Alone in the Dark: Illumination: Previous by beta version

As you know, in horror stations-that the movie, that the playful are the atmosphere of fear in many ways based on the loneliness of the protagonist, who turned out to be alone with something terrible, unknown. However, the fashion for the cooperative has long reached the interactive horror. The plot campaign in Resident Evil: Revelations 2, As in the previous parts, it will be possible to go together with a friend or girlfriend. And the new, sixth in a row Alone in the Dark, received subtitles Illumination, As it turned out, it is completely imprisoned for the interaction of four players. We took part in closed beta testing Illumination And we hasten to inform that this really gives completely new sensations and emotions – however, not quite the ones that the authors counted on ..

20 years later

The first two Alone in the Dark, issued in 1992 and 1993, many are considered almost the ancestors of the Survival Horror genre. Long before the appearance Resident Evil And Silent Hill They formed the basic rules: a single hero wanders along the corridors and rooms of the damned mansion or in dark dungeons, fights with different monsters and solves riddles.

All this was accompanied by not the most convenient management and a classic plot in style Edgar Allan Poe (Edgar allan poe) and Howard Lovecraft (Howard Lovecraft). The main character of the first game could be a private detective Edward Carnby or a girl named Emily Hartwood. In the sequel, Karnby remained the only protagonist, but periodically we were allowed to play for another girl, the abducted Grace Sonders.

The series gained great popularity, however, after the release of the third part in 1995, many started talking about its sunset. Thank God, this did not happen, but in order to keep afloat, the authors had to experiment, try new things and devote a lot of time to development. For 13 years, only two games have been released – Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare in 2001 and restart in 2008.

The latter was largely experimental: there the developers tested https://playhub-casino.uk/ many new elements – an episodic structure of the narrative, an interactive environment, a dynamic fire, which allows to incite and burn in real time, an intuitive “crafting” with the ability to cross a medical spray with a lighter and get a portable flamethrower.

Paranormal detective

And now, after another seven years, despite all the predictions of the final death of the series, Alone in the Dark Still returns. According to the plot, the main character becomes a descendant of Edward Karnby – Ted. He is also a specialist in paranormal phenomena, therefore it is a certain client to find out to find out what is happening in the city of Lorvich, Virginia. A few years ago, this prosperous industrial center became a victim of floods – after that the residents left him, and Lorvich was empty. According to rumors, something terrible and infernal, known as all-consuming and all-devouring darkness settled there.

In the process of investigation, we will visit the city itself, adjacent a cemetery, an abandoned mine and learn about the existence of a certain ancient cult – in general, the plot is designed in the traditions of the series. What can not be said about the gameplay ..

Horror for four

Even before the release of beta versions, it became known that the authors are going to turn a new Alone in the Dark In cooperative action for four – with classes and “pumping”. The choice is given Hunter, Witch, Priest and Engineer. The hunter, which Ted Karnby himself acts, knows how to fry enemies from the flamethrower, as well as to fade from two pistols and Kalashnikov assault rifle. A witch is the great -granddaughter of Emily Hartwood, the heroine of the very first part. She, of course, is strong in magic – she is trained to throw lightning and even take monkeys under control. The priest is known about the engineer and the priest – besides the fact that the engineer will create some mechanical devices.

True, in beta version they allowed to play only for the hunter, in solitary mode. And this, frankly, is not the best option to light interest in Illumination. On each of the four cards presented (on the streets of an abandoned city, in a pair of mines and in the crematorium), about the same thing occurs: as soon as Ted Karnby appears at a level with an automatic machine, and endless crowds of monsters begin to crawl out from all sides, from which only one salvation is to run, to run and run again.

In the dark, these creatures are immortal, in the light of the lantern of Karnby, they also practically do not get damage. Therefore, you have to turn on carefully placed large lamps and make fire in specially designed barrels for this. Such light acts much more efficiently, and you can kill a couple or two hesitating creatures. For each “frag” they give experience, and progress is preserved even after the death of the character.

There is no time to shoot especially, and I don’t want to. There are no partners, the monsters rod and rod from all sides, new levels do not give any special advantages and skills in beta version, so it is better to run further to click on some button, pick up the battery and insert into the generator or lay the explosives and blow up the passage. On the run, you can select cartridges and first -aid kits and close some doors behind you – this will temporarily delay the crowd chasing you. Although it will not work to run all the time – stamina storage reserves are not unlimited.

However, I first want to run from the game itself. Shooting and generally management, movement are implemented old -fashioned and inconvenient, riddles, you already understand, primitive (consistently find batteries or three ligaments of dynamite and bring them to the desired object). The picture is nothing, to put it mildly, does not differ, but the game manages to slowly slow down, and the character now and then gets stuck in textures or enemies.

Perhaps, of course, in the cooperative Alone in the Dark: Illumination Somehow he will permanently give up, give really vivid emotions and turn into a sort of Left 4 Dead From the world of Survival Horror, but now, to be honest, it is hard to believe. Too outdated, non -casual, the game looks technically, the differences between the traditions of interactive horror films and the very concept of “cooperative action” are too great. Here you have to do either one or the other. The developers, of course, are trying to combine all this, but there is a suspicion that in the end they will not succeed.