The VERY Confusing Story of Alone in the Dark

[@gregzebra7324]

I really liked how at the end The Dark Man turned out to be irrelevant and was simply an elaborate ruse used by the residents of Dercero to get the correct words for the final ritual from Jeremy. The ending was frankly batshit insane, I didn’t see it coming and I didn’t expect the game to fly into that much gore and craziness for the final 15 minutes. It was fantastic though. I personally believe Emily’s story is the canon one, not Edward’s. Her slowly losing her mind due to the Hartwood curse, everything being related to her and her family and all of the staff being aware of her etc. ends up making her story more cohesive overall. It also feels Emily is the main protagonist as even in Edward’s secret ending it pivots and she becomes the main focus of it

[@teemuhuhtiniemi2165]

The ending was indeed fantastic. My jaw was on the floor and my heart was racing. I was of course expecting something to happen but still the intensity of the scene caught me off guard.

[@lukaszzylik4437]

I'm a big fan of H.P Lovecraft and since Alone in the Dark (2024) takes place within the "Cthulhu Mythos" I would definitely say The Dark Man is very much real. Nyarlathotep would 100% want to revive a spawn of Shub-Niggurath. The story is great because it can be interpreted in different ways. However the entire story fits perfectly with the Lovecraft mythos including the dream world and logic it uses, the dark man, 1,000 young etc, goat without horns and all that. But it also works as a psychological story up until the very end lol. But if Shub Niggurath is real the Dark Man is real too imo and the doorways between dream worlds slammed shut the moment Jeremy was lobotomized.

[@EvaWarhead]

I feel like, confusing as it is, this story is one of those lovecraftian ones that manage to really capture the essence of his writings. It was clearly written by people who read and understood his stories and lore deeply, rather than just taking the cool surface level stuff, which is something even straight adaptations don't always manage to do well. I'm glad you persevered with the video even though it was complicated, I enjoyed it a lot.

[@dhruvo100]

Nah, it didnt. Lovecraftian horror is supposed to make afraid of the unknown. I didnt get no such feeling from that game. On the other hand eternal darkness perfectly managed to capture lovecraftian vibe

[@blumiu2426]

Lovecraftian horror is 1) Fear of the unknown 2) Those unknown horrors never factoring in humanity to their equation and 3) The helplessness and powerlessness of man in the face of them. Every game I know of except Japanese, and maybe one Western one, that doesn't follow game design of allowing the player to win in some way. That's the point usually, and narrative prose isn't limited by this. I didn't notice anything in this that other games didn't capture or capture better, in particular the desperation and failing sanity. The game seemed to tell the player they were losing their sanity rather than it being demonstrated through the game. Eternal Darkness comes to mind.

[@Enriqueguiones]

@@blumiu2426 Many Lovecraft tales have happy endings. "Call of Cthulhu", his most famous short story, end with Cthulhu being impaled by a 1920s boat, just like Ursula in the "Little Mermaid".

[@Enriqueguiones]

The game includes enough stuff from the "Cthulhu Mythos" to be considered a worthy adaptation.

[@dhruvo100]

@@Enriqueguiones yes, they did but they were executed poorly. There are movies that have no lovecraft mythos yet they feel so lovecraftian. For example, block island sound

[@stevebrummett8539]

Thanks for putting this out despite your reservations! I believe that the "loose ends" are intended to be tied up in the follow up game.

[@AbsolAhm]

Something tells me this game isnt selling well enough for a sequel to cover these loose ends

[@redwiltshire1816]

Nah they can just do that halo approach and cover all lose ends in a book 😂

[@nats92lilac]

I do hope that there would be a sequel, they shouldn't have hired 2 celebrities in the first place to play the 2 protagonist. Just gonna cost them even more for a second game

