It’s the same but different. That’s a phrase you hear a lot when you work in any artistic field, and in our case it essentially means we want something tonally familiar while still feeling "fresh" to the game world. In the past, game makers frequently didn’t have the proper outlet to experiment, and for a number of reasons had to make “safe” bets in what they would develop. As such, many games tended to stick with tried and true formulas without deviation. Then Steam came along. Steam offered developers the ability to take some risks with their games that they wouldn’t normally consider, and try something new. Alone in the Dark: Illumination is our attempt at a new direction for the series - our take on “the same but different”.
We knew we wanted to continue featuring the Lovecraftian monsters players have come to expect, but change the pace and tone of the franchise to something a little more action-oriented. The previous Alone in the Dark games had a more slow cerebral horror feel, and as much as we love those games, we think that being able to just fight the monsters adds an exciting new wrinkle to the formula. With that in mind, you’ll find Alone in the Dark: Illumination to be filled with the same visual terrors of its predecessors, but everything is at a much faster pace. Firearms and supernatural powers will be the tools of your trade, and casting light into the shadows will be your mission. The town of Lorwich is littered with the gruesome remains of its previous occupants, who were murdered by their own machinations. Fiends of all shapes and sizes lurk just beyond the light, waiting for their moment to attack. Resources are scarce and survival is far from certain. And this is still only the beginning: The town is clearly beyond saving, but if the evil that resides within is not stopped, it will unleash Cthulhu himself.
And don’t be mistaken – while you will be armed with powerful weapons and abilities, you are still far outmatched and outnumbered by the enemy hordes. Players will have to use a combination of reflexes and strategy to survive the onslaught of Lorwich. And there are times when fighting is far from your best option – when the growing legions of otherworldly horror descend upon you, and the flickering streetlight dims, your only chance is to run for your life.
This isn’t exactly the Alone in the Dark we all grew up with, but we’re proud of what we created, and how it manages to be the same but different.