Maria has gone old school for her choice. And while Resident Evil is considered by many to the father of the survival horror, there were a few games that came before it, including the 1992 title Alone in the Dark. Set in Louisiana during the 20’s you get to pick between controlling Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood, as the search a mansion looking for clues as the murder of Jeremy Hartwood – Emily’s uncle. Both characters’ stories play out identically, but their motivations give them a different feel. Plus as the game allows for total freedom as you explore the large house’s many halls, you can find subsequent play throughs feel quite different. This is especially true thanks to Alone in the Dark’s mix of exploration, puzzle solving, and combat, which forces you to move back and forth across the mansion, vanquishing its Lovecraftian inhabitants along the way. Alone in the Dark was followed by multiple sequels, all of which continue to follow the paranormal detective Edward Carnby. The first three of these remain great games having maintained much of the franchises feel of exploration – even if they were a bit more linear. You may want to skip the later ones though… While graphically it may not hold up, Maria has given Alone in the Dark 8/10. But only on computers – avoid the mobile game if you can.