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

I think the 2024 game laid a solid enough foundation in reviving and bringing the series forward. It plays very much like a game from the early to late 2000s with modern graphics and 3rd person OTS. It's far from a masterpiece, but has reasonable cult status material for the coming years after. Unlike the 2001 reboot, this 2024 game is very faithful to the 1992 original (plus trilogy) in spirit, essence and flavor. There aren't many adventure horror games out there with an early 1900s setting, and that will be Alone in the Dark 2024's biggest strength and attraction. Also helps it's in 3rd person OTS, something most Call of Cthulhu themed games are NOT. So far, only The Sinking City (which is getting an unexpected sequel) is the only other Lovecraftian themed game I can recall that is in 3rd person OTS. If The Sinking City is getting a sequel, despite getting review scores in 2019 so similar to that of Alone in the Dark 2024, then I don't see why the latter can't get a follow up game itself. It all depends on sales performance and a sales tally of 1-2 million could guarantee a sequel in a few years. Since the game is also AA, and didn't cost much to make unlike a certain The Callisto Protocol ($162 million budget cost).

[@en2336]

why? i'm curious, haven't heard bad news about it@@AbsolAhm

[@WyllBG3]

The game would be less confuse if the campaigns were more different. Edward story could be focused on the shub cult. Emily focus would be her uncle and "the dark man". Or each one had a different chapter.

[@drakenfist]

That's what excited me initially of the game. I thought you would get two halves to the story. What you end up with is the same story with partially different interludes to fit the character your playing as, meanwhile the character you don't play as, is left sitting on their hands for the majority of the night before pulling out the "that's it, they're all a murderous cult" conclusion out of their ass at the last minute.

[@nintendogamingchannel1007]

Story should similar to Resident Evil 2 (1998) Edward similar Claire A, Emily similar to Leon B by being different while taking place same time at same locations.

[@phantombigboss8429]

​@@nintendogamingchannel1007nah

[@OsamuWuVT]

@@phantombigboss8429 honestly...it should've; it would've increased replay ability or ya know make it different to see. Or do something which most thought. you played the other character to see what happened. There were moments playing the game; best example i can think of: edward and emily looking into the directors room. What they could've DONE was when Edward or Emily walking into the closet cause hey they have the amulet. the other one sees them walk in and just disappear then immediately switch to them before you play the person you chose to play. that way you can get the sense of "oh...their seeing this in real time."

[@justoverit]

As a writer, sometimes you get lost in your story and don't realize how confusing it could come off to someone who DIDN'T write it.

[@Momo_Minomo]

Oof, yeah getting so submerged in your own story you can't see it clearly is one of the big pitfalls of writing. That's where alpha and beta readers come in for those of us in publishing. The gaming world could probably do well with utilizing that resource themselves. I'd say they should bring some in as part of the QT department but let's be honest, they don't even treat the QT teams they have NOW well or give them time to do their work so good writing practices are probably going to continue to take a backseat in the industry.

[@amoodyfrog]

I feel like everyone goes through this. When I write reports for uni, I always give it for review from someone who doesn't know much about the topic and they bring up fair feedback. It's easy to get into your writing and forget about the rest.

[@SpiritStoneWarrior94-yx3gs]

It's also a trademark part of lovecraftian horror. It's whole ethos is built around letting you theorise what things may have been happening, what will happen and who these entities are. Nyarlothetep among other things, is a great old one, same with Shub-Niggurath who is a super powerful lovecraftian entity.

[@GothPaoki]

I feel the writers of this are perpetually confused.

[@El_Negro2003]

@@GothPaokiniggurath.

[@jimmysisk4124]

I will say, as a fan of Call of Cthulhu the ttrpg, I found the story actually pretty straightforward. Like Nyarlathotep and doing some mucked up nonsense to screw up a dark young makes perfect sense from a wider veiw of the mythos. I do believe that it was a Dark Young and not necessarily a physical manifestation of Shub-Shub (my name for her). Nyarlathotep likes to play with mortals, as the for the elder gods he is the guy that sees humans as interesting. Shub and the Dark Young would just eat us. So when one of Nyarlathotep's playthings made him an offer, he did a simple job and made a prison to hold the dark young. This dark young either being the source of the cults or a product of them.

[@rifflerunderhill7006]

I think the "loose threads" are intentional, trying to imply a wider universe we're not privy to. Lovecraft regularly did this, including colluding with other authors to include similar allusions between authors, implying the larger interwoven universe. But that's my fairly useless two cents.

