in 2023 – but it's far from a frame-by-frame retelling. 

You see, this is not your average scale and polish reworking, or even the familiar from-the-ground-up rebuilds we've seen over the last few years by virtue of Capcom's recent Resident Evil remakes and the incoming Dead Space and System Shock reimaginings. Instead, Alone in the Dark is a self-proclaimed love letter to the 1992 original – one that dives into the minutiae of a game clearly dated by modern standards, in order to recreate integral facets of its world and narrative. Why? "We can't simply remake the 1992 original," explains creative director and lead writer Mikael Hedberg during a hands-off demonstration at Gamescom 2022. "It would only be around three hours long!"

From A to boo

The THQ Nordic remake of Alone in the Dark

(Image credit: THQ)

When revisiting a game now over three decades old, the technological chasm is obvious. In its defense, Alone in the Dark looked quite incredible in visual terms at the time, and while I myself didn't play it until several years later (I was six years old when it first hit store shelves), I remember still being impressed by its looks towards the end of the 90s, in the face of far prettier games such as Resident Evil 2 and Parasite Eve. Alone in the Dark pioneered psychological survival horror, and championed the fixed camera angle which came to define the genre in that era. But beyond its front-facing aesthetics, games like Alone in the Dark are clearly dated in less obvious – not least in pacing and narrative arcs. 

"That's why we call it a love letter to the original," Hedberg continues. "Right before we announced the game officially, there was a small leak of screenshots and everything, and so a lot of people online were screaming: 'It's a remake! It's a remake! It's a remake!' Not only would a like-for-like remake of the original Alone in the Dark be a few hours long, it would basically consist only of one guy wandering around one house with some monsters."

The THQ Nordic remake of Alone in the Dark

(Image credit: THQ)

To this end, THQ Nordic has played and replayed the original game, running over every detail with a fine-tooth comb, in order to build the broadest, most sophisticated and farthest-reaching interpretation of its source material. For example, innocuous characters who existed only within the pages of in-game notes and memorandums in the original might themselves featured as a fully-realized character in modern-day Alone in the Dark. If others appeared in photographs, or were simply mentioned off the cuff in relation to the first game's broader story, they might find themselves built up, with a presence and story to tell here. And, of course, more obvious nods to the 1992 OG are littered throughout Alone in the Dark today – the eagle-eyed nostalgics among us will surely enjoy cameos from throwback characters and antique pianos alike.

"For us, it's about making a game that horror fans will love in 2023, while paying close deference to the original Alone in the Dark series – those great games from 1992, 1993, and 1994," Hedberg adds. "We have the inspiration of the first game's mansion, for example, but we also have portals that players will need to discover in order to understand what is happening in this world."

Not so alone

The THQ Nordic remake of Alone in the Dark

(Image credit: THQ)

At Gamescom 2022, THQ and Pieces showcased a playable prequel teaser starring Alone in the Dark 2 protagonist Grace Saunders that acts as an appetizer for what lies ahead. It will be made available for players before the launch of Alone in the Dark proper – and, with this and with everything else we've seen so far, Alone in the Dark looks moody, atmospheric, and, for me, a clever take on the process of remaking classic survival horror – something we've seen so much recently, as it applies to the survival horror genre. 

Given the fact Hedberg's CV already boasts lead writing roles on the likes of psychological horror classics SOMA and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Alone in the Dark definitely looks like one to watch. Be that from behind the couch or through the gaps in your fingers. 


Alone in the Dark is without a concrete release date, but is expected on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC at some point in 2023.

Joe Donnelly
Contributor

Joe Donnelly is a sports editor from Glasgow and former features editor at GamesRadar+. A mental health advocate, Joe has written about video games and mental health for The Guardian, New Statesman, VICE, PC Gamer and many more, and believes the interactive nature of video games makes them uniquely placed to educate and inform. His book Checkpoint considers the complex intersections of video games and mental health, and was shortlisted for Scotland's National Book of the Year for non-fiction in 2021. As familiar with the streets of Los Santos as he is the west of Scotland, Joe can often be found living his best and worst lives in GTA Online and its PC role-playing scene.

Read more
Angela holds a knife in Silent Hill 2 remake
Silent Hill 2 remake dev says he was "afraid there might be no good way" to rebuild the classic game without "archaic solutions and mechanics"
Little Nightmares 3 Big In 2025
With two not-so secret weapons up its sleeve, Little Nightmares 3 is shaping up to be the "charming horror" event of 2025
Games like Resident Evil - Dying Light
10 years later, Dying Light's night time psychological warfare is still one of the strongest hooks in horror gaming history
Dying Light 10 year anniversary
Celebrating 10 years of Dying Light's horror legacy: "We were doubting ourselves a little, and then the players stepped in"
Atomfall screenshot
Playing Atomfall for 90 minutes booted me out of my comfort zone more than any other survival action game, and that's a very good thing
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has a survival horror surprise that echoes Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty's – and I loved every second
Latest in Horror
A character's face in horror game REPO.
Best REPO mods to improve your matches with more players and new monsters
phase zero key art showing zombies in a hallway
Former Witcher 3 and Dying Light devs reveal their Resident Evil homage, complete with PS1-style fixed cameras
First-person screenshot from ASYLUM, showing the protagonist's hand holding up a notebook while walking through a dark corridor.
After 15 years and a $120,000 Kickstarter push, this cult horror dev has finally released a successor to their 2006 breakout game
Silent Hill 2
Famed Silent Hill artist Masahiro Ito, creator of Pyramid Head, says scrapped concepts of freaky creatures "still exist in my mind" and "their children may be" used in future titles
A player carrying a potion in horror game REPO.
REPO Strength explained and how to upgrade it
A room in horror game REPO.
How to play REPO
Latest in Features
Thor and Loki in Thor: Ragnarok
After 15 years in the making, Thor and Loki's reunion in Avengers: Doomsday could be the perfect MCU conclusion for the characters
Soft Rains logo with frog drawing
"There is an expectation we're gonna make a little Skyrim": Ubisoft and Bethesda veterans form new studio headed by Skyrim and Fallout designer, debuting with first-person sci-fi and "crunchy mechanics"
Witchbrook screenshot of a library in the magical college with witches flying on brooms
Witchbrook: Everything we know so far about Chucklefish's magical new life sim
The village green in Atomfall
My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obliged to bash you with a cricket bat
The Demon's Hand
League of Legends' take on Balatro is one of its best mini-games yet – and it's also exactly what's wrong with this era of League of Legends
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Here are the 23 biggest omissions in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list announcement – and why they might be missing