Alone in the Dark: Inferno

Inferno is closer to the Alone in the Dark that should have been. Atari fixed some crucial flaws and improved other aspects, and yet the game still feels slightly rough.

Inferno is well worth checking out, and even picking up, and it's something that I hope people are willing to go back to if they were left frustrated by the 360 version of the game.

After releasing the Xbox 360 and PC versions with some major problems, Eden Games show us that they got the necessary humility to admit and correct those failures. Now, in Alone in the Dark Inferno, they are really offering the definitive experience in an appealing game directed not only for those who have patience enough do surface all the errors, but for all the fans.

A great addition to the series that shies away from the mindless killing-fest of other horror games on the market today, yet stays true to the atmospheric horror adventure of its roots. Great to play in the dark – if you dare.

Alone in the Dark proves that with a little time and patience, a good game can be created from innovative ideas.

Alone in the Dark: Inferno is much closer to the developer's original interpretation than the original game allowed.

Thanks to some key improvements, Alone in the Dark: Inferno is a more playable, more satisfying version of this unique adventure.

Inferno is the definitive version of Alone in the Dark.

If you’re an Alone in the Dark fan and you have the two consoles, the PS3 is definitely worth picking up. But we strongly think that the game remains a good rental since once you’re done with the game, the interest to replay it again won’t be present. But please, pick up the PS3 version.

The fixes and changes have dragged Alone In The Dark from being a god-awful game to an okay one. It can’t compete with the likes of Dead Space, but it can cosy up with other mediocrity such as Siren: Blood Curse.

It's definitely clever and fun, though, and Inferno's raft of improvements is enough to finally make Alone worth your attention. [Holiday 2008, p.81]

While its bugs and some other annoyances from the other versions have been successfully corrected, the whole package is still a bit lacking. Some control and technical problem are the main obstacles that this game find to really shine, a shame because it´s filled with good ideas and has a great presentation.

More often than not though, Eden succeeds, and once you get to grips with creating Molotov cocktails, shooting bottles in mid-air, and using aerosol cans as makeshift flamethrowers, it hardly seems to matter that shooting itself is so ineffective.

Even the "fixed" PS3 version can't atone for the game's flaws. [Christmas 2008, p.86]

The Inferno version of Alone in the Dark deserves a good grade not only because of the additions, but also because the weak parts from the previous version have been improved. Outstanding innovations include the jacket inventory, mediaplayer-like save feature, weapon-combos from household goods and smooth transitions between cutscenes. Some polishing is still in order, with intermittent bugs and badly constructed faces, but overall this is a good effort by Atari.

While there’s no doubt that Inferno is, indeed, the definitive version of the game, it’s still not good enough. It’s short of its own potential, it’s frustrating to play, and while the fixes make it a better game, it doesn’t enhance the flawed experience.

Everything still feels too loose; the platforming and vehicle use is entertaining but still a little unstable, the idea of striking with the right analog stick is silly, the sound effects and voice acting don’t always deliver, and the storyline isn’t quite as engaging as we would’ve hoped.

At the very least, you can more clearly see what the overarching vision for Alone in the Dark was while enjoying the game's super cool soundtrack.

Inferno's a significantly less annoying experience in its PlayStation 3 iteration.

Post-"Dead Space," this just doesn't cut the mustard. [Summer 2009, p.72]

And it's not scary. At all. [Christmas 2008, p.114]

Alone in the Dark: Inferno is a cleaner version of the average horror game Alone in the Dark. It's a shame that the faults of the original are still partly in tact. It's more fun to play through, but for the second time the hype isn't justified.

Inferno for the PS3 might have fixed a few of the problems that plagued the Xbox 360 release of Alone in the Dark but, sadly, it’s not enough to make this a completely better version of the game.