The 1992 PC title Alone In The Dark created the survival horror genre by fusing early 3D
graphics with puzzles and Lovecraftian influence. Sixteen years later, a fourth
sequel under the original name attempts to redefine the genre by tweaking how
players interact with their character and his dark world, but it discards basic
game concepts. What remains is an ungainly mess.
Amnesiac Edward Carnby wakes up in a
posh apartment off Central Park just as the joint is besieged by evil cracks in
the walls. (These count as horror to Manhattanites who pay millions for a
one-bedroom.) The action soon moves to the dark of Central Park, though even
when human and animal threats converge, the atmosphere never gels into real
terror.
Fire is the game's visual signature,
providing light and consuming objects in a way few games have previously
managed. It also destroys evil, so Edward quickly becomes an accomplished
pyromaniac. His inventory is limited to roughly a dozen items, many of which
can be combined into improvised firebombs. Homemade objects also help solve
many of the simple puzzles, a small step forward from survival horror's old "find
the keycard" scheme. (In the unlikely event any section proves indomitable, a
mechanism lets you skip forward to see the whole story.)