[@rifflerunderhill7006]

Nothing gets messier than multiple Old Gods vying for the same vulnerable, psychically sensitive people (often artists; musicians specifically and aurhors often). The victims get pulled in different directions, to fulfill different prophecies or similar, often in opposition to whichever Old God sent them there originally. Lol

[@rifflerunderhill7006]

Seems like this game successfully conveyed a key Lovecraftian feeling; an inkling that theres more going on. It's important, and you dont know what it is, you cant know what it is. Its unnerving and unsettling and uncomfortable. Exactly as it should be. After all, "The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents".

[@GothPaoki]

I would say the game was anything but lovecraftian. Just putting out the names of some lovecraftian gods don't make it so. It was an incoherent mess that never truly felt like a lovecraftian story.

[@drippinwet774]

The schizophrenia is intentional. I actually want to hear voices in my head.

[@AManChoosesASlaveObeys]

Incoherence doesn't mean conveing the Unspeakable. I never felt lost in a Lovecraft book. I felt that the character were lost. There's a big difference...

[@typicaltito5953]

Glad to see you didn't give up on this one in the end, despite its convoluted plot. I was worried you got lost to the madness yourself for a bit!

[@danielligman3231]

One thing to keep in mind is the prologue with Grace... it seems that she was possessed by the Bull Beast. Since the Taurus Constellation (wherein resides the home of Nyarlathotep) represents the Bull, its quite possible that Grace was posessed by Nyarlathotep (the bull beast possibly being an avatar of Nyarlathotep) Also note the eclipse seen in the Grace prologue when everything went to hell.. I don't doubt that she was taken by Nyarlathotep. That's why she tormented Edward (on the Pearl brudge) and Emily with the syringe and the mask that looked like her father. Nyarlathotep loves to screw with your head.

[@heartbutton]

Okay, I can at least answer one of your open questions: What is Lottie suffering from? What's happening in that scene is the Black Goat Of The Woods' influence on Lottie being stronger for a moment. Lottie's body is forced into a goat's position (obviously she's somewhat fighting against it, because it hurts) and she's bleating a bit. You notice that it happens when she starts talking about the Mother Of A Thousand Young. The same thing (bleating and going into goat mode) actually happens at the end when they summon big Shub for several characters, although the camera doesn't really put a lot focus onto it I guess, because other stuff is happening, too ^^ But you can hear the sounds and it should be visible on some of them if you pay attention to it :)

[@projectjupiter5523]

0:33 i saw the thumbnail of this video and thought "huh the character on the left looks like jodie comer" 😂 the team behind it did a brilliant job with the art and design and, as per usual, I'm sure you've done a brilliant job with this video. i love your lore and order series as well as the cosmic horror genre so i'm super excited to watch this!

[@LeanneKnoll]

I tried to think of this game as a psychological navigation. Everything we see isn’t really happening and it’s all Jeramy’s thoughts collectively clashing at the same time, like a bad dream. Think about it if he thinks he’s too far gone or beyond help (which he does state) wouldn’t it be better to make someone up, like a loved one or an authority figure to try and navigate through his mind? An objective voice like a therapist to pull apart everything piece by piece. If you think about it like that, it makes sense.

[@gsesquire3441]

So "it's all just a dream or delusion" so don't expect it to make sense?? That is such a cop out.

[@Sabir.Zakariya1]

So glad you were able to get this into video format bro! Can't wait to watch it all! ❤

[@alpharius365]

Don't have time to play all the games I want to. I really appreciate these long form videos.

[@No1ANTAGON1ST]

Yeah man. These vids are a godsend

[@pillmatik4239]

Less and less time these days. I play more shorter indie games just bc even something that takes 4-6 hours can take weeks

[@QueenofXandria]

My son was born 10 years ago. Unsurprisingly, my time to play video games also disappeared 10 years ago. But the passion never fades.

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

Very Informative and Entertaining Review. I enjoyed the game very much myself and have finished it 4 times so far (2 Edward, 2 Emily), and the story, characters, setting and creepy atmosphere are so engaging. The 1920s/30s Gothic noir rural American south is this game's biggest attraction. Since there aren't many games with this setting. Despite it's glaring flaws, I still see this latest Alone in the Dark a successful and much needed revival to this badly mismanaged series of 30+ years. It will gain an audience in due time and serve as an ideal ENTRY point for newcomers to the series going forward.

