Every Alone In The Dark Game, Ranked

Highlights

• Alone in the Dark
  revolutionized the gaming scene by being the first game to fully realize survival horror in a 3D environment.
• The franchise has struggled to maintain critical acclaim with each entry varying dramatically in quality.
• The upcoming reimagining of the first title may bring new potential to the
  Alone in the Dark
  franchise.

Alone in the Dark is one of those franchises that started so well but has since fallen from grace. The first Alone in the Dark video game was a true revelation in the gaming scene, as it was the first game to fully realize survival horror within a functioning 3D environment. At the time of release, it blew gamers’ socks off.

However, since the first game was released, the franchise has struggled to find a consistent level of critical praise, with each entry varying dramatically in terms of quality. It’s a shame because the Alone in the Dark franchise clearly has so much unused potential. While this may soon change with the upcoming reimagining of the first title, let’s look at the other entries in the series and determine which one is the best.

Updated on April 18th, 2024, by George Smith: As it happens, the enormous potential behind this iconic franchise was indeed resurrected with 2024’s reimagining of the first title, which has returned the franchise to its original roots. Now introducing Stranger Things’ David Harbour as Edward Carnby, fans have been treated to a marvelous remake that seamlessly transitions the franchise into a modern direction whilst maintaining a faithful representation of the original. Although not a critical masterpiece by any means, this newer entry has been a hit with fans and secured its place as a true part of the franchise. From original masterpieces, to some far-from-stellar attempted reboots, the Alone in the Dark franchise has gone through a lot of changes over the years, both for better and for worse.

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8 Alone In The Dark: Illumination

Metacritic Rating: 19

Alone in the Dark: Illumination is possibly one of the worst games ever made. How does a franchise so innovative and influential go from critical acclaim to this? Fans of the franchise, understandably, pretend that this entry doesn’t exist, and that’s for good reason. Alone in the Dark: Illumination should not be part of the Alone in the Dark franchise as it serves little to no purpose in expanding the universe and only taints its reputation.

It’s online-only, which often results in a bad reputation when making a spin-off of a single-player series. Any emphasis on horror and survival is completely gone. It looks awful, it plays terribly, and it will leave a bad taste in the mouth of any player who has ever touched it. This is one to avoid.

7 Alone In The Dark (2008)

Metacritic Rating: 58

This version of Alone in the Dark is a semi-remake of the original despite having just a few connections to the first title. It’s not a bad game; it’s just nothing special, and most fans would probably agree that it fails to do justice to the original release. Alone in the Dark (2008) features some cool environments, and creates a decent atmosphere, but it’s just not all that scary.

The gameplay is a little clunky, although the graphics were relatively impressive upon release. Players can definitely have fun playing this title, and it’s far better than Illumination, but that’s not saying much. It features some cool mechanics and indeed had a lot of potential, with some innovative mechanics like using any object as a melee weapon, but the overall experience is nothing more than average at best.

6 Jack In The Dark

Metacritic Rating: N/A

The fact that this game is better than the two most recent entries in the franchise speaks wonders. Jack in the Dark is a small, standalone expansion to the first title, mostly used as a way to promote the upcoming Alone in the Dark 2. Jack in the Dark was released around the holidays in 1993, and although it’s a short title, it’s surprisingly fun and innovative.

Players take control of Grace Saunders, a young girl who enters a toy store and gets locked inside. It’s not scary, but more heartwarming, and its atmosphere nails that Christmas vibe. Instead of a horror game, this is essentially an adventure game where Grace has to rescue some sentient toys and rescue Santa Claus from an evil jack-in-the-box character.

5 Alone In The Dark 2

Metacritic Rating: N/A

All three of the original Alone in the Dark games are pretty good, but they surprisingly vary in terms of genre and gameplay. Alone in the Dark 2, for example, is much more action-oriented than its predecessor, and that’s usually considered a negative change in the survival-horror gaming world.

It’s certainly not a bad game by any means, but with a more action-focused approach, gamers would expect the gunplay to be good, and in this case, it’s simply not. Alone in the Dark 2 feels clunky, and the gunplay and general combat are the worst parts of it. However, there are still lots of good elements to take away from the title. The story is decent, the visuals were great for its time (and still hold up ok today due to some nice background artwork), and it’s an overall fun experience, even if it is less scary.

4 Alone In The Dark 3

Metacritic Rating: N/A

Released in 1995, Alone in the Dark 3 sees Edward Carnby return for the third go-round as he investigates the disappearance of a film crew in a small town. This game absolutely nails the atmosphere, and it returns to a much more horror-focused route. It’s endlessly fun exploring the town of Slaughter Gulch.

This is a wild-west setting, hence the Gulch name, and Edward will find himself searching abandoned saloons and traversing rooftops as he searches for the crew. There are trigger-happy sharpshooters, bloodthirsty ghouls, and haunted zombies to fight or avoid, and it has one of the most memorable settings in the franchise.

3 Alone In The Dark: The New Nightmare

Metacritic Rating: 66

Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is a remake of the original game and takes some major inspiration from the first Resident Evil. This is definitely the scariest entry in the franchise, and it fully leans into its survival horror element. It’s the original game with better gameplay mechanics and updated graphics, and it’s often considered the best way to experience the original title.

The mansion seems even more spooky with these updated visuals and players will often feel like they are being watched as they traverse the empty hallways. The lighting featured in the game is excellent, and it’s genuinely an all-around solid survival horror experience that every fan of the genre should play.

2 Alone In The Dark (2024)

Metacritic Rating: 64

2024 resurrected the fading IP with the launch of yet another remake of Alone in the Dark, however this time things are slightly different. This reimagining successfully formed its own identity whilst paying tribute to what made the original game so great – a feat rarely achieved with remakes. It might not be anything massively innovative, but fans were delighted to see the return of their favorite survival horror franchise in good form once again.

Starring David Harbour as Edward Carnby, this remake follows the same plot as the original but adds its own unique spin on things. Whilst slightly divisive among critics, it’s fair to say that players had a blast with this one. Including an enticing narrative, fantastic voice acting, and some genuinely eerie moments, Alone in the Dark (2024) is a triumph for fans of the franchise and a fantastic return to form for the title that started it all.

1 Alone In The Dark (1992)

Metacritic Rating: N/A

This is the game that started it all. Without Alone in the Dark, there would be no Resident Evil or Silent HIll as we know them today, and the survival horror genre might look drastically different. This is a game that placed a 3D, fully-controllable character in pre-rendered background environments for the first time and represented an innovative step forward in 3D gaming. Players should just be warned to avoid the version with some awful voice acting!

Featuring an array of puzzles, fighting, and running, as well as some questionable platforming towards the end, Alone in the Dark was as ambitious as it was successful. The story was excellent, following the tale of Edward Carnby’s exploration of a haunted mansion that gradually grows stranger and stranger as the game progresses. The original Alone in the Dark is heavily inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and his influence is ever-present throughout the game’s visuals and writing. It’s an excellent video game even if the controls can be a little frustrating at times. This is the grandfather of the survival horror genre, and it should not be overlooked.