Welcome back, gaming fans! The Alone in the Dark franchise is returning with a brand new reboot. This re-imagining shares many similarities with the original game, including a big emphasis on puzzles, limited resources, exploration, and challenging encounters with enemies. You choose to play either as Edward Carnby, a hard boiled PI, or Emily Hartwood, a woman who is searching for her missing uncle. They traverse Derceto manor, a mental institution that has a long and dark history. Along the way, they encounter conspiracies, shifts in reality, and Lovecraftian monsters. I was throughly entertained with my experience, but some people might find the gameplay frustrating. Here are my tips and tricks for surviving Alone in the Dark.
Shoot and Run This is a traditional survival horror game. It’s not an action horror game like Resident Evil 4 or Dead Space. That means resources are very scarce and your movement has limitations while shooting. Enemies hit hard and they can take a lot of damage before dying. So, you’re better off shooting a couple of times and then running away to the other side of the area. Rinse and repeat until the enemies are gone in a given location. You’ll take less damage and waste fewer bullets. Check the Map Frequently The map is simple with minimal detail. However, it has useful indicators. The map labels each room and major entrances or exits. Red indicates locked doors or inaccessible areas. Green means the area is now available or unlocked. Rooms become blue after you explored and collected everything. They remain pink when you still need to solve puzzles, collect items, etc. Keep in mind, many puzzles and collectibles only become accessible when you reach certain points of the story progression. Take Some Time to Explore the Environment This game is pretty scary and enemies can lurk anywhere. Granted, it’s still worth your time to explore each location thoroughly. You’ll find collectibles, health potions, ammo, and important items for the story. Overall, this little bit of effort will make you feel more secure during combat sections and you’ll solve puzzles faster. Generally speaking, the game doesn’t have timers except in a couple of sections. Explore at your heart’s content. Alternate Your Weapons Ammunition doesn’t grow on trees in this game. Unfortunately, some enemies are real bullet sponges and it’s necessary to dispose of them to unlock many areas. Alternating your weapons can be an effective way to conserve ammo. You gather a handful of weapons along the way, including a handgun, shotgun, and machine gun. The later part of the game also unlocks a flare gun. The shotgun is useful against stronger enemies. It takes a while to obtain the machine gun, but this weapon can wipe out crowds of monsters. Collect and Read Documents Some of the puzzles feel a bit confusing. It’s necessary to collect documents throughout the environment and read them. Many documents will give you hints, passcodes, and additional information. It will help you solve those pesky puzzles and move through the main story. These documents are worth your time anyway because they provide backstory, lore, and character development. Adjust the Lightening When Necessary I found some areas really dark, especially the nightmare areas that were infested with enemies. You can adjust the lighting in the settings at any time. If the lighting is too dark or bright for your preference, there’s no penalty to make adjustments. You might find enemies hiding somewhere if the environment is a slightly less dark. Also, you’ll find more resources if the lighting is better. Keep Hunting for Resources You might run out of bullets and health items during enemy encounters. I had some luck by running around the environment under pursuit. Sometimes ammo, melee weapons, and health items will randomly spawn in the environment if you’re in a pinch. This game doesn’t include a stamina meter, so keep running! Spam the Dodge Button Here is one of the most useful mechanics during combat. Considering your movement is pretty minimal while firing a gun, it’s essential to avoid enemy attacks. You can dodge incoming attacks at any time. I must say, the dodging mechanic isn’t entirely accurate. Granted, it can be effective if you dodge continually, especially during confrontations with more than one enemy. Again, you don’t have to worry about a stamina meter. Unlock Shortcuts Keep an eye on your map for unlockable doors and passageways. Shortcuts are very handy in Derceto mansion and other locations. These shortcuts can help you save time, backtracking, and avoid unnecessary enemy encounters. It’s worth noting, enemies don’t give you special items upon death. Unlike some horror games, you won’t receive ammo, health items, or EXP. In fact, Alone in the Dark doesn’t feature any RPG mechanics, such as a skill tree, increased health, or weapon upgrades. Always Carry a Melee Weapon The gameplay can be rather clunky, especially the melee combat. It’s definitely more effective to kill enemies with gunfire. With that said, you should still carry a melee weapon at all times. You can easily bring down a single enemy by mashing the melee button. These weapons break after brief use, but you can find more of them scattered through each location. Unfortunately, you can only carry one melee weapon at a time. When your weapon is close to breaking, swap it out with a new one. Talk to NPCs on a Regular Basis The NPC characters are really weird, but they have a lot of useful information. The employees