Alone in the Dark: Illumination

24%
Game Brain Score Based on 113 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Alone in the Dark: Illumination Game Cover
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In Alone in the Dark: Illumination, players must combat monstrous hordes in the darkness-filled town of Lorwich. As one of four heroes, they'll utilize both weapons and the power of illumination to defeat enemies. Players can build their party by rescuing companions, each with unique abilities and weapons, and face danger in every shadow in this action-horror experience inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's writing.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

24%
Audience ScoreBased on 113 reviews
humor4 positive mentions
story7 negative mentions
  • The game has an interesting concept with a unique light mechanic that adds tension to gameplay.
  • Some players found enjoyment in the multiplayer experience, especially when playing with friends.
  • The atmosphere and environments can be visually appealing, creating a creepy ambiance.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs, glitches, and poor AI, making it frustrating to play.
  • Gameplay is repetitive, often involving tedious fetch quests and lackluster combat mechanics.
  • The overall execution feels unfinished, with a lack of story, character development, and engaging gameplay.
  • story45 mentions

    The game's story is widely criticized for being minimal and poorly executed, relying heavily on narrated text without any cutscenes or voice acting. Players find the narrative lacking depth, with repetitive fetch quests and a lack of character development, leading to a disjointed experience that fails to engage. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a significant weakness, detracting from the potential of the game.

    • “Each character is unique and plays differently and has their own story.”
    • “Some of the inspiration towards the enemies and story in this game comes straight from Lovecraft, which is a niche more game developers really should capitalize on because there's such great source material.”
    • “While a fan of the horror genre, I have been surprised by the storytelling in the game, with a text storyline that leans more on gothic/emo prose than actual Lovecraftian storytelling.”
    • “Firstly, there is like no story other than zombie things are out to get you.”
    • “The game does not have any story at all.”
    • “No voice acting, no cutscenes, and the 'story' is given through white text on the bottom left corner of the map.”
  • gameplay28 mentions

    The gameplay of "Alone in the Dark: Illumination" has been widely criticized for being clunky, buggy, and directionless, with many players reporting issues such as broken mechanics, poor AI, and frustrating multiplayer connectivity. While some appreciate the attempt at a co-op and wave-based survival shooter format, the execution feels generic and lacks depth, with a light mechanic that complicates rather than enhances the experience. Overall, the game appears to suffer from a lack of polish and thoughtful design, leading to a disappointing gameplay experience.

    • “Alone in the Dark: Illumination is the sixth release in the series, and it brings with it a new approach in terms of gameplay.”
    • “Moving away from the general structure of a survival horror game, Alone in the Dark: Illumination instead focuses on co-op and multiplayer gameplay in the same vein as Left 4 Dead and any other wave-based survival shooter.”
    • “General gameplay feels good, and the game presentation is nice.”
    • “From the awful graphics, boring gameplay, horrendous audio design, and overall lack of quality, it's clear that this was simply a cash grab from Atari.”
    • “Buggy AI, horrible gun mechanics, numerous map glitches, friends not being able to connect despite my game recognizing the fact that I'm in multiplayer mode, broken quest lines that wouldn't allow me to complete a mission forcing a restart.”
    • “The gameplay is slow, clunky, and directionless.”
  • graphics20 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users describing them as cheap, outdated, and riddled with serious issues that detract from the overall experience. While some acknowledge that the visuals are not entirely terrible and can create a certain atmosphere, the consensus is that they are poorly executed and contribute to gameplay instability. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant weakness, with many calling for substantial improvements.

    • “It's not bleeding-edge top-of-the-line graphics, but it's good enough for the atmosphere the game creates.”
    • “Don't expect the graphics to blow you away though, they are a bit simple but still do the job decently.”
    • “Aka, great concept, good lore, and even the graphics aren't too shabby but a few things make it a hot steaming melty mess.”
    • “From the awful graphics, boring gameplay, horrendous audio design, and overall lack of quality, it's clear that this was simply a cash grab from Atari.”
    • “From glitches that cause your character to freakishly convulse to graphics that are borderline Ride to Hell level cheap to the game becoming more unstable and eventually crashing if you so much as turn on lights, which by the way, you have to do if you're fighting as anyone other than the witch, the graphics and stability of the game are abysmally poor.”
    • “Graphics: outdated and clunky.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The game's stability is severely criticized, with numerous reports of blocking glitches, buggy AI, and broken quest lines that hinder gameplay. Players experience frequent crashes, poor animations, and frustrating mechanics, leading to a consensus that the game is a "buggy, clunky mess" and often unplayable. Overall, the stability issues significantly detract from the experience, leaving many fans disappointed.

