Alone in the Dark (series)
Encyclopedia
Alone in the Dark is a series of survival horror computer games from Infogrames
. In most of the series, the gamer plays as private investigator
Edward Carnby, who usually goes to investigate a haunted mansion
or town that is full of undead
creatures. The story is based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft
, although later games in the series drew inspiration from other sources including Voodoo, the Wild West, and the works of H.R. Giger.
) he was commissioned by an antique dealer to investigate a piano in the loft of the Louisiana mansion Derceto, which was abandoned since its owner Jeremy Hartwood had committed suicide. In 1925 (Alone in the Dark 2
) Carnby went on to solve a case involving the kidnapping of young Grace Saunders after the investigating procedures of his deceased partner Ted Stryker, with all the clues leading to an old mansion named "Hell's Kitchen" and an infamous gangster which inhabited it. In 1926 (Alone in the Dark 3
) he was called to investigate the disappearance of a film crew at a two-bit ghost town known by the name of Slaughter Gulch located in the Mojave Desert in California. The first game shared the protagonism role with Jeremy Hartwood's niece, Emily Hartwood, who also took a role of damsel in distress in Alone in the Dark 3.
When Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
was made, the setting was moved from the 1920s to the year 2001, and a background legend was made up in order to explain that Edward Carnby belonged to a lineage of Shadow Hunters which were born the 29th of February of every 40 years and raised as orphan children in St George's Oprhanage, all of them going to the name of Edward Carnby. The name was depicted as a literal anglicized form of "El War Qarn'bi", which meant "the one who battles evil incarnate and hunts out the shadows". According to this legend, the original Edward Carnby was born in 1888 and went out of record after engaging several strange affairs in the years 1920 to 39. The Edward Carnby that played the main role in Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is a different and younger character which was born in 1968.
The Alone in the Dark (2008) game reinterpreted once again the series storyline. It follows the canon of the original trilogy, and ignores the events of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. This is most noticeable due to the fact that this game's plot, which takes place in 2008, claims that there has only ever been one Edward Carnby, who has been possessed since the late 1920s, and is now over 100 years old, though he retains his younger appearance. This means that the game's Edward Carnby is the same as the original trilogy's, despite bearing little to no resemblance to that character. The 2008 game makes no reference to the Carnby lineage of Shadow Hunters from Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, and makes no reference to that game's protagonist who by all rights should be alive at the time of this game's plot. As neither game has yet had a sequel, it remains to be seen which interpretation will remain canonical.
entitled "Life is a Hideous Thing" was published by Semic Comics
in 2001 in France, and translated by Image Comics
in the U.S. in September 2002. It was also translated and published in Italy
and Spain
. This comic book was written by Jean-Marc Lofficier
and drawn by Matt Haley
& Aleksi Briclot. Its story took place just before the Alone in the Dark 4: The New Nightmare game. It starred Edward Carnby and introduced Aline Cedrac, both on the trail of a mysterious lost city of Aggartha in Tibet
. The comic also featured the characters of Frank Stone, a young scientist who accompanies Aline, Ganesha, a fortune hunter, and Dr. Leng, a wise man who lives in his private flying ship along with his beautiful assistant Monplaisir (the two characters also appears in a French comic book based on "Motor Mayhem").
The story follows the characters as they travel to Aggartha in order to destroy the Crown of Genghis Khan, a powerful artifact able to summon a powerful creature known as the Creeping Chaos. Eventually, Frank Stone is revealed to be possessed by a demon eager to unleash the Creeping Chaos, and he is successful in his plan. Its up to Carnby and Cedrac to defeat him and cast the creature back. The Creeping Chaos's appearance is based on a deity from Lovecraft's lore, Shub-Niggurath
.
movie
was released. A semi-sequel
to the fourth game in the series, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, the movie has little-to-no relation to the original trilogy of games from the 1990s and its 2008 continuation. The movie contains plot elements that directly contradict those in The New Nightmare, thus it is not considered canonical
by neither timelines.
