ALONE IN THE DARK

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Things do not start off well for Edward Carnby in the latest incarnation of Alone in the Dark, as we found out rather quickly after heading over to see Atari for our first chance to spend hands-on time with his latest adventure.

Alone in the Dark opens with the protagonist waking up in a drug-induced stupor, with no memory of who he is, where he is, or what is going on around him. The first hint of sinister goings-on comes from a conversation that starts to slowly bring you around, before the people who are talking realise you're awake and promptly march you out of the room to be shot.

You might think that at this stage, things could only get better, but that is not the case. A brief reprieve in the form of your executioner being attacked and dragged away leads to the discovery that the building you're in is not only on fire, but also being torn to shreds and falling down to the street below--where all hell is breaking loose.

As you struggle through the building, the abilities of the game's engine become apparent through a number of set pieces and triggered events. In one, as you clamber around the outside of the building, an explosion below sends a car hurtling up toward you, knocking out a section of the ledge, with the sound of the car's alarm affected by the speed and spin of the airborne vehicle. In another, the game engine's lighting capabilities are shown off to dramatic effect, as you clamber up into a half-destroyed room, lit only by a child's night-light that has fallen to the floor, with music tinkling from it. Light is provided almost solely through this gently turning item, projecting a pattern of moons and stars across the wall.

Later, we came up against a zombielike creature that we quickly realised was actually one of the incidental characters killed off during our ascent of the building. They had been possessed, seemingly by the same force that was destroying the city, and we were forced to defend ourselves with the only thing that came to hand...a frying pan.

ALONE IN THE DARK

_GREECE clan