Alone in the Dark reboot launches October 25; free playable Prologue now available

Questions from Michael Leri (ComingSoon.net)

Mikael [Hedberg] has worked on the beloved Amnesia series. How has working on that horror series carried over to this Alone in the Dark game? Or, put differently, what’s important to you for making a good horror game?

Hedberg: “For me, at the core of making horror games (or any narrative games, in fact) is creating a mystery. At the foundation, there is always a drama going on. Something to keep you on your toes and to keep you engaged. So it’s less about the jump scares or something constantly happening, but rather the opposite, when the player is expecting something to happen. The scare only releases the tension.

“So from my side it’s about crafting that experience that has its roots in the story and the mystery the player is after. Working on Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA of course helped a lot, even though Alone in the Dark is a different kind of narrative—due to the fact that it’s thirdperson, but also thematically different and more of a genre-piece than the other games.”

Why make two playable characters? What does that bring to the game?

THQ Nordic: “The original Alone in the Dark (1992) was actually one of the first games in the survival-horror genre to establish two playable protagonists, so we’re bringing that back. From a narrative perspective it’s very exciting to show how the story plays out differently, depending on who you chose. Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood Curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.”

Questions from J.R. Waugh (Attack of the Fanboy)

With the music you tease, it suggests intense crescendos of jazz-inspired cuts and beats, truly giving off the intended noir vibe. This could be an additional way to enhance immersion in horror games, a genre that typically does well mostly with ambient sound / music. This could make the game an especially standout title. For the players seeking genuine tension, can they expect this to conjure up terror and intrigue throughout their gameplay experience?

THQ Nordic: “Thanks for your feedback, we’re happy and excited about the soundtrack created by Arni Bergur Zoega based on songs composed by Doom Jazz Legend Jason Kohnen.

“We feel that this choice contributes both to the unique feel of the game but also works really well as a horror soundtrack, building up tension and a foreboding, dark feeling, while also releasing tension as sudden stingers come in. We’re confident that more classical horror sound design and our unique Doom Jazz vibe will combine to deliver a truly unique auditive experience.”

Questions from Daniel D.

Is the Prologue the same one that was playable at PAX?

THQ Nordic: “Yes, the prologue was already playable at PAX 2023, Gamescom, and Tokyo Game Show 2022. We’ve improved the presentation and added an additional cutscene that you will get to see when you finish the prologue. What’s more, we’re bringing the prologue to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series as well, in addition to PC.”

How different are the two campaigns?

THQ Nordic: “From a narrative perspective it’s very exciting to show how the story plays out differently, depending on who you chose. Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood Curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.”

Questions from Ivan Lerner (3DJuegos)

Considering that we’re getting a playable Prologue on PC as well, do you have any official requirements to announce (bet it definitive or preliminary)? Can you tell us about the technical side of things? Like, is there going to be ray tracing support (shadows or RTGI). Also, what about performance and fidelity modes on consoles? What are your target framerates?

THQ Nordic: “Here’s the PC requirements for the Prologue: Min (Intel Core i5-8400; AMD Ryzen 5 2600; 8 GB RAM; Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 8GB; AMD Radeon RX 570 8GB); Recommended (Intel Core i7-8700K; AMD Ryzen 5 3600; 16GB RAM; Nvidia GeForce GTX 2060 8GB; AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB).

“Concerning the full game: We’re currently not planning ray tracing support and still working on the exact technical details.”

2023 is a great year for horror games, but there’s also lots of competition. With remakes of popular franchises such as Dead Space, System Shock, or Resident Evil 4, but also new entries on other more modern series (Amnesia, Layers of Fear, Outlast), what would you say is the thing that defines and separates Alone in the Dark from the rest of the competition?

THQ Nordic: “As you know, Alone in the Dark actually predates all other popular survival horror franchises and established most of the genre’s rules and traditions. So we’re excited to bring it back—and we think that grounding in the original game is also what makes our re-imagination (our ‘love-letter to the original’) so interesting and unique.

“We conserve the classic survival horror elements of (scary) exploration, challenging puzzles, fraught combat and a deep story (in the best tradition of Silent Hill and earlier Resident Evil games) with the presentation of a contemporary thidr-person game. And while many other games go more into the ‘terror’-part of survival horror, we see ourselves more in the tradition of psychological horror—and in that regard we’re lucky to have David Harbour and Jodie Comer on board, whose spellbinding performances will convince everybody who’s here for the story-experience.”

