Alone in the Dark (2008)

 PC
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 180 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 180
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 180
  3. Negative: 67 out of 180
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  1. JohnJ.
    Jun 24, 2008
    1
    The game has an interesting story, and an good method of telling that story, unfortunately the game is completely ruined by the terrible, awful controls. They are so bad, that I honestly think Atari tested the entire PC version using the xbox controller. The major problems were: 1. Constantly being pulled out of first person view to get a better view of nothing. 2. Having to turn your The game has an interesting story, and an good method of telling that story, unfortunately the game is completely ruined by the terrible, awful controls. They are so bad, that I honestly think Atari tested the entire PC version using the xbox controller. The major problems were: 1. Constantly being pulled out of first person view to get a better view of nothing. 2. Having to turn your character using the keyboard keys when holding a two-handed object such as an axe or a burning piece of wood. 3. Not being able to effectively use any of the objects you hold, if you stand in front of a door and attempt to bash the door in with a large object, you will swing it sideways and hit the wall, you always swing something the same way no matter what it is or what you are doing with it. Also, you can not swing something if it is on your left side, you have to pull it to the right using the mouse and then click to swing, why doesn't the mouse click just do that automatically (they the game doesn't inform you of this fact either). 4. Even at max settings, the game looks pathetic. Character textures look decent enough, but the far away textures and models (such as cars on the street far below you in the first level) look like they were rendered in Quake 3. The lighting is also terrible. In low lit areas, the game looks like it has an 8-bit color depth. A gray concrete floor will have swatches of green, blue, and orange swimming across it. Also, objects against a pitch black background will appear fully lit and objects in a partially, but still low lit area will appear pitch black as if texture-less. Bottom line, Atari failed to meet the minimum threshold of quality that any reasonable person would expect when purchasing this game. I gave it 1 point for installing without problems, running smoothly, and being entertaining for about 3 minutes. Other than that, the game is an epic failure.… Expand
  2. Entropy78
    Jun 3, 2011
    1
    If there is such thing as an 'anti-game', this must be it. I simply had the impression this wasn't a game, but rather an experiment by the game publisher to test how far they push the gamer into frustration with an endless stream of bugs, impossible control schemes, camera angles that don't work, stupid saving schemes...And oh boy, did they succeed ! After a few hours of gaming, theIf there is such thing as an 'anti-game', this must be it. I simply had the impression this wasn't a game, but rather an experiment by the game publisher to test how far they push the gamer into frustration with an endless stream of bugs, impossible control schemes, camera angles that don't work, stupid saving schemes...And oh boy, did they succeed ! After a few hours of gaming, the frustration and agony was so overwhelming that the only enjoyable satisfaction I had was uninstalling this game from my PC. Glad I picked it up from the bargain bin and didn't pay the full price as I would have felt pretty angry about it.
    Too bad, I did feel that there was some potential in it, but the developers have wasted it for me.    … Expand
  3. rickrey
    Sep 21, 2011
    4
    There were some innovative ideas used in this game but they didn't work for me. I spent too much time trying to get use to the awkward PC controls. The frequent need to switch between 1st and 3rd person views was the biggest problem. The 3rd person "fixed" view required orienting the main character with keyboard controls while the 1st person required using the mouse with the view rotating.There were some innovative ideas used in this game but they didn't work for me. I spent too much time trying to get use to the awkward PC controls. The frequent need to switch between 1st and 3rd person views was the biggest problem. The 3rd person "fixed" view required orienting the main character with keyboard controls while the 1st person required using the mouse with the view rotating. I know my description is not easy to understand but believe me the character controls were almost unusable. The illogical trial and error method of progressing through the game was too much for me with lots of failures and restarts. Please game developers, at least give me a clue what's going on! The music in the game was probably good but it gets very old listening to when you have to continually use trial and error to get through levels.… Expand
  4. AlexaL.
    Jul 1, 2008
    1
    I don't recommend it. a total waste of time and money. @atari: I am very disappointed.
  5. ElsaB.
    Jun 26, 2008
    1
    Horrible gameplay - story sucks big time anyone giving a good rating must have been paid by Atari - just like the magazines... keep your hands off this game!
  6. FatkiBlatki
    Jun 24, 2008
    1
    Sucked. Bad story. Horrible controls. Just terrible. Eat my azz Atari.
  7. AlterEgo
    Jun 24, 2008
    0
    Horrible gameplay. I am deeply disappointed by this game. Atari used to be a great game factory - now they are not.
  8. PeterH.
    Jun 25, 2008
    0
    A complete waste of time - the gameplay sucks.
  9. RsinX
    Feb 4, 2013
    2
