"A precursor to survival horror games, and one of the few great games for 3DO."

The 3DO was a system that had a lot of great potential within it, but not everyone was able to recognize it, and while it stayed around for a couple of years, it didn't exactly make a big impact like Nintendo and Sega did. Still, the system did have its share of good titles, and one of them is Alone in the Dark, a precursor to survival horror that is actually pretty fun.

Graphics: 8/10
The 3DO was one of the first systems that was able to handle complex polygons without requiring any special hardware or built-in chips like the Super NES required for games like Star Fox and Stunt Race FX. It also handled the various tidbits and backgrounds of the game as well, and while those came out nicely, the characters and monsters are a bit on the blocky side. While you can tell what they're supposed to be, they look a little sloppily rendered at times. Some of the animations look a little stiff at times as well.

Sounds: 10/10
The music of the game sets the mood very perfectly, and as soon as you set foot inside Derceto, you get the chills running down your spine. When something even creepier happens, the music changes to a higher tempo while retaining the creepiness that is necessary to scare you silly. Sound effects, such as footsteps, monsters making 'monster' sounds, and windows breaking, just to name a few, are done very well, and will provide a great treat for the ears.

Controls: 7/10
Resident Evil fans will recognize the moving around bit almost immediately. It's performing actions where things get a little tedious. You have to go into the inventory and choose which action you want your action button to do. These actions include Opening and/or Searching something, Fighting, Closing something, or Pushing something. This is a bit cumbersome and gets annoying sometimes.

Another notable tidbit is the way the combat is handled. Holding the action button puts you into a fighting stance, and pressing left or right will throw a punch with that arm, while pressing up or down will throw a kick. Similar controls are used for other weapons, such as firearms and blades. It's rather awkward, especially when Resident Evil seemed to do it a lot better, but a little practice pays off.

Story: 10/10
Forget the biohazardous outbreaks and secret laboratories, this game was before that became the big thing. Instead, this mysterious mansion, Derceto, has fallen under some kind of evil influence, weird creatures are roaming about, and that's just the beginning of it. Here's where you come in; either as detective Edward Carnby, or Emily Hartwood, niece of the late owner. Your job is to find out what is going on here and why are all these creatures here. Be prepared for a creepy storyline as you progress.

Replay: 5/10
This was back before the days of unlocking secrets and things like that. You just go through the game, finish it, and that's that. You can play as a male or female character, which adds a little gender diversity to the game, and it's always neat to see what kind of tricks and traps away your character, but other than that, once you've beaten the game, you've pretty much seen everything.

Overall: 8/10
When you're dealing with a system that didn't quite get the following it should have, finding a good game isn't always easy, and Alone in the Dark is a great game that will definitely bring your 3DO out of the dark.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/24/00, Updated 01/31/05