Alone in the Dark 2

(Infogrames/I-motion, 1993)

For a long while, I felt like giving this sequel a break and making it merely a "marginal" thumbs down. The truth speaks for itself, however; there was nothing marginal about it! This sequel was just plain bad. For starters, they don't make the initial story based on the work of HP Lovecraft (a mistake in a thriller game that's akin to attempting a sequel to Romeo & Julet, with no regard for Shakespeare). Second was that irritating little girl character who could do...nothing!!! Then there's the ending, which was about as awe-inspiring as bottled water. The flaws go on...

Have I complained enough about that little girl...? NO! It was not only a bad game element; it makes my list for Worst Game Mistakes Ever Made! Here's the deal: Ed Carnby ("you") --the same hero from Alone in the Dark 1-- must save a kidnapped little girl from zombie-pirates (or, whatever). Here's where the game design mistakes begin : In at least two points in the game, you have to control this little girl, to solve puzzles Carnby cannot. The problem is, this is a chauvinistic, wimpy view of a little girl, making her almost completely unable to do...anything. Click the game's "run" button and see her skip along like she's on the Good Ship Lollipop...often with an evil pirate right behind her! Other times, you click on a fight key --thinking maybe she could at least try to kick the pirate, and then run-- only to see her make a funny face instead! There are moments when seeing a little girl make a face at a deadly pirate would be funny. This wasn't one of them.

However, if AITD2 made my list of Worst Games I Ever Played, it wasn't because it was as bad as Man Enough (what is?), though rather because of the high expectations from a sequel of an award winning game like Alone in the Dark. It was an outrageously high amount of expectations for the sequel, only to lead to outrageous disappointment (not that this is new to games; Quest for Glory 3, anyone?). For that reason alone, this game slingshots itself into "Burnout" status. What a disappointment.

See also: Alone in the Dark 1 (review), Alone in the Dark 3 (review).

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