Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare

57%
Game Brain Score Based on 373 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare Game Cover
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"Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare" is a survival horror game where players control supernatural detective Edward Carnby, seeking revenge for his deceased friend and investigating the mysterious Shadow Island. The island holds three ancient tablets that, when combined, unleash a powerful and menacing phenomenon. Players must navigate through dangerous creatures and shadows, uncovering secrets and facing their fears.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Dreamcast
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 2
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

57%
Audience ScoreBased on 373 reviews
story34 positive mentions
stability24 negative mentions
  • The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of classic survival horror, reminiscent of early Resident Evil titles.
  • The atmosphere is well-crafted, with good sound design and some effective jump scares.
  • The dual character storylines provide replayability and different gameplay experiences.
  • The PC version is plagued with technical issues, including poor graphics, bugs, and compatibility problems with modern systems.
  • Controls are clunky and frustrating, making gameplay difficult, especially for newcomers to the genre.
  • The voice acting and some aspects of the story are considered subpar, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story102 mentions

    The story of "Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare" is generally viewed as decent, featuring two interconnected character storylines that offer a mix of intrigue and nostalgia. While some players found the narrative basic or rushed, others appreciated its atmosphere and character depth, likening it to a mini-series experience. Overall, the storytelling is considered above average for its time, though it may not resonate with everyone due to its pacing and execution.

    • “If you're looking for an old school survival horror game with tank controls, a well fleshed out and interesting story, and a pretty unique atmosphere, you can't go wrong with this one.”
    • “A great storyline; it's like being in a mini-series TV show.”
    • “The story and the depth of it are most memorable, so for a game of its age, it does incredibly well.”
    • “The story is too cheesy and compressed; the later half of the game feels very rushed, although I must admit that the dialogue feels quite solid at times.”
    • “The story ain't considered canonical in the Alone in the Dark universe; the gameplay mostly does not stand comparison with Resident Evil and Silent Hill games made in the same time period.”
    • “The story was alright, but about 1/3 of the way through one character's story, I just wanted it to be over.”
  • gameplay54 mentions

    The gameplay is a blend of classic survival horror mechanics reminiscent of Resident Evil, featuring challenging puzzles, a unique light-based mechanic for defeating monsters, and a mix of creepy environmental sounds. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and atmospheric design, others criticize the aiming mechanics and the need for walkthroughs, suggesting that the game struggles to maintain tension and mystery throughout. Overall, the gameplay is considered solid but shows its age, with some players finding it enjoyable despite its flaws.

    • “These gameplay features constantly keep you on edge, and then there are also the monsters (they’re not that crazy scary, but most of them can turn invisible), the infrequent music, the creepy environmental sounds, and the surprisingly hard puzzles.”
    • “The gameplay by itself is pretty solid after you changed the controls to something more modern.”
    • “I still play this game through at least once a year on both characters and, in my opinion, it's one of the better horror games of the PS1 with good soundscape, visuals, and gameplay, and it still holds up.”
    • “The story isn't considered canonical in the Alone in the Dark universe; the gameplay mostly does not stand comparison with Resident Evil and Silent Hill games made in the same time period.”
    • “As far as gameplay is concerned, they tried too hard to make a fully 3-dimensional game that they forgot to add the mystery to the horror aspects.”
    • “After the first 5 enemies, I had already gone through most of my ammo and all my med kits because of the terrible aiming/shooting mechanics.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the upscaled visuals compared to the original PS1 version, noting that they still hold up well today. However, some users experienced technical issues, particularly on Windows 10, which led to graphical glitches that rendered the game unplayable. Overall, while the art style and atmosphere are appreciated, there are criticisms regarding the lack of updates and customization options for the graphics.

    • “Positives: the graphics are upscaled; when compared to the original PS1 version, it's really surprising how good the game looks.”
    • “This is the best version to play with nice clean graphics. The music and audio can overlap and harm your ears sometimes, but overall it's a great game. I never had a PS1 or PS2 when this was new, glad I got to play a classic!”
    • “I still play this game through at least once a year on both characters and, in my opinion, it's one of the better horror games of the PS1 with good soundscape, visuals, and gameplay, and it still holds up.”
    • “Then I got another one with Windows 10 and the game launched, cinematics are alright, but then everything is white full of graphic glitches and it's unplayable.”
    • “Game is unplayable, graphics didn't work, was uninstalled after the intro movie... don't download!”
    • “As far as the port is concerned, they did not update the graphics so it looks nowhere near the quality it should.”
  • music42 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its atmospheric and creepy qualities that enhance the horror experience, while others criticize the quality of the soundtrack in various ports, particularly noting that the PS2 and PC versions suffer from poor audio fidelity compared to the original PlayStation release. While some players find the music effective in creating tension and fear, others describe it as annoying or lacking memorability, leading to a divided opinion on its overall impact.

    • “One of the best survival horrors, with some incredible ambiance, amazing music, and some good scares.”
    • “The game has a unique soundtrack (created by low distortion unit) which is really atmospheric, scary, and menacing.”
    • “Sometimes the disturbing music and some creature sounds are even really terrifying, which is of course a good thing in a horror game.”
    • “The only thing that's terribly awful is the music.”
    • “It's a shame on one hand that this version still has the buggy music and no one managed to fix this yet, but on the other hand I can see why.”
    • “The playstation 2 and pc ports have better FMVs, models and backgrounds, run at 60fps, however, the music is badly ported and sounds barely like the original (PlayStation 1).”
  • atmosphere38 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its spooky and immersive qualities, featuring eerie settings, effective lighting, and a mix of creepy music that enhances the horror experience. While some players noted inconsistencies in the atmosphere between different playthroughs, the overall ambiance is described as engaging and reminiscent of classic survival horror titles. However, the soundtrack received mixed reviews, with some feeling it detracted from the otherwise strong atmospheric elements.

    • “It has some really good atmosphere, great action, good puzzles, and some damn amazing static camera angles.”
    • “The setting is very atmospheric and eerie, and the rather nice-looking lighting effects add to this impression.”
    • “Slightly campy voice acting, tank controls, and a creepy atmosphere.”
    • “Alone in the Dark immerses the player into a dark and strange atmosphere where conventional rules do not apply.”
    • “Atmosphere is scary.”
  • stability24 mentions

    The game's stability is notably poor, with numerous bugs, glitches, and unpolished elements affecting gameplay. Players report issues such as missing animations, broken audio, and problematic controls, including auto-aim glitches and invisible walls. Overall, the game requires significant polishing to address these persistent stability concerns.

    • “It was released rather unpolished, with the various little glitches here and there.”
    • “Lots of inexcusable glitches!”
    • “Very buggy Steam version!”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization on Windows 10 is generally smooth, with some users reporting occasional crashes that do not significantly detract from the overall experience.

    • “For me, it runs smoothly on Windows 10 and it worked like that till the end of the game. I experienced some crashes too, but that didn't really ruin my experience.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers strong replayability through the inclusion of two distinct characters, each with unique routes, inventories, and combat options, encouraging players to explore different gameplay experiences.

    • “There is even a great replayability feature: two different characters with unique routes, inventories, and fighting options.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is impacted by frustrating gameplay mechanics, such as invisible boundaries that disrupt immersion and hinder the player's connection to the environment. This can lead to a sense of disconnection and disappointment, detracting from the overall emotional experience.

  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with moments that are occasionally amusing but lacking a cohesive comedic tone throughout.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

Buy Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare

Play time

10hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
10-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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