Guinness World Records named the film the "Lowest-Grossing Game Based Movie" in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008 edition. Production on a fifth installment of Alone in the Dark was confirmed when screenwriters of the movie stated that the director, Uwe Boll
, looked over preliminary monster art from the new game to get inspiration for the film's creatures. However, the game was delayed and Darkworks
, the development team behind Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
, eventually worked on another survival horror game, Cold Fear
, released in early 2005. Atari Inc. confirmed in 2006 the production of Alone in the Dark: Near Death Investigation by Eden Games
development studio and Hydravision studio. In 2009, a low-budget sequel titled Alone in the Dark II
was released, featuring an entirely new cast and a story centered on witch hunting.
. In the 2008 continuation of original trilogy, Carnby's appearance is again drastically changed.
as a pet project while working at Infogrames
. With the help of Didier Chanfray, who made the 3D models, a working prototype of the attic (the game's first room) was designed. An internal contest was held to create the art to complete the 3D prototype. Yaël Barroz's art was selected and she was introduced into the game's core team. Frédérick Raynal directed the project.
Shortly after Alone in the Darks initial release, a major disagreement between the team and Infogrames' director (Bruno Bonnell
) took place regarding the direction of the sequel. As a result, most of the original team left Infogrames to create a new studio named Adeline Software International
.
According to an interview made just after the release of Alone in the Dark, portions of the sequels were designed by the original team before leaving. The interview presented a sketch of the house that was used in the sequel and mentioned the fact that Carnby could be dressed as Santa Claus.
-driven system relies on the computer to render frames between the key frames. This approach has the advantages of reducing the game's memory footprint (requiring less memory to store) and adapting to each computer's power.
The game engine developed for Alone in the Dark was reused in its first two sequels (Alone in the Dark 2 and Alone in the Dark 3) without substantial changes. Infogrames' updated it for use in 1996's Time Gate: Knight's Chase.
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
. In most of the series, the gamer plays as private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
Edward Carnby, who usually goes to investigate a haunted mansion
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
or town that is full of undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
creatures. The story is based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, although later games in the series drew inspiration from other sources including Voodoo, the Wild West, and the works of H.R. Giger.
Games
- Alone in the DarkAlone in the Dark (video game)Alone in the Dark is a 1992 survival horror video game developed by Infogrames. The game has spawned several sequels as part of the Alone in the Dark series , and was one of the first survival horror games, after the 1989 Capcom game, Sweet Home...
, the original game in the series, was developed by InfogramesInfogramesInfogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
and released for PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
in 1992. It was one of the first two games to use polygonal characters over pre-rendered backgrounds. Guinness World RecordsGuinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
awarded it the record of "First Ever 3D Survival Horror Game" in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008 edition. KrisalisKrisalis SoftwareKrisalis Software Ltd. was a video game developer and publisher founded by Tony Kavanagh, Peter Harrap, and Shaun Hollingworth in 1987 under the name Teque Software...
made a port for 3DO3DO Interactive MultiplayerThe 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
in 1994 that was released by InterplayInterplay EntertainmentInterplay Entertainment Corporation is an American video game developer and publisher, founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by Brian Fargo. The company had been a quality developer until they started publishing their own games in 1988, like Neuromancer and Battle Chess. The company was renamed...
. - Alone in the Dark 2Alone in the Dark 2Alone in the Dark 2 is the 1993 sequel to 1992's survival horror video game Alone in the Dark created by Infogrames. The game is the second installment in the series...
, developed by InfogramesInfogramesInfogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
and released for PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
in 1993, was a drastic departure from the original game, being more action-oriented than its predecessor, with a much greater emphasis on firearms and shootouts, and resulting in more difficult combat. It was ported to 3DO3DO Interactive MultiplayerThe 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
by KrisalisKrisalis SoftwareKrisalis Software Ltd. was a video game developer and publisher founded by Tony Kavanagh, Peter Harrap, and Shaun Hollingworth in 1987 under the name Teque Software...
and released by InterplayInterplay EntertainmentInterplay Entertainment Corporation is an American video game developer and publisher, founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by Brian Fargo. The company had been a quality developer until they started publishing their own games in 1988, like Neuromancer and Battle Chess. The company was renamed...
. An enhanced port under the name of Alone in the Dark: Jack is Back was developed by InfogramesInfogramesInfogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
and released in 1996 for Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. It was known in the US as Alone in the Dark: One-Eyed Jack's Revenge. Both versions were also released in Japan under the original name of Alone in the Dark 2Alone in the Dark 2Alone in the Dark 2 is the 1993 sequel to 1992's survival horror video game Alone in the Dark created by Infogrames. The game is the second installment in the series...
. - Jack in the DarkAlone in the Dark 2Alone in the Dark 2 is the 1993 sequel to 1992's survival horror video game Alone in the Dark created by Infogrames. The game is the second installment in the series...
is a small game made during Alone in the Dark 2 production. It was used as a promotional game distributed at Christmas 1993 (just before Alone in the Dark 2 release). The game was on a single floppy in a golden wrapping featuring a Jack-in-the-boxJack-in-the-boxA jack-in-the-box is a children's toy that outwardly consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, it plays a melody, often "Pop Goes the Weasel". At the end of the tune there is a "surprise", the lid pops open and a figure, usually a clown or jester, pops out of the box...
illustration on the top. It is a short adventure featuring the young child Grace Saunders. During HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, she enters a small toy store after dark and gets locked in it. There, the toys are alive, and Grace must save Santa ClausSanta ClausSanta Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
from an evil Jack-in-the-boxJack-in-the-boxA jack-in-the-box is a children's toy that outwardly consists of a box with a crank. When the crank is turned, it plays a melody, often "Pop Goes the Weasel". At the end of the tune there is a "surprise", the lid pops open and a figure, usually a clown or jester, pops out of the box...
. Jack in the Dark is an adventure gameAdventure gameAn adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
that focuses purely on puzzles and has no combat. Later CD versions of both Alone in the Dark and Alone in the Dark 2 came packaged with Jack in the Dark. - Alone in the Dark 3Alone in the Dark 3Alone in the Dark 3 is the third installment of the Alone in the Dark survival horror video game series created by Infogrames. The video game was released in 1994. A Windows 95 version of the game was also released in 1996, under the name of Alone in the Dark: Ghosts in Town...
was the final game in the original trilogy and the last game to utilize the same engine and characters as the original game. Released for PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
in 1994, Alone in the Dark 3 attempts to return to the gameplay style of the original game. A version of Alone in the Dark 3 for Windows 95Windows 95Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
under the name of Alone in the Dark: Ghosts in Town was released by Infogrames in 1996. - Alone in the Dark: The New NightmareAlone in the Dark: The New NightmareAlone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, alternatively known as Alone in the Dark 4, is the fourth installment of the survival horror video game series Alone in the Dark, developed by Darkworks and published by Infogrames. The game was released in 2001 in North America and Europe on several platforms...
, the next generation game of the Alone in the Dark series, was created by DarkworksDarkworksDarkworks S.A. is an independent video game developer and technology company based in Paris, France. The company is known for its games that include Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare and Cold Fear....
as a consoleVideo game consoleA video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
survival horror, and shows significant influence from the Resident EvilResident Evil (series)Resident Evil, known as in Japan, is a media franchise owned by the video game company Capcom. It was created by Shinji Mikami as a survival horror game series that was initiated with the eponymous PlayStation title Resident Evil in 1996. Since then, the game series has strayed from its roots to...
