The 2024 re-imagining ofAlone in the Darkbrings a horror classic to modern consoles. It mixes the old and the new - beloved returning characters take on a new story while investigating a chillingly familiar haunted house. Pieces Interactive has worked to effectively blend horror elements from the originalAlone in the Darkwith new twists on classic tropes. The result is a creepy experience that blends several generations of horror into one memorable - and potentially nightmare-inducing - game.
Creative director Mikael Hedberg and art director Rikard Ryberg spoke with Game Rant about their approach to creating effective horror in 2024’sAlone in the Dark.They discussed drawing from the works of H. P. Lovecraft, the Southern Gothic tradition, and the many survival horror games that were influenced by the originalAlone in the Dark,includingSilent HillandResident Evil.Ryberg also spoke about working withmonster designer Guy Davisto create a new generation of monstrosities.This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
The Chilling Atmosphere of Alone In The Dark
Q: When re-imagining the game, were there any specific horror tropes you wanted to emphasize or avoid?
Hedberg:The only real thing I like to avoid when it comes to horror, and stories in general, is “anything goes.” Everything that happens must follow the internal rules of the story. Even though we are in ahaunted house, it can’t be haunted in the sense that we can just throw anything at the player. This doesn’t mean that everything should be spelled out as to why they happen. Strange things can still happen, but there needs to be a reason for it. I think the audience is smart enough to sense when a storyteller is just chucking everything at them, and it feels a little insulting.
Q: How did the team go about designingAlone in the Dark’satmosphere?
Hedberg:It’s a combination of elements conveyed primarily through the audio and the visuals. I think the baseline is more of a mysterious tone. At the heart of the game isDerceto, an old plantation building outside of New Orleans. We wanted the place to feel hot and humid, and uncertain. Who knows what we will find? That’s the baseline. Then, of course, we careen into more unnerving places.
Q: The originalAlone in the Darkwas an extremely claustrophobic game, due in part to itsfixed camera perspectives. How does the remake ofAlone in the Darkmaintain that same kind of claustrophobic atmosphere while modernizing the camera and movement paradigm?
Hedberg:We didn’t want to lock the camera. While quite efficient in building tension, it feels obtuse and outdated. But we try our best by not making the player’s camera too wide, and also creeping a bit close to the protagonist.
For the Love of H. P. Lovecraft
Q: How would you describeAlone in the Dark’spredominant approach to horror overall?
Hedberg:It’s a classic ghost story type of horror. We tend to talk aboutLovecraft, but that is more superficial I would say. The horror itself feels more entertaining than terrifying.
Q: How did Pieces Interactive go about designing the game’s enemies and bosses? Apart from updating existing enemies from the original, do you draw on Lovecraftian lore and interpret creatures through mechanics? Something else altogether?
Ryberg:Without spoiling too much - we had this early idea that all monsters would originate from somewhere, their own lair or nest of sorts. Combining the basic idea of an origin with the initial brief as a starting point, we pretty much gave Guy Davis free rein to come up with ideas. We tried not to enforce too many visual cues on him, but instead, we gave him a ballpark box of what we expected in terms of size, speed, and the general type of the enemy. As a spoiler-free side note, we do have some very strong references to the Lovecraftian mythos. Moreover,Guy’s previous workcreating unique and memorable designs was why we contacted him in the first place and what we wanted him to deliver to us as well.
Q: How was the team able to balance the disparate horror influences at play in the game, mixing the southern Gothic horror of New Orleans with the eldritch horrors and Lovecraftian influences?
Ryberg:In general, the more low-keyLovecraftian themeswork really well with our southern Gothic, but - again, without spoiling - we tried to bridge the differences with a well-defined narrative. I really can’t go into more detail about it without spoiling it.
Creating The Horror of Alone in the Dark
Q:Alone in the Darkis considered a pioneer of thesurvival horrorgenre. What did you feel was most important to “get right” with this game as a continuation of that legacy?
Hedberg:Well, the first game was a pioneer and basically started the genre. Simply continuing the legacy could have resulted in just another survival horror game of that genre we have to come to know and love. To try to make itAlone in the Darkspecifically, we had to dig more into the specific elements like the setting and the story to make it clear that it was a part of the franchise.
Q: What sort of research did Pieces Interactive do to realize the setting of Derceto Manor and its surrounding environs?
Ryberg:We started the pre-prod almost at the same time as COVID-19, hit, so, unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to visit Louisiana but had to make do with all but the real thing. We started by gathering a lot of references before exploring further with concept art. An early influence we had was the movieAngel Heart. It has this southern gothic tone which I think you can still sense in the final game.
A lot of work went into redefining the Derceto, both in terms of the architecture and the interior design and themes. For this, we have always kept the original game close at heart, and I tried to add and emphasize a quirkiness without it starting to look or feel absurd or out of place.
For the exterior, we looked a lot at the Italianate and Greek revival architectural styles. The exterior gets a lot of inspiration from the old, now demolished, Belle Grove plantation. Moreover, we have a few key locations which are influenced byNew Orleansand its surroundings. Each of them has their own unique look and feel.
Q: What was it like working with monster designer Guy Davis, and how did his experience and expertise benefit the project?
Ryberg:Guy is really easygoing, and it was a real pleasure working with him exploring all thenew monsters forAlone in the Darktogether. His designs helped us find a different and unique angle for all our monsters. The dynamic style of his added a lot of character and life to the monstrous designs, and this was something we made sure to imbue all the way into the 3D models.
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Alone in the Dark
WHERE TO PLAY
Alone in the Dark weaves a chilling tapestry of psychological horror and Southern Gothic charm, reimagining the iconic game that set the benchmark for the genre. We invite you to join us on a journey into madness, where each encounter could be your last. With each step you take closer to unravelling Derceto’s mystery, the eyes that watch from the darkness grow hungrier.Every bullet means the difference between survival and an unthinkable end. The next door you unlock could lead to a nightmarish realm offering nothing but slashing claws, grasping tentacles, and frayed sanity. Journey to interbellum Louisiana, where an era of decadence hides a darker tale - of escape from past traumas and an intolerant society, into the waiting grasp of something darker, something that has patiently lurked for impossible eons.This is Alone in the Dark as you’ve never seen it - a skillfully-woven narrative of Southern Gothic elegance and eldritch madness that pays homage to its legendary origins while taking the next step forward in survival horror storytelling.
