Alone in the Dark, developed by Pieces Interactive, is a modern reimagining of the 1992 survival horror game that paved the way for games like Resident Evil and Dead Space. Without Alone In The Dark, the horror genre wouldn’t have been the same.
Explored from the perspective of two protagonists played by Stranger Things star David Harbour and acclaimed actress Jodie Comer from Thirteen, Alone in the Dark is a dark and atmospheric Lovecraftian horror story shown through a film noir lens.
In an interview granted to Game Rant, the creative director and writer Mikael Hedberg and the composer and sound designer Árni Bergur Zoëga spoke in detail about their different creative approaches to Alone in the Dark.
They talked about recovering characters from the franchise, bringing those characters to life through the script, expressing the diversity of moods and textures of the game’s soundtrack, and much more.
Is the remake faithful to other Lovecraftian homages seen in the original title?
The creative director says yes, there are plenty of references to Lovecraft. “If something was mentioned in the original game, I have at least tried to fit it in somehow in a text or, on a couple of occasions, I have turned it into something bigger,” he explains during the interview.
Is the protagonist detective, Edward Carnby, a new version of the character?
The screenwriter explains that Edward started out as a private detective with a magnificent mustache and gradually became an action hero in the latest games.
“Just like with most of our characters, we went back to the original and framed him as a sort of scholarly detective. This was great because we knew we didn’t want an action hero for our game, but when we paired him with Emily, it seemed uninteresting. Emily was a tormented character with a familial connection to our story catalyst, Jeremy Hartwood, so it felt more natural.”
The question then was: “Who was Edward to her?”. “It turns out she hires him to help her, and she wouldn’t hire just anyone. He had to be capable. To avoid the kind of action, he fell into the category of reluctant hero and suddenly we had gone all this way to end up with a classic film noir detective. I think with the little we knew about Edward in the original game, our Edward is quite similar. Except for his majestic mustache, of course”.
Were David Harbour and Jodie Comer the first choices for the lead roles?
The director explains that more or less. “I was asked to write a small list of people who I thought were suitable for the roles. And the editor kindly returned the list to me, saying: ‘Please dream a little bigger'”. In other words, he had fallen short with his proposals.
“I had underestimated how much THQ Nordic believed in the game and was willing to invest. Suddenly, the sky was the limit, and I could ask people like David and Jodie. As Edward had become the noir detective type, David fit perfectly. He has similarities with his role as Hopper in Stranger Things, so it was clear that it was going to work even before we started recording,” he recalls.
Emily was the most complex character, as she had to be the tormented client, but she couldn’t be too weak either. “Especially with Harbour as Edward, Emily could have easily been that sad girl in his shadow. But Jodie has so much presence and strength of character that even when her character is depressed, she retains a great sense of dignity and always feels challenging enough,” she reflects.
Alone in the Dark will be released on March 20, 2024 after several delays for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S|X.