series. The control scheme and gameplay is much closer to that of Resident Evil than the original Alone in the Dark games. Internally known as Alone in the Dark 4, the game was released in 2001, developed by Darkworks for PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
and Dreamcast, and by Spiral Studios for PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, also with an alternative portable Game Boy ColorGame Boy ColorThe is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version developed by Pocket Studios. - Alone in the Dark (2008) was developed by Eden GamesEden GamesEden Games is a game development studio. In May 2002, the company was sold to the Infogrames Group. It is most well known for the V-Rally series of games, as well as the 2006 release Test Drive Unlimited. They have most recently developed Test Drive Unlimited 2, which was released in February 2011...
for PCIBM PC compatibleIBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
, PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and by Hydravision Entertainment for PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. It changed the focus of the series back to survival horror. Initially known as Alone in the Dark: Near Death Investigation, the game was finally rebranded as simply Alone in the Dark despite having only a few connections with the original game. The game sets apart from previous Alone in the Dark games by featuring 3D generated scenarios and interchangeable first and third person view for the first time. With complex puzzle-solving controls, the environment plays a large role in core gameplay; the player can pick up any object, even decorative, and use it as a melee weapon or combine them to make different styles of weapons. Many elements from scenery, like boxes and doors, can be interacted with. Fire, generated in real-time, plays a prominent role in the game, as objects can be set alight and destroyed by being exposed to the fire, which is also extinguishable. The PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
version was released several months after the other versions, and was named Alone in the Dark: Inferno. This version had a few gameplay changes and fewer glitches, earning more favorable reviews.
Series storyline and inconsistences
The three original games took place in the 1920s and depicted the paranormal cases of a private eye called Edward Carnby. In 1924 (Alone in the DarkAlone in the Dark (video game)
Alone in the Dark is a 1992 survival horror video game developed by Infogrames. The game has spawned several sequels as part of the Alone in the Dark series , and was one of the first survival horror games, after the 1989 Capcom game, Sweet Home...
) he was commissioned by an antique dealer to investigate a piano in the loft of the Louisiana mansion Derceto, which was abandoned since its owner Jeremy Hartwood had committed suicide. In 1925 (Alone in the Dark 2
Alone in the Dark 2
Alone in the Dark 2 is the 1993 sequel to 1992's survival horror video game Alone in the Dark created by Infogrames. The game is the second installment in the series...
) Carnby went on to solve a case involving the kidnapping of young Grace Saunders after the investigating procedures of his deceased partner Ted Stryker, with all the clues leading to an old mansion named "Hell's Kitchen" and an infamous gangster which inhabited it. In 1926 (Alone in the Dark 3
Alone in the Dark 3
Alone in the Dark 3 is the third installment of the Alone in the Dark survival horror video game series created by Infogrames. The video game was released in 1994. A Windows 95 version of the game was also released in 1996, under the name of Alone in the Dark: Ghosts in Town...
) he was called to investigate the disappearance of a film crew at a two-bit ghost town known by the name of Slaughter Gulch located in the Mojave Desert in California. The first game shared the protagonism role with Jeremy Hartwood's niece, Emily Hartwood, who also took a role of damsel in distress in Alone in the Dark 3.
When Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, alternatively known as Alone in the Dark 4, is the fourth installment of the survival horror video game series Alone in the Dark, developed by Darkworks and published by Infogrames. The game was released in 2001 in North America and Europe on several platforms...
was made, the setting was moved from the 1920s to the year 2001, and a background legend was made up in order to explain that Edward Carnby belonged to a lineage of Shadow Hunters which were born the 29th of February of every 40 years and raised as orphan children in St George's Oprhanage, all of them going to the name of Edward Carnby. The name was depicted as a literal anglicized form of "El War Qarn'bi", which meant "the one who battles evil incarnate and hunts out the shadows". According to this legend, the original Edward Carnby was born in 1888 and went out of record after engaging several strange affairs in the years 1920 to 39. The Edward Carnby that played the main role in Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare is a different and younger character which was born in 1968.