Questions from Mark Delaney (GameSpot)

Alone in the Dark has been gone a long time, so it’s likely some people don’t know what it is. When reviving the series, what did you consider to be the series’ core elements you had to recapture?

THQ Nordic: “At the core, the original game is a haunted house—experience: A creepy mansion that you get to explore step by step as you uncover the plot of the game. Mechanically, we conserve the classic survival horror elements of (scary) exploration, challenging puzzles, fraught combat and a deep story (in the best tradition of Silent Hill and earlier Resident Evil games) with the presentation of a contemporary third-person game.”

Will there be new twists to the story?

THQ Nordic: “While we play a lot with elements and characters from the 1992 game and our story starts a lot like the original, we actually have a unique story that takes the original’s premise to all new places. If you remember the original story, you’ll find a lot of hints and references, but also a couple of surprises; while new players will get to enjoy the story without the need for any prior knowledge.”

Do you see this as a one-off remake or a revival of the series moving forward?

THQ Nordic: “We’re excited to bring back Alone in the Dark with the attention the franchise deserves and are eager to know what old and new fans think of our attempt. We’re commited to the franchise in the long run and will be happy to explore if further if audience reception stays as positive as we have been experiencing since the announcement.”

What elements from the original game don’t work in a modern context, if any?

THQ Nordic: “There are of course numerous quality-of-life features that modern players expect, which mostly pertains to controls, item handling and guidance. Additionally, by modern standards, the game would be rather short and lacking in its gameplay and location variety. However, as stated above, the core experience of exploring a scary mansion still holds up well and is therefore something we’re building our approach upon.”

What does Alone in the Dark do that other horror franchises don’t do (or don’t do well)?

THQ Nordic: “We feel that Alone in the Dark has a great potential for a varied approach to gameplay and story—while being, at its core, a scary story, there is also room for humor and some… weirdness (in a good way). And while many other games go more into the ‘terror’-part of survival horror, we see ourselves more in the tradition of psychological horror—and in that regard we’re lucky to have David Harbour and Jodie Comer on board, whose spellbinding performances will convince everybody who’s here for the story-experience.”

Questions from Jon Bolds (IGN)

What inspiration did you take from the setting? The Southern Gothic is a very well-established tradition that the original game drew on. How did that affect your work? What other pieces of media inspired you?

Hedberg: “There’s, of course, a couple of iconic aspects of the original (for instance, in the intro) and its setting that we’re expanding on. The setting in or close to the bayou is a wonderful opportunity to go deeper into something that was merely hinted at in the original—the historic setting of Derceto, the relationship of the people to voudou and other traditions.

“In terms of the dense atmosphere and the story of a yankee detective trapped in the deep south, we took some cues from the 1986 movie Angel Heart which catches that peculiar atmosphere in an almost physical way.”

Questions from Tim Nunes (PSU)

Is the Prologue going to be part of the main game, aka on disc? Or is it strictly a promotional download separate and apart from the game?

THQ Nordic: “The Prologue is playable from May 25th onwards on all platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series). We’re currently looking into the option of including it into the physical disc release.”

Questions from Jasmine (GamesRadar+)

With the Resident Evil remakes being an influence on this game, and with the original having influenced the first Resident Evil games themselves, I’d be keen to know if the team has any thoughts on this sense of cyclical influence and how much of a role that had in Alone in the Dark‘s development?

THQ Nordic: “When developing the game we took most of our cues from the 1992 original and tried to preserve as much as possible while still making it a modern experience. This modernization goes hand in hand with, for instance, an over-the-shoulder-camera and a control scheme that has become standard.

“If you follow the story of our re-imagination closely, you will find numerous callbacks to the original game and their characters, as well as some almost post-modern reflections on the nature of remakes. What, for instance, changes if Jeremy, the character that kickstarts the story with his letter, didn’t kill himself (as he did in the original) but instead sought therapy? so in that sense the question of whether history is doomed to repeat itself has been very much on the developers’ minds.”

Questions from Fran G. Matas (Vandal)

If you could divide the game into percentages, what percentage would be action, exploration and puzzles? I mean, what would be the focus of the game?

THQ Nordic: “We’re striving for an equal distribution between those three pillars, with a light tendency towards exploration and puzzles. The players will be able to influence this somewhat, as they can choose how many hints they want for the numerous puzzles found in Derceto and therefore how much time and brain energy they want to spend on finding out what to do next.”

Questions from Sam (Xbox On)

Will the Prologue be coming out right after the spotlight? (i.e. on the embargo time?). How long is it?