[@Joe-gi8bv]

Ty for video. I replayed AiTD after watching this video with director's comentary on. Most of directors comentary was done by 2 people on the art team. It reminded me of the commentary included in the Amnesia games but less team members. At the end they discussed on how much Lovecraft lore vs let player decide. Commentary at begining discuss the idea of what if Jeremy doesn't die like he did in the original. How would story change? In the prologue Grace is mailing the "love letter" to Emily without zipcode. This letter is postmarked a few days before St John's Eve as seen when Emily is holding it in car. The commentary can reveal a lot as to how the team changed over years. Art team wished they could have visited Lafayette Cemetary but could not b/c of pandemic. One commentary in the drawing room was explained rebuilding constellation of the Tauras and ending his comment with how he stood by how his explaination made sense. But we never hear him in any commentary after that. But I enjoyed the game and never expect to understand story if it's related to Lovecraft. Rest is just rant b/c i want to complain about complainers. Whoever stayed with the project to the end deserve an applause. Many many games became ambitious during pandemic went into development hell. People who think the writers are lazy? It's intellectually lazy to even think the ending team was anything more than a shadow of original. But such is the loud minoirty on these forums vs the silent majority on interent. The gaming industry is going through equiviant of the realestate market crash. But atleast some games were pulished to give something to complain about and guess what...the game might not even be held by the original company. Look at Banishers of New Eden or Texas Chainsaw Massacare and look at hands it started with. It's software nothing new it's never going to workout as planned.

[@teemuhuhtiniemi2165]

I personally loved the story being delivered in fragments and having to piece things together myself as I went along. It felt very true to how things were delivered in the older games, and left me feeling the game trusted my ability to make sense of it all without an exposition dump. So many movies and games these days go into over-explaining the plot, leaving nothing left to chew on when the credits roll. It also takes all intrigue and mystery out of things. That said - I do agree there were several loose ends in AITD's plot. Some of them felt deliberate (perhaps left for DLC or sequel) while some felt like results of content cuts (Grace pricking Emily with the sytinge etc.). The fact I finished the game a week ago and still find myself intrigued by the plot threads says something. I forget about most games/movies the moment I turn off my PC/leave the cinema. AITD is exactly my kind of game and now I'm on a quest to find other games that make me feel this way!

[@scythe2870]

yes! another long format video! i love these so much and even without watching it yet I know this one will be just as great as the rest. thanks again harry

[@anglo-saxonconnor817]

The atmosphere of this game draws me into it. I enjoyed it a lot.

[@vexmyth0clast]

Been waiting for this one. You are one of, if not the best person to do game story breakdowns on KZbin.

[@CarlosGarcia2]

One of my biggest gripes is why the campaigns are basically the same with just the cutscenes being different in the conversations. Both characters go through the same ordeals. It should have been about Emily going through Jeremy's memories with Edward going through the grounds of the mansion and them intersecting at certain points. It would have helped fill in the gaps and shown what the other character was doing when the other disappeared. How do games from 25 years ago manage to pull this off but not modern ones?

[@Garth_Brown]

The things that i can add up to your explainations are those: - People are going mad because of the fungi found by Batiste, but also because of the voodoo magic that surrounds Derceto - Jeremy's Memories (the Walter Sullivan's Otherworlds) are real also because of the same voodoo magic - The tree is Shub - Perosi was killed by the Staff, alongside Chance, Waites and Cassandra, who all refused to join the Cult (as Edward says in Emily's Story) - For the Maniacal Liar, probably is Dr. Gray (Cassandra suffers from writer's block and has suicidal thoughts, but she's not a liar or a maniac) (maybe "maniac" is a reference to the Cult) - For the Empty Room, is another part of the voodoo magic that surrounds Derceto - For Grace, as someone theorized, she's actually possessed by the big creature (we can see it at the end of the prologue, although she already knows that Jeremy has done "something") or maybe by Nyarlathotep himself - For the Stellarium, is just another memory (the journal article) that was expanded and became real (the opening to the cosmos, is always tied to Nyarlathotep, the Messenger of the Gods) - For "why Jacob's expedition was searching for the metal" is actually a reference to Terra Incognita, the book in the original AITD The "Taorella location is tied to the Constellation. why?" and the other topics you presented in the Final Thoughts, i can't explain, although maybe they will wrap things up with the sequel. Who knows. PS: Edward hearing for years the whispers, confirms that he's story is the main one, while Emily's one is just and add-up (like Resident Evil 1, the true story is a mix of both).