The Alone in the Dark (2008) game reinterpreted once again the series storyline. It follows the canon of the original trilogy, and ignores the events of Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare. This is most noticeable due to the fact that this game's plot, which takes place in 2008, claims that there has only ever been one Edward Carnby, who has been possessed since the late 1920s, and is now over 100 years old, though he retains his younger appearance. This means that the game's Edward Carnby is the same as the original trilogy's, despite bearing little to no resemblance to that character. The 2008 game makes no reference to the Carnby lineage of Shadow Hunters from Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, and makes no reference to that game's protagonist who by all rights should be alive at the time of this game's plot. As neither game has yet had a sequel, it remains to be seen which interpretation will remain canonical.
Comic book
An Alone in the Dark one-shot comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
entitled "Life is a Hideous Thing" was published by Semic Comics
Semic Comics
Semic Comics is one of the leading comic book publishers in France, also known as Semic S.A. Along with French comics, formerly the company published the official translations of products produced by DC Comics and Marvel Comics but now, Marvel and DC are published by Panini.Today, Semic Publishes...
in 2001 in France, and translated by Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
in the U.S. in September 2002. It was also translated and published in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. This comic book was written by Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier
Jean-Marc Lofficier is a French author of books about films and television programs, as well as numerous comic books and translations of a number of animation screenplays. He usually collaborates with his wife, Randy Lofficier .-Biography:Jean-Marc Lofficier was born in Toulon, France in 1954...
and drawn by Matt Haley
Matt Haley
Matt Haley is an American film director, art director and book illustrator artist. Currently he is the art-director of Morgan Spurlock's "Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" feature documentary, which recently debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival...
& Aleksi Briclot. Its story took place just before the Alone in the Dark 4: The New Nightmare game. It starred Edward Carnby and introduced Aline Cedrac, both on the trail of a mysterious lost city of Aggartha in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. The comic also featured the characters of Frank Stone, a young scientist who accompanies Aline, Ganesha, a fortune hunter, and Dr. Leng, a wise man who lives in his private flying ship along with his beautiful assistant Monplaisir (the two characters also appears in a French comic book based on "Motor Mayhem").
The story follows the characters as they travel to Aggartha in order to destroy the Crown of Genghis Khan, a powerful artifact able to summon a powerful creature known as the Creeping Chaos. Eventually, Frank Stone is revealed to be possessed by a demon eager to unleash the Creeping Chaos, and he is successful in his plan. Its up to Carnby and Cedrac to defeat him and cast the creature back. The Creeping Chaos's appearance is based on a deity from Lovecraft's lore, Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath
Shub-Niggurath, often associated with the phrase “The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young”, is a deity in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft...
.
Movies
In 2005, an Alone in the DarkAlone in the Dark (2005 film)
Alone in the Dark is a 2005 horror film, loosely based on Infogrames' popular video game series of the same name. It is directed by Uwe Boll, and stars Christian Slater as supernatural detective Edward Carnby and Tara Reid as the scientist assisting him...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
was released. A semi-sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the fourth game in the series, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, the movie has little-to-no relation to the original trilogy of games from the 1990s and its 2008 continuation. The movie contains plot elements that directly contradict those in The New Nightmare, thus it is not considered canonical
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
by neither timelines.
Guinness World Records named the film the "Lowest-Grossing Game Based Movie" in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008 edition. Production on a fifth installment of Alone in the Dark was confirmed when screenwriters of the movie stated that the director, Uwe Boll
Uwe Boll
Uwe Boll is a German director, producer and screenwriter, whose work includes several films adapted from video games. He finances his own films through his Boll KG production company. He is often cited as the worst director of all time.-Early life:...
, looked over preliminary monster art from the new game to get inspiration for the film's creatures. However, the game was delayed and Darkworks
Darkworks
Darkworks S.A. is an independent video game developer and technology company based in Paris, France. The company is known for its games that include Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare and Cold Fear....