THQ Nordic: “The Prologue will relase simultanously on all Platforms (Steam, Ps-Store, Xbox) with the Spotlight and start of digital pre-order on May 25 at 20:00 EDT / May 26th, 0:00 UTC / May 26th, 02:00 CEST. The playtime of the Prologue is approximately 15 to 20 minutes.”

Questions from Nico (ProSieben Games)

Are there any plans to offer the original Alone in the Dark as a bonus as well like the costumes?

THQ Nordic: “This is currently not planned.”

Questions from Tarek (IGN France)

It was mentioned during the stream that there were two ways to play the game, with the two protagonists. Would the actions taken in the first playthrough have repercussions on the second one in any way whatsoever?

THQ Nordic: “From a narrative perspective it’s very exciting to show how the story plays out differently, depending on who you chose. Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood Curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.

“If you go for a second playthrough with the other characters, there will be slight influences in your game depending on which items you found in your first playthrough.”

Questions from William

How does Alone in the Dark stand out from its competitors in the survival horror genre?

THQ Nordic: “As you know, Alone in the Dark actually predates all other popular survival horror franchises and established most of the genre’s rules and traditions. So we’re excited to bring it back—and we think that grounding in the original game is also what makes our re-imagination (our ‘love-letter to the original’) so interesting and unique.

“We conserve the classic survival horror elements of (scary) exploration, challenging puzzles, fraught combat and a deep story (in the best tradition of Silent Hill and earlier Resident Evil games) with the presentation of a contemporary 3rd-person game. And while many other games go more into the ‘terror’-part of survival horror, we see ourselves more in the tradition of psychological horror—and in that regard we’re lucky to have David Harbour and Jodie Comer on board, whose spellbinding performances will convince everybody who’s here for the story-experience.”

Will there be a physical Collector’s Edition of the game?

THQ Nordic: “THQ Nordic has always been committed to making physical Collector’s Editions available when possible. We’re currently looking into that and will have more information on that in the near future.”

Will the Grace Prologue be included in the final game or is it separate?

THQ Nordic: “The Prologue is playable from May 25 onwards on all platforms (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series). We’re currently looking into the option of including it into the physical disc release.”

Is the choice between Emily and Edward a sort of “two sides of the same coin” deal where you’ll see the same story from different perspectives, or an original Resident Evil 2 deal where you can go through the game once with one, then with the other?

THQ Nordic: “From a narrative perspective it’s very exciting to show how the story plays out differently , depending on who you chose. Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.”

“If you go for a second playthrough with the other characters, there will be slight influences in your game depending on which items you found in your first playthrough.”

Am I crazy or are there parts of the game set in what looked like a town?

THQ Nordic: “I can’t comment on anyone’s craziness, and, in fact, playing the game might make you question your very own sanity. But, indeed, some of the gameplay-scenes we showed look a lot like a town. And, as we know since the announcement trailer, the game is set in a house near New Orleans ….”

Questions from Karak (ACG)

Will both investigations be concurrent? Can you run into the other character?

THQ Nordic: “The idea is that you feel like the protagonist of the story with the character you chose, while your companion also has their own investigation going on. So, indeed you will meet them in a couple of cutscenes and gameplay sections and get a glimpse of what they’ve been up to. It should be noted, though, that you will always be the main character that you chose and the other person always be the side character.”

Questions from Francis DiPersio (HeyPoorPlayer)

Building upon Tarek’s question, can you tell us a bit about how Edward and Emily’s campaigns differ in terms of gameplay mechanics? Will one focus more on action while the other puts a greater emphasis on puzzle-solving?

THQ Nordic: “From a narrative perspective it’s very exciting to show how the story plays out differently, depending on who you chose. Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood Curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.”

“If you go for a second playthrough with the other characters, there will be slight influences in your game depending on which items you found in your first playthrough.”

Love them or hate them, the fixed camera angles featured in the original Alone in the Dark titles did a spectacular job of heightening the tension and making the player feel as if they were experiencing an interactive horror film. Did the team at Pieces ever consider retaining that element with the new Alone in the Dark?

THQ Nordic: “We’ve considered a couple of approaches but chose the over-the-shoulder perspective as it allows for deeper immersion. However, we’re committed to the atmosphere of the original game and lovers of that game are in for lots of references and pleasant surprises…”

Questions from Ben Borthwick (VideoGamer)

Have you had any key learnings from the responses to other recent and upcoming horror remakes (e.g., Resident Evil, Silent Hill) and if so how have these impacted your approach to this new Alone in the Dark?