[@alrocksthispage]

Cassandra's patient file says that the pain meds messed with her memory and now she lies to fill in gaps. Part of her treatment plan was to get her off of the drugs to hopefully stop her lying.

[@salazar556]

The story wasn't too confusing for me once I played both characters and paid closer attention to the documents. I really liked it because it brought me back to games like Silent Hill and The Evil Within.

[@anonymouswind1]

Thank you for this video! I had so many questions about the story of this game and this helps! I enjoyed the game but like you said, there are a lot of things left unanswered, even with two playthroughs that the ending felt very underwhelming and honestly a little confusing and frustrating.

[@CyberLyri]

Thank you for putting so much effort into piecing together this chaotic story! It's clear it was a frustrating process, but people like myself, who aren't liable to find all the collectables or piece together all the fragments, learn so much about these games from your hard work, and I really appreciate your videos. I hope that a continuation of the story may tie up some of the loose ends that are so baffling, but overall, I think that you made as much sense of the plot as someone possibly could. I always enjoy the background information you give to further explain things mentioned in games, the theories you offer, and the way that your videos make me think more about the games I play. I always look forward to the next installment of Lore and Order!

[@chirescatter3855]

hey Harry! love the videos as always. hope you're okay and thanks for making our days better

[@dommoore6180]

I agree it was confusing and could have been better developed. However, relying mostly on notes for the storytelling is something Alone in the Dark just does as a series, this is clearly intentional like it or not. The threads that aren't directly explained are not flaws either imo, there's lots of room for us to make connections and I also think that's intentional. As a random example, Ruth and MacCarfey seem to parallel Emily and Edward in some respects. There's the superficial comparison MacCarfey makes in his letter to Edward, Emily having some sort of connection to Ruth, MacCarfey is a red head like 92 Edward, Ruth blonde wearing green like 92 Emily. It's very probably nothing but just barely enough that it could be something and that's if nothing else something to think about. Also, MacCarfey could be a reference to Alone 1 or 3, in 3 there is a McCarfey with red hair who is an npc in the game, but more likely the reference is to a MacCarfey from the original game who was the Hartwood family lawyer. Might all mean nothing but it's nonetheless interesting to a nerd who knows the series well. And in a game that is very much taking a meta approach, where the story of the original game is directly referenced by characters as having been the way things "should have" happened. Where elements of multiple entries are combined into one narrative and their original contexts are still referred to. Where a character is literally writing the script of the story in universe, whilst another is able to see where he has deterred from the original script, in a game where an alternate ending has the cast leaving a play based on the same story. With all that there, I don't think looking for every loose end to be tied neatly and everything to work literally makes any sense. It's clearly not supposed to be like that. That doesn't mean it couldn't have been a bit clearer or that more couldn't have been developed because I do think that's a flaw. But I don't think the method of storytelling or the loose ends and endless theorising is actually a flaw in the game, even if I can understand it not appealing to everyone.

[@blumiu2426]

If the story presented has holes or is missing context, that isn't something notes should make up for. Other games have used notes to tell additional or complementary information, bad ones tell what should be in the main story. It means the player can miss parts of the central story and they are required to find all notes, to hunt letters that otherwise seem impractical in logic to contain the necessary information at present.

[@dommoore6180]

@blumiu2426 this misses the point entirely. The story telling method of the game is the notes. The notes are a core part of the gameplay. That's how it always was in this series. Just because you might personally consider any and all notes to be "extra" doesn't actually mean they are. And not all games follow the same design ideas. The point I was making wasn't that the game filled plot holes with notes (it doesn't). It was that the notes were a valid method of storytelling and were not fun little extras but the core method of storytelling. Just like Marathon, they're the point, not the cutscenes.

