Fans of the series will be familiar with the game's hero, the original title's Edward Carnby. Most of the game takes place in New York's beautiful Central Park, and as expected, this game isn't about dodging joggers or ruining couples' picnics during a sunny day in fall. A park is a perfect place for a horror game. If you've ever walked through a park at night by yourself and felt a chill go down your spine, you know why they chose such a location. The developers at Eden also chose Central Park, not just because it is recognizable, but for its sheer size. How many parks have a full police station in them? Eden really took their time reconstructing one of New York's prized landmarks. They have used satellite mapping, as well as travelled to the park to take numerous photos. They have captured every last detail from the sidewalks to the lamp posts. The game will be comprised of chapters, each of them lasting between 30 to 40 minutes. Each chapter of the game promises to end with a nail biting cliffhanger. And to add to the episodic and T.V.-like approach, there's a brief video recap of the story every time you load your saved game, much like the first minute on your favorite T.V drama. So players who are unwillingly pulled away for a short time (thanks a lot, work) won't have that feeling of "Wait, what was I doing?" Alone in the Dark will also give players free roam of the park and its surrounding area. You can make your way around on foot or by hot-wiring a nearby automobile.

Without a doubt, the gameplay is what's going to make Alone in the Dark stand out from any other survival horror game, if not every game. This is where the game could shine so bright as to burn your corneas. Developer Eden has built its own engine to make every aspect of the game as real as possible. If you can think of it, you can probably do it, and from what I've seen, it's true. Everything in the world is interactive to an insane degree. Go ahead and flip that table for some protection from enemies. Then rip one of the legs off that table and light it on fire so you have a torch. If it's flammable, burn it. If you need a light, rip it off the wall. The game puts you in control of how you use and combine anything and everything. You won't just be mixing herbs or puzzle pieces. Simple things like tape can be used in multiple ways. Players can tape objects together, tape objects to walls, even tape things to enemies. Fuel can be used to fashion a bomb, make explosive rounds, or start a fuse near flammable material to set it on fire from a safe distance. Try starting a fuse on a car's gas tank and see what happens. If you can think of a new way of using an object, chances are Eden has already thought of it. This game is not just, "What 9mm pistol or shotgun should I use?", or if you don't need that extra health spray, use it as a makeshift flame thrower. Or toss it in the air and shoot it for a grenade. Every single object can be used in new and exciting ways. Even when you get behind the seat of a car you can adjust your mirrors, the seat, and pick a radio station.

It's all of these little details that make this game so immersive. The open ended gameplay also leaves problem solving open ended. No crests, red key, blue key puzzles here. Eden has left the problem solving to your tastes. So if you just want to smash it, go ahead. Or conserve your ammo and find another way. Even cars can be used in your puzzle solutions. Adding to the depth of the game, Eden has mapped an analog stick to blunt objects such as a 2x4 or lead pipe. Where and how hard you hit the control stick will determine the force and which way the weapon will swing, but the really unique aspect of this control is the way you can use it to manipulate your surroundings. By softly moving the control stick, players will be able to use an object like a pipe to grab a dangling rope just out of reach, or use a piece of wood to gently move an electrical wire away from a pool of water. These actions will take precision and skill. Lastly, Eden has added something that every survival horror game should have, a real-time inventory system. Gamers will have to manage their inventory while the outside world is still moving around them. You will not be able to sit for a minute to decide on your strategy or take your time to pick which item to use. The developers at Eden want to make sure you are prepared, which means you are going to have to think fast in a pinch. As in real life, you might find yourself grabbing the first thing you have, which, if done right, will add a delightful bit of desperation at times.

It looks as if the good people at Eden are making the push to put Alone in the Dark back on top of the survival horror genre. It's hard not to get excited about Eden's ambitious idea of realism. Players may not be asking themselves "How much damage can I do?", but "How much damage can I create?" It leaves the game open to endless possibilities, not to mention gameplay that may never get boring. If the developers at Eden mix in just enough scares to go along with its play mechanics, the folks over at Capcom might want to take some last-minute notes for RE5.

By Chris Pelzer
LWG Game Journalist