THQ Nordic: “When developing the game we took most of our cues from the 1992 original and tried to preserve as much as possible while still making it a modern experience. This modernization goes hand in hand with, for instance, an over-the-shoulder-camera and a control scheme that has become standard.

“If you follow the story of our re-imagination closely, you will find numerous callbacks to the original game and their characters, as well as some almost post-modern reflections on the nature of remakes. What, for instance, changes if Jeremy, the character that kickstarts the story with his letter, didn’t kill himself (as he did in the original) but instead sought therapy? In that sense the question of whether history is doomed to repeat itself has been very much on the developers’ minds.”

The original models downloadable content is clearly a lovely bit of fun and nice nod to the series past. Will the game feature much humor or more light hearted moments of brevity to break up the scares / mood, or is the tone going to be set more firmly on the serious side of horror?

THQ Nordic: “We feel that Alone in the Dark has a great potential for a varied approach to gameplay and story—while being, at its core, a scary story, there is also room for humor and some… weirdness (in a good way). So indeed, there are lighter and pastiche-y moments in our game as well. Our approach to downloadable content, as you mentioned, is a good example of that.”

Questions from Ulises Contreras (LEVEL UP)

You mentioned that there will be two playable characters, which is an interesting approach for a narrative and mystery-focused game. What were the challenges you face to creating a story where both perspectives felt cohesive and complemented each other? Will there be a canonical ending in case each character has their own conclusion?

THQ Nordic: “From a narrative perspective it’s very exciting to show how the story plays out differently, depending on who you chose. Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood Curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.

“If you go for a second playthrough with the other characters, there will be slight influences in your game depending on which items you found in your first playthrough.”

To some extent, players are concerned that horror games may turn into action games at some point in the campaign. How did you balance the combat with the elements specific of a horror title?

THQ Nordic: “We’re striving for an equal distribution between the classic pillars of survival horor (combat, exploration, puzzles, and story), with a light tendency towards exploration and puzzles. The players will be able to influence this somewhat, as they can choose how many hints they want for the numerous puzzles found in Derceto and therefore how much time and brain energy they want to spend on finding out what to do next.”

Questions from Daniel Bueno (Siliconera)

Are there going to be any gameplay differences or different mechanics between playing as Edward and Emily?

THQ Nordic: “From a narrative perspective it’s very exciting to show how the story plays out differently, depending on who you chose. Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood Curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.

“If you go for a second playthrough with the other characters, there will be slight influences in your game depending on which items you found in your first playthrough.”

Since the original 1992 Alone in the Dark game was inspired by Lovecraft’s work, how do the developers at Pieces Interactive define cosmic horror in relation to the new Alone in the Dark?

Hedberg: “We basically approached the original 1992 game as the foundational text for everything we did . And quite literally so, as we dug through every little piece of information, every text or miniscule detail that we could find to expand on. This is how we approached the lore as well—the themes we explore and how we deal with the inspirations for the original is through the lens of that 1992 game.

“Sometimes that also means taking the ‘cosmic’ aspect quite literally. Whether our destinies are ruled by something beyond our capabilities of influence or even understanding.”

Is Alone in the Dark going to pull any notes from the original 1992 other than its setting?

THQ Nordic: “When developing the game we took most of our cues from the 1992 original and tried to preserve as much as possible while still making it a modern experience. This modernization goes hand in hand with, for instance, an over-the-shoulder-camera and a control scheme that has become standard.

“If you follow the story of our re-imagination closely, you will find numerous callbacks to the original game and their characters, as well as some almost post-modern reflections on the nature of remakes. What, for instance, changes if Jeremy, the character that kickstarts the story with his letter, didn’t kill himself (as he did in the original) but instead sought therapy? In that sense the question of whether history is doomed to repeat itself has been very much on the developers’ minds.”

What would you say are some of the core narrative themes the story of Alone in the Dark tackles?

Hedberg: “As with all other aspects, we’re sticking close to the themes of the original game and expand on them. At the core, it’s a haunted house-story and you will uncover the mystery beyond that, meet a couple of really strange people, wonder what’s up with them and understand finally what it was all about.