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

The mask that Grace is making in the game resembles a lot like the original Edward Carnby in the 1992 game. Definitely an easter egg and call back.

[@blumiu2426]

@@mr.sinjin-smyth That goes back to what was said in the video. If easter eggs and lore cross-over, it complicates things to not making sense. How can one character's father look like an iteration of the Edward she knows? Why would they make such a connection?

[@blumiu2426]

@@dommoore6180 No, it doesn't. It's been a point of criticism in multiple games. If much of the central story is in notes and you can miss them, and what's not in the notes leaves what's presented outside with plot holes, then it's not an effective form of storytelling. You skipped over my pointing out that it makes the notes actually part of the narrative/in-story, as if these things would be laying around for someone to find and tell them all they needed to know that was immediately relative to what they are going through. If you think that makes sense, your way of making a game is just as questionable. How Marathon went about it and this are not the same. The setting was entirely different and the time that game was made why notes were used. Notes being left around is somewhat a lazy method used in horror games because they can't think of an effective way of adding needed context. It's a trope at this point. The storytelling method is exploration and finding clues and items. Do notes progress the story or can you complete the game without them? If so, they are not central and you are conflating their importance to make an unfounded point. Except the fact the story is poorly told and notes are a crutch to fit things together. There are many reasons for it and may not be to blame of writer or team, but the result doesn't change. If gamer reviews reflect the same sentiment as trusted game critics, then the prevailing sentiment that this game did not do a good job telling it's story stands. Alone in the Dark is known for a poorly executed narrative and this doesn't seem to have changed much.

[@ghost_mele1545]

I'm really glad you put out the video despite the complications hope you continue the playthrough on your other Channel Great video harry

[@iranicus3393]

Wasn't expecting this, played through it once with Edward so far. Ending is pretty odd I thought, and laughed when Emily effectively had the better pistol. Actually get Sinking City vibes on the menu, and the combat was definitely similar.

[@thehorrorist3471]

Excellent video and summery as usual. I think, possibly, that the Empty Room is a reference to the Charlotte Perkins Gilman story 'The Yellow Wallpaper'.

[@catherineblacklock5957]

Thanks for all your time and effort you put into this video despite the confusion. Thanks for sharing it. Brill work as always 👍👏

[@SladeMcPherson]

Keep it up dude.. you're doing well mate ... please don't ever stop doing what you're doing much love brother

[@erinlpalmer8410]

Awesome Harry!! 🎉 Glad you pulled through - I don't blame you, the story was so hard to understand, even after 2 playthroughs

[@masamune2984]

What bums me out is that a combination of knowledge of Lovecraft COMBINED with the Director’s DLC commentary makes this entire story make 1,000% sense…but it shouldn’t take DLC to do that…

[@gsesquire3441]

Yeah, the majority of players won't even finish the game, most don't play games to full completion let alone touch dlcs.

[@HimeChan247]

I thought the things the clerk was covered in looked more like barnacles like under a boat.

[@yidingliu8663]

Good, was waiting for you to get to this one.

[@adamgill9730]

It kept you waiting, eh? 😉

[@anonymoose2341]

I'll just add to the pile, after the post you put out regarding the absolute chaos of the script, I'll have this on repeat, just to feed the algorithm

[@anonymoose2341]

Also im the guy that made a comment like 4 months ago after watching one of your earlier videos and I complained about the background "waiting room" music. I eat those words. This is one of my go-to channels.

[@hannahg7021]

Thank you for posting this, Harry. Just comes to show that even though it was hard to tie together some of the loose threads of the game, you were still able to put out an absolute banger of an episode. Just wanted to ask, are you still planning on posting the rest of the Let’s Plays for Alone in the Dark in your other channel? Been looking forward to watching you play the rest of the game. As usual, we highly appreciate your great work ❤

[@samstarkva]

Thank you for this succinct and thorough walkthrough. I wanted to play this one but don't have time, and I wasn't sure if it was worth it based on the reviews. Your videos are always so informative and so enjoyable to watch, I appreciate you so much. Have a great day!

