It’s been a long road forAlone in the Darkahead of its March 20 release date. Fans may have had to wait through a couple of delays, but developers have had to wait through years of hard work as the game moved through the various stages of development. Just like a lot of contemporary games,Alone in the Dark’s development was also impacted by COVID-19. The game’s development began sometime in 2019, with pre-production beginning around the same time COVID hit in early 2020. As a result, the team wasn’t able to travel to Louisiana, instead relying heavily on references before moving forward with concept art.
That concept art, at least some of it, would eventually evolve into everything fans have seen inAlone in the Dark’s trailers. The characters, the monsters, the setting—all of it—find their roots in concept art. Ahead of its release, Pieces Interactive provided Game Rant with an exclusive look at some of this concept art as part of this month’sGame Rant Advance ofAlone in the Dark.
When it comes to theLovecraftian monsters ofAlone in the Dark, Pieces Interactive brought in monster designer Guy Davis. Davis is a well-known creature designer, concept artist, illustrator, and storyboard artist, having previously worked with Guillermo del Toro and on TV and comics likePacific Rim, The Shape of Water, Hellboyspin-offB.P.R.D., and his own comicThe Marquis. Pieces Interactive provided Davis with minimal direction, letting him run away with the idea of his own accord. The results of that can perhaps be best seen in the Ghoul and Flyer below, both of which are relatively unchanged in the full game.
Alone in the Dark Monster and Environment Concept Art
Alongside that, the three other pieces of concept art show the design of a seance room, an exterior design for an age-appropriate steamboat, and the mood of a voodoo drugstore. It remains to be seen if or how these concepts manifested in the game, but the seance room brings back memories of theoriginal 1992Alone in the Darkgame. It’s a perfect, modern representation of the room hidden in the library or the room that players had to put an ashtray out in (or die). Both fit perfectly to the occult vibes of the image.
For fans of the original, the steamboat and Voodoo drugstore are perhaps the most surprising. The original game takes place within thewalls of Derceto Manor(and underneath it), and there’s no steamboat or drugstore involved at all. That doesn’t mean the newAlone in the Darkgame is leaving Derceto Manor, however. These concept arts are likely for one of the game’s new features, Dreamscapes. After solving occult puzzles, protagonists Edward Carny or Emily Hartwood are able to travel into the dreams of Emily’s uncle, Jeremy, somehow. Jeremy being missing instead of dead is a new direction for the game, but entering his “dreams” on top of that is as foreign to the original game as Lovecraftian horror is. In other words, players will likely be able to metaphysically travel to a degree to locations including a Steamboat and a drugstore.
Other confirmed dreamscapes for Alone in the Dark include the French Quarter of New Orleans, an oil derrick in a swamp, and a cemetery. There are approximately 10 total in the game.
It’s always interesting to see how a game iterates or evolves on its core concepts throughout a game. Fans can already see this with the monsters, suggesting the core vision has remained strong since the earliest days. However, the steamboat and drugstore will be something new to explore, whether fresh to the franchise or a fan of the original, and it’s nice to know thatAlone in the Darkisn’t just a remake. As evidenced by this concept art, “re-imagining” is not just a marketing term for the game, but one of its core values.
Alone in the Dark
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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.