“But we are approaching that in a playful and multi-layered way. The fact that Jeremy didn’t kill himself, like in the original, but went to get treatment allows us to play with themes of predestination. Jeremy, for instance, is a character that is almost too much aware of the role he plays in this narrative and that things don’t go as they are supposed to do. In addition to that, the story plays out differently and enhances different emotional beats, depending on which character you chose to play as. So the more personal aspect of each character’s storyline, their relationship to Derceto and the people there and the past traumata they have to face—that’s also an important theme of our story.”

Questions from Steve Brieller (Cerealkillerz)

Can be said anything about the scale of the whole project in comparison to other THQ Nordic projects (headcount, budget, etc.)?

THQ Nordic: “The headcount of Pieces Interactive is a bit more than 30 people; in addition we’re getting some external help for cutscenes (Metricminds in Frankfurt), and face rigs and animations (Gate21 in Sarajevo)—both studios are part of the THQ Nordic family.”

As “phobia” settings getting included in games nowadays, will Alone in the Dark have, for example, an “arachnophobia” mode in which spider like enemies are changed / cut out?

THQ Nordic: “We currently don’t have plans for those specific settings.”

What part of the remake was the hardest for you to modernize?

THQ Nordic: “There are of course numerous quality-of-life features that modern players expect, which mostly pertains to controls, item handling and guidance. Additionally, by modern standards, the game would be rather short and lacking in its gameplay and location variety. However, the core experience of exploring a scary mansion still holds up well and is therefore something we’re building our approach upon.”

Is there any inspiration brought in from lesser known horror movies, books, or settings that only fans would recognize?

Hedberg: “Our main inspiration for this was the original game as well—it already has a lot of small hints incorporated to the media it was inspired by. So we’re mainly expanding on that.

“In terms of the dense atmosphere and the story of a yankee detective trapped in the deep south, we took some cues from the 1987 movie Angel Heart which catches that peculiar atmosphere in an almost physical way.

“Additionally, Twin Peaks was an inspiration in the general mood and weirdness of the game, specifically when we talk about characters and cutscenes.

“And there’s of course little nods to other media that we liked—attentive players might catch a reference to the Gabriel Knight series…”

Questions from Joseph Yaden

What makes Pieces Interactive the right studio for this project?

THQ Nordic: “The team of Pieces Interactive is a great mix of eager newcomers and seasoned developers that came up with an exciting pitch for the project. We’re happy that we could get Mikael Hedberg, writer of beloved horror games Amnesia: The Dark Descent and SOMA on board as writer and creative director.”

Questions from GamePro.de

Is there an New Game+? If so, what does it look like? For example, can I take things from the first playthrough with me when I play again with the other character? Or are there other changes?

THQ Nordic: “Emily and Edward are very different characters and have different relations to the plot—while Edward is more of a hired gun who learns step by step how the mystery of Derceto is related to him, Emily has a more personal connection to the plot as she needs to find her own uncle and deal with the strange affliction called ‘The Hartwood Curse.’ All this will be reflected in the cutscenes the player gets to see and in the reactions from the different NPCs you meet.

“Additionally, the player will get to see exclusive levels and parts of the mansion depending on your chosen protagonist. So it’s a great incentive to play through the game more than once.

“If you go for a second playthrough with the other characters, there will be slight influences in your game depending on which items you found in your first playthrough.

“And there are multiple endings to discover, not all of which are accessible on your first playthrough.”

Questions from Bloody Disgusting

Did David and Jodie do motion capture or is it just their voice and likeness?

THQ Nordic: “David and Jodie did full facial mocap for their parts, as well as lending their voice and likeness to their characters.”

There was one part in the video that really caught my attention. It mentioned that you will be able to choose how much help you are given with puzzles / investigation mechanics. Could somebody explain how that works in a little more detail and why they chose to implement this, because it sounds really cool.

THQ Nordic: “Going into the puzzles without any aid will require some patience as well as a willingness to do non-linear thinking and finding your own path through the mansion. Many players will enjoy this; however we don’t want this to be a limit for players who enjoy going through the game a bit faster. This is why we are offering additional help with puzzles and navigation—they will affect how much information you will find on your map, how many hints you get for a puzzle and how easy it will be to find interaction points.”

I understand that the Prologue on Friday won’t have any combat (given that you are playing as a child) and that it will be more about setting up the story and atmosphere. That being said, what can players expect from it in terms of gameplay? Will it be quite linear, can you explore and are there any puzzles?

THQ Nordic: “As you mentioned, the Prologue will give players a first glimpse into story and atmosphere of the game. As a mainly atmospheric experience, the gameplay allows for some exploration and little things to find, but is linear with rather basic puzzles.”