July 1st, 2008 by Slackerchan
Also available on:
PS3, PS2, WII, PC Things that Don't Go Bump in the Night
The two gameplay elements that Eden Studios can be proud of are its cinematic nature and the puzzles the game throws at you. The game’s cinematic scale is excellent if you are paying attention. For example, the second chapter of the game has you driving in a car through the streets of the city attempting to outrun an earthquake. I wish I could make that up but its true and what’s just as stunning is that it is fun. The first two episodes of the game are by far the most exciting. Once you get to Central Park it goes downhill and does not rise to that same level at all save for one small section toward the end of the game.
What you really have to give Eden credit for as well are the physics-based puzzles the game incorporates into its design. On par with and sometimes superior to the puzzles that Valve incorporated into Half-Life 2, Alone in the Dark’s puzzles are quite thought-provoking and entertaining. Going beyond simple see-saw ramps, the game actually uses the behavior patterns of some enemies at times. I don’t care who you are: any puzzle that has you light a car on fire, drive it at a ramp at top speed, has you dive out at the last second and lets you watch as it flies through the air like a comet to take down an objective is priceless.
A (Not So) Pretty Picture
The production values in Alone in the Dark are, at best, a mixed bag. On one hand you’ll find that the graphics are on par several of the triple-A titles of last year and as such will easily look good to the average player who’s been around the block. The audio, while far from stellar, is still sufficient to keep you entertained as the story goes on, though it’s clear that during several scenes in the game you will find it out of sync with the video. The water looks decent enough despite your inability to swim and the lighting is interactive and fantastic at times thanks to RWR.
What will most assuredly make every player angry at the game is the sheer number of bugs present everywhere. It’s simply startling how atrocious the gameplay experience can be at times, as you will be close to completing a timed objective only to get stuck at an invisible wall. It’s not uncommon to fall straight through the geometry because it wasn’t linked together properly. Ropes will flail as if having a seizure, enemies will get stuck in a behavioral pattern, and things that are supposed to be lit on fire simply won’t. It’s astounding how many issues made it through QA despite over three and a half years of development and many very exciting tech demos.
Satisfaction Not Guaranteed
Alone in the Dark is another example of a game that, like Advent Rising and Haze before it, had a lot to live up to and simply did not deliver. While the game is a definite rental and not a buy it is still a worthwhile experience for those looking to shorten the gaming drought that will span through July and into August. If you are looking for a solid survival horror experience you should look somewhere else, but if you are seeking a game with a decent plotline and creative gameplay this may just be the ticket.
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