    • “This 'game', if you could even call it that, is a buggy, clunky mess of a game and I am ashamed as a fan of Alone in the Dark that this could be someone's first time playing a game in the series.”
    • “Buggy AI, horrible gun mechanics, numerous map glitches, friends not being able to connect despite my game recognizing the fact that I'm in multiplayer mode, broken quest lines that wouldn't allow me to complete a mission, forcing a restart.”
    • “From glitches that cause your character to freakishly convulse to graphics that are borderline Ride to Hell level cheap, to the game becoming more unstable and eventually crashing if you so much as turn on lights, which by the way, you have to do if you're fighting as anyone other than the witch, the graphics and stability of the game are abysmally poor.”
  • music6 mentions

    The music in the game has received largely negative feedback, with users noting issues such as improper looping, a lack of ambient sound, and missing sound effects. Many feel the overall audio experience is cheap and unpolished, detracting from the game's atmosphere. Improvements in sound design and music quality are strongly recommended.

    • “I think the screen is amazing, mutants and music horrifying.”
    • “The music on the main menu doesn't even loop properly if you leave the game open for too long.”
    • “Sound and music: feels very cheap.”
    • “There's little to no music, very little ambience, and many of the sound effects are missing.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is perceived as dark and ironic, with players likening the experience to a frustrating classroom scenario where the game feels more like a joke at the players' expense than an engaging experience. Reviewers find amusement in the game's shortcomings and the absurdity of its design choices, particularly in the context of its legacy as part of the Alone in the Dark franchise. Overall, the humor is seen as unintentional, stemming from the game's failures rather than any deliberate comedic intent.

    • “Even then, there are some commands, like pausing the game and pressing F to activate something, you cannot rebind because the game has a sick, twisted sense of humor and wants you to suffer.”
    • “The Alone in the Dark franchise, if you can even call that a franchise anymore, is now buried with an unbelievably lackluster co-op shooter (which is hilarious considering it's Alone in the god damn dark).”
    • “There's no enjoyment to be taken here other than laughing at what exactly Atari has become as a publisher.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is generally well-received, featuring immersive environments like spooky locations during dark stormy nights, abandoned mines, and graveyards. While the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they effectively contribute to the overall ambiance and mood of the game.

    • “The atmosphere is pretty nice, with some spooky locations on dark stormy nights, abandoned mines, or in a graveyard, for example.”
    • “It's not bleeding-edge, top-of-the-line graphics, but it's good enough for the atmosphere the game creates.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Users note that the game's replayability is enhanced by cooperative play and unlockable content, although some express concerns that certain aspects may negatively impact it. Overall, the potential for varied experiences through these features suggests a moderate level of replayability.

    • “Co-op and unlockables add to replayability.”
    • “On the topic of the game's functionality, I kid you not, Gods and Generals is more playable than this.”
    • “This might affect replayability.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect tedious due to the limitation of carrying only one item for progression, forcing them to repeatedly backtrack for essential resources. The lack of engaging gameplay during these tasks, combined with stamina depletion that slows movement, further detracts from the overall experience.

    • “There is an impact on enemies when you shoot, but they also downgraded it by making a limit to only be able to carry 1 item for progression, so now it's even more tedious when you have to go back and forth to fetch the items.”
    • “You either get 3 wires, 3 batteries, or start up a generator to proceed. There's not much fun in doing it, and the fact that your stamina gets drained makes it even more tedious to do them at a walking pace.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant frame rate fluctuations, dropping from 160 fps to 70 fps even on high-end systems like the i7 6700k and GTX 1080. Overall, the performance is considered subpar and disappointing.

    • “This title also has horrid optimization, with framerates constantly fluctuating from 160 fps down to 70 fps with all settings on max while running on an i7 6700k/gtx 1080 system.”
    • “The performance is a joke too.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users pointing to poor graphics, unengaging gameplay, and subpar audio design as evidence of a lack of quality and effort.

    • “From the awful graphics, boring gameplay, horrendous audio design, and overall lack of quality, it's clear that this was simply a cash grab from Atari.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
2-2hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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