Alone in the Dark 2

Alone in the Dark 2 is Infogrames’ 1993 sequel to its groundbreaking horror game. It kept the same engine of 3D characters over pre-rendered backgrounds but swapped Lovecraftian dread for a more action-driven gangster and pirate adventure. It came out on DOS first and was later ported to the 3DO, Saturn and PlayStation, where it was renamed Jack Is Back in Europe and One-Eyed Jack’s Revenge in North America.

It’s Christmas 1924, and private eye Edward Carnby and his partner Ted Stryker are investigating the kidnapping of young Grace Saunders. The trail leads to Hell’s Kitchen, a mansion run by the ghostly gangster One-Eyed Jack and his crew, who hide a centuries-old pirate secret.

Gameplay

Where the first game was about creeping through a haunted house, Alone in the Dark 2 is about fighting your way through one. Tommy-gun-toting gangsters stand guard in the gardens and halls, and you’ll spend much of the game trading fire with them.

• Bigger world: The gardens, the mansion, caverns below and a pirate ship.
• Firearms and melee: Pistols, Thompson guns and close combat play a larger role.
• Playing as Grace: In some sections you control Grace, who can’t fight and must use stealth and household objects as traps.
• Puzzles: Item puzzles still bar your way, though fewer than before.
• Talkie: The CD-ROM version adds full speech and CD audio.

The engine looks much like the first game, with some richer backgrounds, but the camera still frames each scene with flair. The sections with Grace are a highlight, offering a change of pace from the gunfights.

Verdict

Alone in the Dark 2 is a solid, entertaining sequel. It’s less scary than the original and its combat is clunky, but its gangster-and-pirate setting is fun and the Grace sections add variety. Critics at the time were enthusiastic, and PC Gamer UK even ranked it among the best computer games of all time in 1994.