Developer Pieces Interactive has re-imagined the survival horror classicAlone in the Darkfor a modern audience, telling an all-new tale of horror in a familiar setting. Players will once again travel to Derceto Manor, a place with a dark past and sinister creatures lurking within its walls. Pieces Interactive and legendary monster designer Guy Davis worked to create a terrifying new set of enemies forAlone in the Darkplayers to face as they investigate Derceto’s secrets and struggle to escape alive.
In a conversation with Game Rant, Pieces Interactive art director Rikard Ryberg spoke about working with Davis to design monsters for players to encounter. Ryberg talked about how players will see a mix of enemies they may remember from the originalAlone in the Darkbut brand new foes as well. As the original game did, Pieces Interactive and THQ Nordic drew inspiration from the works of H. P. Lovecraft and other authors who contributed to hisCthulhu Mythos, while also leaving space to make original monsters who bring something new to the re-imagined game.
Guy Davis Is The Mind Behind The Monsters
Guy Davis is a well-known creature designer whose previous work includesPacific Rim, Monster Hunter, The Shape of Water,and much more. Ryberg revealed that the Pieces team gave Davis basic background information and details about each monster, but generally gave him free rein when developingAlone in the Dark’screatures.
We had this early idea that all monsters would originate from somewhere, their own lair or nest of sorts. Combining the basic idea of an origin with the initial brief as a starting point, we pretty much gave Guy Davis free rein to come up with ideas. We tried not to enforce too many visual cues on him, but instead, we gave him a ballpark box of what we expect in terms of size, speed, and the general type of the enemy.
The result is a varied slate of enemies for players to face - very few of which have been shown off in the trailers, leaving plenty of mystery for the game’s full release. In the proud survival horror tradition that the originalAlone in the Darkpioneered andtitles likeResident EvilandSilent Hillcontinued, players will have very little in the way of fighting these monsters, instead relying on their wits should they wish to leave Derceto alive.
H.P. Lovecraft’s Influence Is Very Present
The originalAlone in the Darkdrew influence from thehorror works of H.P. Lovecraft, especially his Cthulhu Mythos, which centers around unknowable outer gods beyond human comprehension. Several monsters drawn directly from Lovecraft appeared in the original game, including the ocean-dwelling Deep Ones and the Nightgaunts which haunted Randolph Carter inThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.Ryberg confirmed that Lovecraft’s influence can still be felt in the upcoming reimagining.
Ryberg describedAlone in the Dark’shorror aesthetic as a mix of “low-key Lovecraftian themes” and “Southern Gothic.” THQ Nordic producer Andreas Schmiedecker felt that what makes the game unique is that Derceto is located in the deep South, rather than the “typical Lovecraftian New England setting.” This allowsAlone in the Darkto include references to Lovecraftwithout being fully beholden to the rules and settings of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Mikael Hedberg, the game’s creative director and writer, did confirm that Lovecraft’s particular brand of eldritch horror does lurk deep within the game’s DNA. “I don’t want to risk spoiling anything,” Hedberg told Game Rant, “but the Lovecraftian and supernatural aspects of the game come in due to something called the Hartwood curse.” Players will be able to learn more about this bizarre curse that affects the Hartwood family - and the monsters that lurk within Derceto - whenAlone in the Darkreleases later in March.
Alone in the Dark
WHERE TO PLAY
Alone in the Dark weaves a chilling tapestry of psychological horror and Southern Gothic charm, reimagining the iconic game that set the benchmark for the genre. We invite you to join us on a journey into madness, where each encounter could be your last. With each step you take closer to unravelling Derceto’s mystery, the eyes that watch from the darkness grow hungrier.Every bullet means the difference between survival and an unthinkable end. The next door you unlock could lead to a nightmarish realm offering nothing but slashing claws, grasping tentacles, and frayed sanity. Journey to interbellum Louisiana, where an era of decadence hides a darker tale - of escape from past traumas and an intolerant society, into the waiting grasp of something darker, something that has patiently lurked for impossible eons.This is Alone in the Dark as you’ve never seen it - a skillfully-woven narrative of Southern Gothic elegance and eldritch madness that pays homage to its legendary origins while taking the next step forward in survival horror storytelling.
