The Derceto Manor oozes character. Wood-panelled halls give way to locked doors, creaking staircases, and no end of strangely evasive inhabitants – all of whom are guarding a secret I'm determined to uncover. The grand mansion which helped define the original Alone in the Dark has been transformed into a psychiatric hospital in the sprawling THQ Nordic remake, and it would very much feel like a third protagonist were it not somehow working against me.
As I play through Alone in the Dark's opening three chapters, beginning as Emily Hartwood, before shifting over to Detective Edward Carnby, I uncover more questions than answers. It's a thrilling experience, the ambience bolstered by a doom jazz soundtrack that ebbs and flows with the action as I navigate a maze of puzzles, monsters, and paranormality.
