Alone in the Dark reviews went live around the world last night ahead of its launch this week, and the critical consensus is extremely mixed. The latest attempt to reboot the beloved 90’s horror series has largely failed to resonate with critics, who’ve found it a curiously weak paranormal horror adventure. Critics repeatedly describe it as a game that takes inspiration from everywhere, but fails to much of anything with it all.
Let’s take a look at what the critics thought, from here in Australia and around the world.
Alone in the Dark Review: The Aussies
Jam Walker’s review for Kotaku Australia (hey that’s us) called Alone in the Dark a troubled game and “a nothingburger, notable only for the pointless and distracting casting of Jodie Comer and David Harbour as its leads.”
Press Start gave the game its highest Australian score, a 7-out-of-10. Its surprisingly merciful review says, “Alone In The Dark is an ambitious reimagining that does little to differentiate itself from the games it’s inspired by. While it’s clearly taking inspiration from both Resident Evil and The Evil Within to be a survival horror powerhouse, the flat feeling combat and timid horror elements stop it from standing above the games that inspired it. Despite this, a unique take on the story and the strong setting makes it well worth a look for horror fans.”
Checkpoint Gaming gave it a 5.5 out of 10, saying, “Alone in the Dark has fumbled once again, with this reimagining circling the drain to a pit of mediocrity. Though the game itself and the environments can be beautiful, it doesn’t take advantage of its star-studded cast nor does it tell a story that is remotely sensical or engaging. Always offering just the bare minimum of staples for the survival horror genre and nothing more, it’s sad to see the grand daddy of the genre be a shell of its former self. Maybe Alone in the Dark should remain exactly like its namesake.”
Well Played agreed, awarding another 5.5 out 10 score, and saying, “Alone in the Dark marks a fine attempt at contemporary survival horror mechanics but is completely adrift with an incoherent narrative, dull design, and baffling tonal choices.”
Stevivor didn’t hold back, giving it a meagre 3.5 out of 10, saying, “While true fans of the franchise might get a kick out of seeing a new take on an old story, Alone in the Dark is a tonal and functional mess that frustrates more than it entertains.”
The Rest of the World
Across the pond, there were some slightly kinder takes, but also some serious critique among the long list of 7 scores trying to hedge their bets.
Of all the overseas outlets, Dexerto’s 4 star review was certainly among the kindest. “Those looking for a third-person action shooter may lose patience with Alone in the Dark. However, those looking for a traditional survival horror experience, one with its PS1 roots still slightly visible, might be reminded why they fell in love with the genre to begin with. The main takeaway though, is that Alone in the Dark is finally back, playing to its strengths, and catering to those who’ve missed it.”
PC Gamer gave it a 76-out-of-100, and a bit of a backhanded compliment: “Unsettling and narratively ambitious, this is the best Alone in the Dark game since 1992.”
Screen Rant gave it a 7, saying, “The survival horror genre has leaned more into action these days with greater success overall, such that it’s hard to recommend Alone in the Dark for its combat, which feels updated to modern standards when compared to the original but remains significantly lacking.”
IGN gave it a 6, saying, “It’s not without its memorable moments, but Alone in the Dark fails to escape the shadows of the other contemporary survival horror titans that it helped spawn.”
TheGamer gave it three stars, saying, “Alone in the Dark is, interestingly, a more communal game than I tend to expect from survival horror. You’re frequently running into the other inhabitants of Derceto. I enjoyed talking to them, though the writing isn’t especially good, but the game never really delivers on its title and all that company prevents it from ever really getting scary. This is a solid enough retread if you’ve played through Dead Space and the Resident Evil remakes and want more. But it won’t bring many converts to the genre. We’ll have to settle for being alone, together, in the dark. Which sorta defeats the entire point when you think about it.”
GameSpot gave it a 4-out-of-10, saying, “With its reality-bending story, parade of puzzles, and unwieldy combat, Alone in the Dark is, in some ways, more faithful to some turn-of-the-century horror games than their own revitalized modern remakes. I enjoyed the game’s story, setting, and abundant lore, and I felt smart when I’d overcome some of its puzzles. But others proved so obtuse as to be frustrating, and nothing about the combat even climbs to a level I’d call serviceable–it’s consistently poor. This isn’t Alone in the Dark‘s first revival attempt, and it’s probably not its last, but it isn’t the one that will put the series’ name in the same breath as the all-time greats it originally helped inspire.”
Eurogamer gave it two stars, saying, “Great ideas and a storied history are mired in mediocre combat and a disappointingly unpolished delivery.”
VGC, also 2 stars: “Alone in the Dark‘s promising atmosphere is let down by annoying and repetitive puzzles, poor combat and frequent glitches. There’s a good game in there somewhere but you have to put up with a lot of frustration to find it.”
Games Radar gave it just 1.5 stars out of 5, saying, “A lackluster and fragmented game that never really comes together in any meaningful way. In almost every sense that matters, from story to combat, horror, and atmosphere, Alone in the Dark leaves much to be desired.”
The Guardian came in the lowest of the lot at one star, saying “After the excellent surrealist horror of Alan Wake 2, which revelled in its own strangeness while also delivering a clear, compelling story, Alone in the Dark is too staid, too clumsy, and too haphazard to invoke anything other than a shrug. The mystery surrounding Jeremy’s madness isn’t worth putting up with the ponderous unravelling, while the combat and puzzling are mere shadows of Resident Evil 2’s superior design. The curse, it seems, lives on.”
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