The Survival Horror Pioneer | Alone in the Dark

Few game franchises are as fascinating, frustrating, and at times maddening than the Alone in the Dark series. Join your fellow Boulder Punchers in supporting the channel! • PATREON: Patreon: boulderpunch • One-time donations: https://ko-fi.com/boulderpunch Setting the foundations for survival horror over 30 years ago, Alone in the Dark would take several sharp turns over the years. It's struggled with its identity and consistency. With frequent hiatuses and uneven quality, the Alone in the Dark series has faded in and out of the public consciousness. While a bit rough around the edges, the first game is a classic. A title exploring uncharted territory and laid the foundations of survival horror. It received two rapid followups. Games with theirs merits, but lost much of what made the original special. The series went on hiatus until 2001 with The New Nighmare. In that timeframe, Resident Evil would build on the formula laid down by Alone in the Dark. Survival horror as a genre would explode in popularity, with Resident Evil clones as far as the eye could see. The New Nightmare, while a solid entry, feels derivative and undercooked. A series playing catchup and did little to differentiate itself from other Resident Evil clones. 2008 saw the reboot of Alone in the Dark. As far as "best worst games" go, it's near the very top of that list. The 2008 Alone in the Dark is an amazing trainwreck. Few games better demonstrate the idea of "everything but the kitchen sink" in its design. It's a fascinating title I couldn't stop thinking about. After another long hiatus, the series would return in 2015 with Alone in the Dark Illumination. While the 2008 Alone in the Dark was one of the best worst games, Illuminations is a straight up awful game. A multiplayer title taking queues from games like Left for Dead, Illumination feels like a prototype rushed out the door. After yet another long break, the series would return in 2024 with Alone in the Dark. While a welcome return to the series roots, the game suffers from story bloat and generic third person shooter gameplay. In this video, we'll go through each game in the series - the good, the bad, and the ugly of what the franchise offers. By the end, you'll have an understanding of why the Alone in the Dark franchise is so fascinating, frustrating and, at times, maddening. Timestamps: 00:00 - Prelude 02:42 - Alone in the Dark (1992) 17:16 - Jack in the Dark 18:29 - Alone in the Dark 2 32:30 - Alone in the Dark 3 40:09 - Interlude: The Rise of Survival Horror 43:33 - Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare 01:01:46 - The New Nightmare on Gameboy Color 01:03:45 - Alone in the Dark 2008 01:22:08 - Alone in the Dark 2008 PS2/Wii Version 01:26:55 - The Cancelled Alone in the Dark Remake 01:28:50 - Alone in the Dark: Illumination 01:31:31 - Alone in the Dark 2024 01:53:09 - Ranking the Series and Conclusion Watch my streams of Alone in the Dark 2008 here: • Part 1: https://youtube.com/live/B4xnW4tpO0E • Part 2: https://youtube.com/live/DAhLCe4zK4s • Part 3: https://youtube.com/live/GV2tIPJ6Tis Additional Footage: • Alpha Waves: Alpha Waves gameplay (PC Game, 1990) • Alone in the Dark GDC Postmortem - Classic Game Postmortem: Alone in the Dark • Better Call Saul • BioForge • BioShock Infinite • Cold Fear • Doom (1993) • Final Fantasy VII - Final Fantasy VII: Shinra Building - Sneak... • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Ocarina of Time Castle Courtyard Stealth • Max Payne • Nostalgia Critic: Alone in the Dark - Nostalgia Critic • Obscure • Resident Evil (1996) • Resident Evil (1996) Gameboy Color - Resident Evil - GameBoy Color - Walkthrough • Resident Evil 2 (1998) • Resident Evil 2 (1998) Gameboy Advance - Resident Evil 2 GameBoy Advance - Raylight... • Resident Evil 3: Nemesis • Resident Evil 4 (2005) • Resident Evil - Code: Veronica • Resident Evil Survivor • Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss • Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines #aloneinthedark #boulderpunch #survivalhorrorgaming #survivalhorror #aitd