First rate survival horror
The original Alone in the Dark was one of the first survival horror games, and stands alongside Resident Evil and Silent Hill as a classic of the genre. This third instalment generally lives up to the high standards of its predecessors and provides a suitably spooky and intriguing experience. The hero of the previous games, supernatural investigator Edward Carnaby, returns once more and finds himself looking into the mysterious disappearance a film crew out in a small town in the Old West. This being an Alone in the Dark game, it's not long before all manner of evil is unleashed, with lost souls, zombie cowboys and other assorted nightmares. The gameplay is largely similar to earlier titles, with the player exploring a series of static 3D screens which change camera angles regularly and with puzzles to be solved and enemies to be fought with terrifying regularity. The puzzles on display here are quite challenging, requiring items to be combined together in a specific way or which require some serious logical thinking, and although the combat is not quite so difficult, it remains enjoyable. The story here is quite compelling, but you are advised to play the original and Alone in the Dark 2, as there are plenty of connections between the three and missing out on the earlier ones does mean losing out on the plot. Visually, the game is much improved over the previous games, with higher levels of detail in the environments and the characters, and which adds greatly to the game's strongest point, which is its atmosphere. While the gameplay hasn't evolved much, Alone in the Dark 3 remains a highly entertaining horror adventure, dripping with style and featuring plenty of mystery, action and scares and is thus highly recommended.