, the development team behind Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, alternatively known as Alone in the Dark 4, is the fourth installment of the survival horror video game series Alone in the Dark, developed by Darkworks and published by Infogrames. The game was released in 2001 in North America and Europe on several platforms...
, eventually worked on another survival horror game, Cold Fear
Cold Fear
-Reception:The game received mixed or average reviews. Review aggregator Metacritic indicates that the Xbox version of the game received a score of 71 out of 100, a 68 out of 100 for the Playstation 2 version and a 66 out of 100 for the Windows version....
, released in early 2005. Atari Inc. confirmed in 2006 the production of Alone in the Dark: Near Death Investigation by Eden Games
Eden Games
Eden Games is a game development studio. In May 2002, the company was sold to the Infogrames Group. It is most well known for the V-Rally series of games, as well as the 2006 release Test Drive Unlimited. They have most recently developed Test Drive Unlimited 2, which was released in February 2011...
development studio and Hydravision studio. In 2009, a low-budget sequel titled Alone in the Dark II
Alone in the Dark II
Alone in the Dark II also known as Alone in the Dark: Fate Of Existence is a 2008 horror film, starring Rick Yune, Rachel Specter and Lance Henriksen, directed by Peter Scheerer and Michael Roesch. It is a sequel to Uwe Boll's 2005 film Alone in the Dark.Alone in the Dark II was filmed in New York...
was released, featuring an entirely new cast and a story centered on witch hunting.
Characters
Edward Carnby is the main protagonist of the series, a private detective. In the original trilogy, he is depicted as a middle-aged PI during the late 20s/early 30s. The New Nightmare depicted him as a younger adult in the present day, a character similar to Fox MulderFox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
. In the 2008 continuation of original trilogy, Carnby's appearance is again drastically changed.
History
The original game engine was created by Frédérick RaynalFrédérick Raynal
Frédérick Raynal is a French video game designer and programmer, notable for his game developments in Infogrames, Adeline Software International and No Cliché. He is married to Yaël Barroz, a fellow game designer, with whom he has two children....
as a pet project while working at Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
. With the help of Didier Chanfray, who made the 3D models, a working prototype of the attic (the game's first room) was designed. An internal contest was held to create the art to complete the 3D prototype. Yaël Barroz's art was selected and she was introduced into the game's core team. Frédérick Raynal directed the project.
Shortly after Alone in the Darks initial release, a major disagreement between the team and Infogrames' director (Bruno Bonnell
Bruno Bonnell
Bruno Bonnell is a French personality, one of the founders of Infogrames Entertainment SA. A qualified chemical engineer, Bonnell received a degree in economics at the Université Paris IX. He began his long career on the Thomson TO7, one of the earliest French-produced home computers, before...
) took place regarding the direction of the sequel. As a result, most of the original team left Infogrames to create a new studio named Adeline Software International
Adeline Software International
Adeline Software International was a video game developer founded in February 1993 as a subsidiary company of Delphine Software International, and based in Lyon, France...
.
According to an interview made just after the release of Alone in the Dark, portions of the sequels were designed by the original team before leaving. The interview presented a sketch of the house that was used in the sequel and mentioned the fact that Carnby could be dressed as Santa Claus.
Design
The original game's engine is the first known to use interpolated animation. This key frameKey frame
A key frame in animation and filmmaking is a drawing that defines the starting and ending points of any smooth transition. They are called "frames" because their position in time is measured in frames on a strip of film...
-driven system relies on the computer to render frames between the key frames. This approach has the advantages of reducing the game's memory footprint (requiring less memory to store) and adapting to each computer's power.
The game engine developed for Alone in the Dark was reused in its first two sequels (Alone in the Dark 2 and Alone in the Dark 3) without substantial changes. Infogrames' updated it for use in 1996's Time Gate: Knight's Chase.