Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark is a survival horror game designed by Frédérick Raynal and developed by Infogrames, widely considered the first true 3D survival horror title and a direct inspiration for Resident Evil. Set in 1920s Louisiana, you investigate the suicide of Jeremy Hartwood in his decrepit, haunted mansion. You choose between two protagonists: Edward Carnby, a private investigator, or Emily Hartwood, Jeremy's niece. Gameplay combines 3D polygonal characters with pre-rendered 2D backgrounds using fixed camera angles, revolutionary for its time. Exploration is non-linear across three floors filled with giant worms, rats, zombies, and ghosts. Combat requires strategy due to limited weapons and ammunition. Books scattered throughout contain clues and Lovecraft-inspired lore. The goal is to solve puzzles, defeat the evil spirit, and escape.

DOS

Originally released in Europe in 1992, the North American DOS version arrived in 1993. Published by I-Motion, the floppy edition required an Intel 286 CPU, 640 KB RAM, VGA graphics, 5 MB hard drive space, and DOS 3.1. Audio supported Sound Blaster, AdLib, Covox, and Roland. Also in 1993, Infogrames released a CD-ROM edition featuring full English voice dubbing for all dialogues and a digitized soundtrack by Philippe Vachey. The CD version became the definitive release. In Italy, CTO published special editions including a fictional newspaper called The Mystery Examiner. A spin-off demo titled Jack in the Dark was included with some floppy editions.