Let’s remember the horror films of the 90s, when every creak made your knees tremble, and the shadows in the corners forced you to convulsively swallow saliva. Alone in the Dark tries to resurrect this primitive feeling of horror, but the result turned out to be “thin”, no matter how patient and high-quality efforts the developers used in places.

The story gets off to a brisk start with Emily Hartwood’s visit to the Derceto estate. The creators immediately throw a bait at us: a noir adventure with elements of psychedelic mysticism, in the center of which Emily, concerned about the fate of her slightly crippled uncle Jeremy with obvious mental disorders and persecution mania.

The mysterious disappearance of Nogamstop-casinos.co.uk a relative from the hospital forces Emily to go to this God-damned place, accompanied by Detective Carnby. Edward, familiar to fans of the original, is a classic detective with a languid gaze, reminiscent of the type of alcoholic hero from the best examples of old noir. At the start of the game, you are given the classic choice: play as Emily or Edward, and each option reveals events from, of course, a “unique” point of view.

Upon arrival in Derseto, the heroes encounter the eccentric inhabitants of the estate, like somnambulists wandering around the mansion. They appear in the most unexpected places and enter into spatial dialogues with them about nothing. Questions about the fate of his uncle only add fuel to the fire of mystery, creating a viscous atmosphere of sluggish madness.

One of the main innovations was the ability to travel through Jeremy’s memories using a mystical compass talisman. This opens up access to a variety of locations: an oil rig in the swamps, a foggy New Orleans street, a gothic cemetery where the devil breaks his leg, a monastery. The storyline constantly covers you with a feeling of viscous hallucinogenic delirium, as if the characters’ consciousness is slowly sinking into the abyss. Uncle Jeremy’s diaries play the role of the first violin in this regard: you read the entries and only more clearly understand how “unclouded” the old man’s mind is. Credit must be given for this. All this is accompanied by echoes of mournful jazz, creating a gloomy background canvas. Sometimes it seems that the melody drives not only the characters, but also the player crazy – after playing, this annoying sound continues to ring in your ears for a long time.

The developers tried to play up every detail: the noir aesthetics of America in the 20s and Lovecraftian motifs give the estate a creepy, but plastic spirit. But here’s the problem: in terms of opponents, the project is frankly flawed. The bestiary is limited, and the enemies themselves are more annoying than scary. Puzzles in Alone in the Dark – a special spit in the soul. They are so simple that it seems the creators decided not to strain the players. Hints are scattered literally everywhere, as if the authors were afraid that I would start cooking with my own pot if they stopped leading me in the game arm in arm. And at some point you realize that you no longer read the notes with interest, you don’t try to form a complete picture of what is happening in your mind, but you just want to get to the end. And this is very sad for a game where the plot and atmosphere should be the driving force. After all, a terrible end is better than endless horror.