and patients of Derceto manor will provide important details for story progression, collectibles, lore, and more. Some people enjoy playing as both Edward and Emily because the NPCs give different conversations depending on the protagonist. Keep in mind, many conversations are not optional. You’ll wander around lost until a specific conversation unlocks the next objective. Save Your Progress Often Don’t you hate hard crashes and game breaking bugs? Modern video games are far from perfect and many of them have a problem with serious glitches. You can save your progression manually at any time. The game also provides many auto saves throughout the story. If the game crashes or you encounter a mysterious roadblock, simply go back to an earlier manual or auto save. This method should solve your issues. Avoid Useless Mechanics A couple of things don’t work very well in this game. You can use Molotov cocktails to save ammo. However, they don’t usually cause a fire until you fire a bullet to ignite the fluid. That means you’ll waste a bullet anyway. Also, the enemies will run after you while they’re on fire. When they get close enough, you’ll catch on fire too. I don’t think the stealth mechancis are very good. Technically, you can sneak around some enemies, but they found me most of the time. There’s no such thing as stealth kills either. If you sneak around enemies, they will remain in the environment. The game has one mandatory stealth section if you play as Emily, but it works because the environment has hiding places. If You Have Enough Ammo, Kill Everything Sometimes you can’t kill every monster. In fact, a couple locations have invincible stalker enemies. However, it’s best if you can clear all of the enemies in a location. This game requires a lot of backtracking and you should feel motivated to search for resources or key story items. Your life will be a lot easier if the enemies are dead when you’re looking for puzzle pieces, collectibles, the next doorway, etc. Ordinarily, enemies don’t respawn until you reach the next area, so you don’t have to worry about extra surprises. Play Around with Difficulty Settings It’s hard to pinpoint the best difficulty setting at first. Very few modern gamers are used to old fashioned horror games. Alone in the Dark has traditional easy, normal, and hard difficulty settings. Combat feels janky, especially at the beginning. So, I wouldn’t recommend starting on hard mode. You might want to start on normal or easy mode and bring the difficulty up if the game doesn’t feel challenging enough. Luckily, you have the opportunity to adjust the difficulty settings at any time. There you go! Now you’re ready to explore Derceto manor, unlock secrets, and destroy every monster in the game. Leave a comment if you have anything to say about this post. Maybe you know a few hints and suggestions as well. Thank you for visiting my blog and happy hunting!
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Greetings! It’s almost time for Easter and I still haven’t posted my favorite movies of 2023. Better late than never! 2023 wasn’t the strongest year for cinema, but it was a lot better than the past handful of years. Film studios are having a difficult time battling a decline in movie theater attendance, a complex streaming landscape, and the demise of physical media. These issues directly affect the movies they release, so we need to have realistic expectations from a changing industry. Here is my eclectic list of favorite movies from last year.
Barbie I know some people were determined to hate this film, but Barbie is legitimately good. It’s quite funny and the story has a very honest commentary about gender roles and how our views change as life progresses. This movie is a fascinating crash course in Barbie’s history as a brand and Mattel in general. You’ll see every Barbie doll created, including really bad ideas from a marketing perspective. The characters are very relatable and the thematic material doesn’t feel aggressively preachy. It’s both fun and thoughtful at the same time, which is a rare occurrence in modern films. The Boogeyman Despite some pacing issues, The Boogeyman is a creepy glance at the fabled monster in the closet. It’s refreshing to see a horror movie that doesn’t feature ghosts, zombies, or other popular tropes. The Boogeyman has a PG-13 rating, which means you’re not going to see gratuitous nudity, gore, and violence. Instead, the film relies on atmosphere, dangers in the dark, and a spooky monster. I think the movie is quite effective and scary enough during key scenes. It’s a good watch at bedtime with the lights out. Cocaine Bear How stupid is this movie? Actually, Cocaine Bear is a horror comedy that relies on a decent script and a good amount of wit. Some elements might be a little bit stupid, but the movie is surprisingly strong with unpredictable plot twists and solid entertainment value. It’s goofy, campy, and suspenseful when necessary. The CGI bear is better than I expected and most viewers should be satisfied with the ending. Believe me. You don’t need to worry about animal cruelty in this film. Dark Harvest This small horror film was buried in the 2023 schedule by MGM. I don’t why Dark Harvest didn’t have better marketing because it’s pretty good. It’s not a masterpiece, but this folk horror tale has a unique premise, solid practical effects, and a good mystery than unfolds throughout the story. It’s a seriously bloody experience. You might think Dark Harvest is just a rehash of Children of the Corn, but it’s a completely different story. Let’s just say a small town achieves their annual harvest through a macabre ritual and you’ll have to find out the rest. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves This fantasy action movie is much better than I anticipated. The trailers didn’t look very impressive, so my expectations were low. The new Dungeons and Dragons film is entertaining, humorous, and exciting with good pacing. Most of the characters are quite likable and surprisingly relatable. It has more heart than the average blockbuster. I don’t play the D&D RPG game, although it seems like the movie has a fleshed out and fully realized version of the IP. The visual effects are pretty decent and the film remains enjoyable from beginning to end. Evil Dead Rise This is the first time we’ve seen the Evil Dead franchise in an urban setting. I must say, the new setting works perfectly well with the same shocking gore and violence from the prior movies. It retains the darker and more serious tone of the 2013 remake. Evil Dead Rise focuses on a family who is suffering from difficult times, which becomes amplified while the apartment complex becomes infested by demons. It has a melancholy and almost hopeless tone. Some viewers might feel bothered by the film’s bleak elements, although it’s par for the course. I think audiences forget how many characters die in the Evil Dead franchise. If you like the Evil Dead overall, this movie is worth a watch. Gran Turismo Despite sharing a name with a video game franchise, Gran Turismo is more of a biography than a game adaptation. It’s about a gamer who eventually becomes a real race car driver. I’ve never been a fan of Fast and the Furious or similar franchises, but biographical car films are usually interesting. This movie has quick pacing and a genuine story that makes the audience root for the underdog. It showcases plenty of sleek, fast cars, and the cinematography works really well for those exciting racing sequences. If you like mid-range blockbusters, Gran Turismo is a good choice. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 The final chapter of the original Guardians of the Galaxy series was much different than I excepted. This film has a much darker story that explains a major part of Rocket Raccoon’s background. It’s also surprisingly violent for a PG-13 movie. With that said, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 maintains the humor, quirks, action, camaraderie, and zaniness of the previous entries. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this film has a lot to show the audience. It’s hard to combine space operas and superheroes in a single package, although Guardians of the Galaxy accomplishes the task quite well. Haunted Mansion This reboot didn’t perform well in theaters. Maybe the Eddie Murphy version of the Haunted Mansion is leaving people with bad memories. Last year’s Haunted Mansion might not have the best script, but it’s entertaining and faithful to the theme park ride. It’s very atmospheric and surprisingly scary for a Disney film. You’ll follow an ensemble cast and their encounter with the Hatbox ghost in the titular mansion. It’s fun and a little campy without being stupid. I can’t say any of the actors stand out, but that’s not the point. This type of movie is about the visual effects, production design, spookiness, and theme park elements. It’s an entertaining viewing on Halloween. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Naturally, I’ve watched my fair share of post-apocalyptic films. The Hunger Games was never a favorite franchise of mine, although The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes left a good impression. It’s a little more realistic than the previous entries and the story explains a lot of plot holes from the overall franchise. This movie explores the early versions of the Hunger Games and President Snow’s ambitions during his youth. It’s very interesting and many of the fight sequences are exciting. The runtime is a bit excessive, but the overall experience is a refreshing entry in a crowded genre. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Nothing can beat the original Indiana Jones trilogy. However, Dial of Destiny feels like a pleasant return to form compared to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It’s a fun adventure that features Indiana Jones during his senior years. He’s retiring from the university and the latest adventure will probably be his last. The enchanted object in question can transport people back in time, which could change the events of history, including the outcome of WWII. Harrison Ford is still the perfect fit for Indiana Jones, although some of the supporting characters were pretty weak. Regardless, it’s an entertaining finale to a nearly long forgotten franchise. John Wick: Chapter 4 It seems like the action scenes become more intense with each entry in the John Wick films. Chapter 4 has a crazy smorgasbord of fight sequences and brilliant choreography. I must say, the character development is somewhat better in this movie compared to the earlier installments. That’s a rare accomplishment in a movie with such a huge emphasis on violence. I can tell Keanu Reeves is getting older and probably tired of this franchise, but Chapter 4 remains one of the best entries in the series. It’s both interesting and exciting at the same time. The runtime is over two and a half hours long, but it breezes through quickly. Make sure you