    Overall, just awful! What a pain in the a$$ to play… I’ve been a pc gamer for a long time (since the original Doom, around 1995), and AITD is just one of those games that was NOT designed with ease-of-play in mind. 1. The constant auto-swapping from 1st to 3rd person view is really annoying, [they could of at least created an option to keep 1st person on]… 2. Controls are ‘stiff andOverall, just awful! What a pain in the a$$ to play… I’ve been a pc gamer for a long time (since the original Doom, around 1995), and AITD is just one of those games that was NOT designed with ease-of-play in mind. 1. The constant auto-swapping from 1st to 3rd person view is really annoying, [they could of at least created an option to keep 1st person on]… 2. Controls are ‘stiff and floppy’, which makes it difficult to align to many objects [causes it to be ‘unplayable’]… 3. The lock-onto-enemy is a cheap addition for a game [it just proves that the 3rd person perspective for this game is so cheap that they had to make an extra function just to stabilize the movement]… The only things enjoyable about this game are some of the game play features such as item selection, the graphics, physics, and special effects, and the nice frame rate (e7400 9600GT). I don’t recommend this game, unless you collect games in hope that one day this one will be worth some money… lol!… Expand
  10. DanyT
    Sep 10, 2008
    1
    Worst controls ever in a game, camera some times is a pain, the only horror in this game is the money I lost when I bought this.
  11. MartinW.
    Jun 25, 2008
    0
    I am very disappointed by Atari - this game is horrible.
  12. AlkaH.
    Jun 30, 2008
    0
    This game is a nightmare. gameplay is bad. Story is worse.
  13. DaveS
    Jul 1, 2008
    0
    This is the single worst game I have ever played. Avoid at ALL costs. Atari should be charged with a crime for releasing this steaming turd.
  14. DanielL.
    Jul 4, 2008
    0
    Any game of Atari should be downvoted to the max, because they tried to force some gaming magazines and portals, who had less favourable reviews of this game, to remove those reviews. No Atari game should be bought, unless Atari has to file chapter 7!
  15. TimT.
    Jun 23, 2008
    0
    This is a complete waste of time. the game is horrible
  16. Insaner
    Sep 4, 2010
    0
    Possibly the worst PC game ever: useless, utterly unplayable, empty, unresponsive, bugged, broken... Pure garbage. It's quite difficult to realize how a publishing company could decide to put such a crap on the market. 0
  17. JakeG
    Jul 15, 2008
    1
    This game was horrible, with unresponsive controls and a lackluster storyline i could only complete about 2 "episodes" of the game before i turned it off horrible game
  18. FreddyN.
    Jul 5, 2008
    2
    A very crappy survival horror game, even for hardcore survival horror fans. There really isn't much else to say.
  19. MattG.
    Jul 22, 2008
    0
    Hilariously terrible game - I'd sooner go back to playing the old-school ones than drag my soul through this one again. Plus, the fact that its made by Atari knocks what could have been a 2 rating to a 0. I only give zeroes to companies that don't learn - if your game sucks, pull up your big boy socks and make it better instead of trying to squash press freedom!
  20. PaulD.
    Aug 27, 2008
    0
    Thank God I burrowed it from a friend. This game is LOADED with crappy gameplay and bugs. The only thing that kinda worked were the car controls, and they were still pretty busted. I'm guessing they stand out because this game is made by Eden Games. Guys, what were you thinking? Besides the lame puzzles and frustrating controls, the worst part is the voice acting. "Where is tffhis Thank God I burrowed it from a friend. This game is LOADED with crappy gameplay and bugs. The only thing that kinda worked were the car controls, and they were still pretty busted. I'm guessing they stand out because this game is made by Eden Games. Guys, what were you thinking? Besides the lame puzzles and frustrating controls, the worst part is the voice acting. "Where is tffhis fffh*cking sfftone?" He really talks like that.. eh.. what'shisname.. And the sound when you use your "Heal mode", you know, the groints, sound like they were cut and pasted from a SNES game, and that's even a compliment. Please note that I did not finish the game, because the frustration overwhelmed me about halfway the game. But that's enough make up one's mind.… Expand
  21. JB
    Jun 25, 2008
    3
    This game is horrid, poor voice acting, The controls are too geared towards the xbox controller, for some reason you keep getting taken out of first person view to 3rd person, at which point the controls invert, the gameplay is too rigid, there is no immersion, you get stuck on a fixed path and all you do is basically walk around the map in an obvious fashion completing the objectives. I This game is horrid, poor voice acting, The controls are too geared towards the xbox controller, for some reason you keep getting taken out of first person view to 3rd person, at which point the controls invert, the gameplay is too rigid, there is no immersion, you get stuck on a fixed path and all you do is basically walk around the map in an obvious fashion completing the objectives. I Agree with John J with all the points he raised, especial the texture and color depth. Deus Ex has better textures.… Expand
  22. JuriO.
    Jun 26, 2008
    1
    This is bad _ i cant get the controls to work properly - the guys seem to have not tested it on pc. gameplay is terrible.
  23. Mellow_Online4
    Apr 7, 2016
    2
    What the hell happened to this franchise? Alone in the dark was a classic survivl horror and was the basis of what would become the popular Resident Evil franchise, however, newer games with new ideas started coming out and Alone in the Dark was left out in the dust. Atari quickly put their minds to work and decided to resurrect this forgotten franchise but make it fit in with the newWhat the hell happened to this franchise? Alone in the dark was a classic survivl horror and was the basis of what would become the popular Resident Evil franchise, however, newer games with new ideas started coming out and Alone in the Dark was left out in the dust. Atari quickly put their minds to work and decided to resurrect this forgotten franchise but make it fit in with the new demographic of gamers by taking out everything that made Alone in the Dark great and adding in every sort of cliche in horror game history.

