Alone In The Dark: Illumination
FIRST GLIMPSE - Alone in the Dark: Illumination
Being both a PC gamer and a horror fan, I've always had a very mixed relationship with the Alone in the Dark franchise. The original practically defined the genre of survival horror, demonstrating that games can instil a level of chills no horror movie ever could.
On the other hand, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare remains the only game I have ever returned to the store: the PC port was so awful I found it unplayable (and from what I've heard the followup wasn't much better).
So when I heard a new AITD game was happening my mind rushed with questions:
"Will it be more like Resident Evil or Outlast?"; "How will they keep the franchise fresh and original in a world now filled with horror games?"; "Will it be better than that god-awful movie spinoff with Tara Reid?" But my biggest question of all was "Will it actually be playable on the PC?"
I spent the weekend playing the Beta and was able to get an idea of what to expect. Keep in mind what follows is very much a "first impressions" as the game is still far from complete.
First off: IT WORKS ON PC! HALLELUJAH! In fact it's developed for the PC and presently only available on Steam, so no need to worry about a substandard console port.
The next big change, answering the question about staying relevant in today's climate, is they've introduced multiplayer. While this function wasn't available to test, I get the feeling multiplayer is going to be a huge part of Illumination and a major selling point: the four playable characters have very different abilities and you'll have control over the size of your group. This would be a refreshing change from Left 4 Dead where it's always four players and there's no benefit of choosing one character over another. There is still a single-player mode for those wishing to be truly alone in the dark.
Speaking of: the title is particularly apt. This game is DARK and needs to be played with the lights off unless you're a fan of glare on your screen. The darkness is intentional and adds a haunting dynamic to the gameplay: finding light sources is essential to your survival. Creatures lurking in the darkness cannot be harmed. Walking in the dark can be a death sentence. Your only chance of survival is to constantly be on the lookout for sources of light: table lamps, working light switches, candles, fires... of course, these things don't last forever and the creatures will actively try and destroy them so it's never as simple as lighting a fire, relaxing and toasting some marshmallows. You have enough time to catch your breath and either fight or flee before you're plunged back into darkness.
As cool as this concept is, I'm hoping the final game includes a cutscene that explains why they don't just say "Let's come back in the daytime with a supply of candles and really bright torches..."
You're constantly being hunted by the things in the shadows and it's awareness of your environment, not skill with your weapon, that will keep you alive. Get into the habit of locking doors behind you and creating diversions, and leave fighting to a last resort. There's no map because the environment changes each time: a door you escaped through last time might be locked in your next game. In the outdoor missions, which I massively preferred because of the open environment, I found myself relying on flashes of lightning to survey the scene and figure out where to run to next.
Although I liked the random elements of the map, I do hope the environments will receive a greater sense of realism: a door I wanted to go through was locked so I shot out the full-length glass window next to it and tried to walk through, but just found myself walking into an invisible force field. I also tried shooting out some street lights and nothing happened. I hope in the finished game you'll be able to destroy light sources, whether as part of an elaborate diversion plan or just to discourage spray 'n pray.
I'm hesitant to be too critical at this point because I'm aware the game is incomplete, and I salute the devs for listening to the feedback being posted on Steam and social media; they are aware of gameplay and animation issues and are solving them. The one thing I will bring up because it really is a make-or-break deal for me is the horror factor. Everything I've described above sets the stage for a brilliant horror game, yet nothing in this Beta scared me. The compulsory OTS view doesn't lend itself well to immersion (a vital aspect of horror) and whoever's in charge of the sound needs to be reminded that silence can be scarier than any sound effect. In the underground levels the constant growling of monsters actually lessens the fear factor: instead of thinking "Uh-oh, I can hear something sneaking around nearby" you just have a constant barrage of gnashing and moaning that becomes background noise rather than associated with any discernible threat. I found that if you pause the game the monsters shut up and you're left with just a faint sound of dripping water: this creates a much creepier effect than a cacophony of gnashing monsters.
Overall I'd say Illumination has definite potential, with enough elements to keep it from being labelled as just another Left 4 Dead clone. I'm confident that all gripes with the game can be sorted and I remain optimistic that they will be before release. But I ran into more than a few and will admit I'm a little concerned that the release date is "early 2015". I hope they wait a few more months to really iron out the kinks, implement improvements and ensure this is a horror game worthy of the Alone in the Dark legacy, but the ball's in Atari's court.
Links
Alone in the Dark official website
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