check out this one if you like action films. The Little Mermaid Such a divisive movie. The remake of Disney’s The Little Mermaid is considerably different than the animated version. Granted, I celebrate these changes. The live action version has an intelligent duo of protagonists who are curious about the outside world. Ariel wants to explore the surface world while Prince Eric has a fascination with the sea. This movie cleverly handles a number of plot holes and terrible decisions that were made in the animated version. I’m sorry, but the animated version of Ariel is a total airhead who is gullible and her fascination with the surface world is about a guy she has a crush on. The live action remake remedies these issues and creates a legitimate plot with a significant amount of adventure. Some of the VFX are a bit cartoonish, but the overall film is very good. M3GAN This horror comedy is way better than it has any right to be. M3GAN is about a robotic doll who becomes sentient, possessive, and homicidal. This film is humorous, suspenseful, and creepy with pretty decent kill scenes, despite a PG-13 rating. It makes good of practical effects and inventive choreography. The writing is much better than I anticipated and it seems like M3GAN could be a new addition to classic boogeyman characters. It also provides an effective commentary about our dependence on artificial intelligence, which includes younger generations. Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One The Mission: Impossible franchise has a lot of variation in terms of quality. Fortunately, Dead Reckoning is one of the stronger installments in the series. Like M3GAN, the new Mission: Impossible film places an emphasis on AI. The people who have control over the most powerful AI will likely conquer the world. In fact, the AI is sentient enough to have control over us. This movie has many exciting action scenes and several fan favorites from the earlier Mission: Impossible entries. I’m not sure if a two and half hour runtime is necessary, but it’s a fun watch anyway. It’s hard to say how long Tom Cruise will hang on to this franchise, although he’s still a reigning action star at this point. The Nun II It seems like the public had a lukewarm reception to this sequel. The Nun II might not be the most terrifying film, but it’s effective enough with a creepy setting and ghastly demons. It expands the lore from the original Nun and sets up the possibility for a third installment. The Conjuring franchise is probably the only successful cinematic universe in the horror genre. How many of you remember Universal’s attempt to create the Dark Universe? So, The Nun II is scary, effective, and fun enough to gain a spot on this post. Plane Sometimes I just want to watch an old fashioned action flick. It’s so hard to find these movies nowadays, especially good ones. Plane stars Gerard Butler, who is a staple in low ranking action films. It’s about a passenger plane that makes an emergency landing in a hostile, foreign territory. As expected, you’re going to see terrorists, kidnappings, murders, and whatnot. Yeah, the plot is trite and predictable, but the action scenes are entertaining and the script isn’t bad considering the genre. Butler still has it, baby! Scream VI Maybe I’m just a sucker for the Scream movies. The latest entry is another thrilling, campy, and suspenseful chapter in the franchise. It brings back fan favorites along with a number of new characters…or should I say suspects? Never trust anyone in a Scream film. Unlike the previous movies, Scream VI takes place in New York City, which is a brand new setting for the series. It reigns in elements of urban horror, such as the ability to hide in plain sight among crowds. Some of the death scenes are downright loony yet believable. Check out this one if you want something fun, short, and uncomplicated. Shazam! Fury of the Gods The DC universe is just falling apart. Avoid the new Aquaman movie at all costs. On the plus side, Shazam! Fury of the Gods was the best of last year’s DC movies. It pales in comparison to the first Shazam!, but I thought the film was fine overall. It’s a fun superhero adventure that expands the story of the Shazam family. This film ties in elements from Greek mythology with various creatures, Gods, and supernatural phenomenon. It has a solid amount of humor and heartwarming moments. If you liked the first Shazam!, the sequel is worth a viewing. Thanksgiving It’s hard explain this horror movie. Thanksgiving is shockingly gruesome and genuinely funny at times. I’m sure it will strike a nerve with some viewers, but this slasher flick is a creative addition to a packed genre. At first glance, you might feel sympathetic to the victims. Granted, the film is saying, “what goes around comes around.” Thanksgiving has a better plot than I expected and it includes a few clever twists. This film illustrates the greed and mania associated with consumerism, particularly during events like the week of Black Friday. You’ll have to find out the rest by watching the movie. There you go! You made it through my favorite movies of 2023! I suppose it was loaded with several horror movies. It also had fewer superhero films than usual. What are your favorite movies of last year? Leave some examples in the comment section. Thanks for visiting and I promise to give you another fun topic next week. Good night! |
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May 2019
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