    Gameplay is the biggest thing that's been butchered in Alone in the Dark as it literraly doesn't live up to it's name. You're not alone because there are tons of people that will follow you around at some point and you're rarely in the dark. You can play the game from a first or third person perspective but the controls for both of these perspectives are terrible. When in first person, your sight is limited to what you can see an you'll most likely get stuck on something and half the time, you won't even know what you're stuck on. In third person, the controls feel restricted and you'll struggle to pull of basic actions in the game. The camera is awful in the third person view because your mouse is terrible for controlling the camera and it constantly fights with you. I failed doing a certain jump near the beginning of the game and it took me 6 attempts to get right because the camera switched perspectives when I went to jump. There are a few gameplay elements which seemed like good ideas but weren't used up to their full potential. The inventory management is one of them. In game, when you want to look through your inventory, the game doesn't pause and you need to look down at yourshirt and actually select the items you want to use which is a great idea but, you might be shocked to hear this, the controls suck in the inventory screen. You will constantly try and navigate over to a certain item that you want, only for the game to take you to an item that you've never needed before. The game is also buggy as hell and some bugs will prevent you from proceeding with the game.

    The story is that Mr. forgettable and unlikeable main character wakes up shortly before he is meant to be killed by some men for whatever reason and the thing is Mr. forgettable and unlikeable main character can't remember anything about himself. However some weird creatures stop him from being killed and he escapes the building with a little bit of information about his task and he also escapes with Ms. Obvious girlfriend for unlikeable and forgettable main character. So the 2 go out and try and complete the task he's been given and also figure out who he is. By a horror stand point, this plot has been done to death but most horror games add a unique thing to it to make their specific telling of this plot memorble. Alone in the Dark doesn't. It literraaly takes the bear bones of a plot structure and uses it as it's final product.

    Graphics are a mixed bag and the graphics is probably the best thing this game has going for it. Certain things in Alone in the Dark look amazing. The fire looks brilliant and it's great just to watch the fire spread across more of a surface. The game overall looks OK but there are quite a few badly textured things you will come across throughout playing Alone in the Dark. Sound is relatively bad aswell, mainly because some sounds are actually missing from th game, mainly in the SFX. Some sounds cut out randomly and for no reason at all aswell.

    The game is quite short for a horror game and you can complete it within about 12 hours (my timer counter is broken for this, probably because my steam account had mercy on me and it didn't want anyone else to know that I had played this game for 12 hours.) There is no reason to replay Alone in the Dark either because there are so many bad things that are included in this that youwill not want to put yourself through this torture anymore.

    This was meant to have been the great return of a classic survival horror video game series but instead we were left with a buggy, ugly and unfinished mess

    Final verdict

    Pros
    + Some great ideas
    + Decent graphics

    Cons
    - Awful controls
    - Buggy as hell
    - Forgettable story
    - Unlikeable characters
    - Missing sounds
    - Some ugly textures    … Expand
  24. Babutto
    Mar 20, 2021
    3
    First time I strictly do not recommend a game.

    Pros.: - Story? It's very simple. Even though you may think it's interesting the story is very similar to all the paranormal things in the movies and video games. I assume games like The Evil Within are much better in this kind of storytelling. Cons.: - Graphics glitches. - Physics. - Bugs. Tons of them. - The game does not allow to    First time I strictly do not recommend a game.

    Pros.:
    - Story? It's very simple. Even though you may think it's interesting the story is very similar to all the paranormal things in the movies and video games. I assume games like The Evil Within are much better in this kind of storytelling.

    Cons.:
    - Graphics glitches.
    - Physics.
    - Bugs. Tons of them.
    - The game does not allow to use of graphic options. It's insane in 2021. Nobody really tried to fix it. The fixes work not for everyone.
    - Sometimes the game freezes.
    - But the worst are controls. One of the most horrible controls ever seen.

    Guys, do not waste your time on this one.    … Expand
  25. GarettArthur
    Jun 28, 2019
    0
    **** this game, peice of **** wast of time how the **** does this have a 55?! this game is a waste of plastic id rather rip up my led Zeppelin poster than play this peice of ****

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
51
#51 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 19
  3. Negative: 5 out of 19
  1. VideoGamer
    60
    It has more than enough good ideas to make a brilliant, must-own game, but features even more bad game design and gameplay issues. As such it's without doubt the biggest disappointment this generation of consoles has seen and a game that's impossible to recommend.
    Read full review
  2. Gamer 2.0
    78
    Alone in the Dark proves that with a little time and patience, a good game can be created from innovative ideas.
    Read full review
  3. Boomtown
    60
    There are some unique ideas concerning health replenishment and inventory management.
See all critic reviews »