[@gaigewilling960]

YES DUDE. Good on you for following through. I saw how difficult this was for you. Fantastic fu__ing work 👏

[@rukifellth2]

They have a goshdarn reference to PRISONER OF ICE?! The devs REALLY loves Accolades old horror games!

[@Nickc86]

I think what makes it confusing is it's mixing two mythologies together

[@Enriqueguiones]

What did it mix? It's just Lovecraft.

[@Nickc86]

@@Enriqueguiones Egyptian

[@Enriqueguiones]

@@Nickc86 Nyarlathotep is one of Lovecraft main bad guys. He's always been there. Also, there's a classic HP Lovecraft story named "Under the pyramids" that it's set, obviously, under the pyramids. Egypt has ALWAYS been part of the "Cthulhu Mythos".

[@luizferrarezzi]

I hope the devs have the oportunity to learn and improve the gameplay for the next because it have a lot of potential

[@kosmosyche]

I have a feeling there are several plot lines that were supposed to be in the game and shed more light on what's going on, but for whatever reason were severely cut out from the final game and only some shadows of those storylines remain. For example, Perosi. If you read her letter and her patient's record, she was the one who managed to escape the previous iteration of the Cult of Mother in Derceto (The Astarte artists' colony) and somehow shifted about 15 years into the future to the current time Derceto. She also seems to know where the previous inhabitants of Derceto disappeared or she might be even the main reason why they disappeared in the first place (they seem to be locked somewhere, presumably in one of the "worlds" that the medallion creates and transfers to). She also wants to finish the Derceto cursed influence and cult once and for all and if you read one of the entries in Jeremy's diary, although it wasn't Perosi who gave him the medallion, it was she who helped him start travelling between worlds using it. Seems like she knew a lot of what's going on and wanted to use Jeremy's abilities and his pact with the Dark Man to help her destroy the cult, at least that was my impression. So all in all it seems like initially she should have had a bigger part in the story. I also suspect the writer Cassandra Beauregard's story might have been cut out completely from the game. Interestingly, if you stray from the path a bit towards the end of Chapter 2 in the Cemetery, you can find her dead body covered in blood, lying on the floor of one of the crypts. What was that all about and what about the unfinished cryptic page in the typewriter in her room where it's hinted at some understanding and control of the happenings in Derceto? There could have been something which didn't make it to the final game.

[@mayrag1776]

Thank you for this video!!! I was so confused the whole time 😂 but you made me understand better ❤❤❤

[@extralook1826]

great video as always man keep it up

[@martinholt8168]

IMHO, the plot feels like a first-time Keeper running a CoC campaign trying to cram the entire Mythos into one adventure. That is both a bonus and a detriment. Bonus: we get a wide range of entities, locations, and concepts, so that we are never bored. The entities themselves are well-executed and often terrifying. Detriment: the the story is muddled, with plot elements spiraling out of control like the cables in a shredded tire and individual characters left undeveloped. On the whole, I loved it. Better than CALL OF CTHULHU an SINKING CITY, not as good as ALAN WAKE 2.

[@nagashtheundyingking4404]

it almost creepy how I looked at this game just 5 minutes ago continue to go to youtube and here we are.

[@ssimpson3288]

Honestly, I feel like the game would have been much better as a point-and-click adventure game instead of adding combat. Same way with how I felt about The Sinking City.

[@jenniferleahy-morrison3705]

Great video! I think the 'multi-verse' angle may be close to what they were going for. There is an unlockable scene in the attic where Jeremy makes a choice. I interpreted the choice he made in that scene led to this Alone in the Dark game, while the opposite choice lead to the original Alone in the Dark game. Could be wrong though. Thank you for showing off the other endings - I couldn't get them to trigger and couldn't find anyone who had shown them.

[@ZrinjskiYT]

This video lasts longer then my gameplay of the same game. Respect.

[@TheTiredTortoise]

Soma has one of the best stories I've ever experienced in my life. What a bummer

[@anonymoose2341]

I kinda want an HBO one season Soma series... But I think I don't at the same time. Agreed, mind blowing story

[@blumiu2426]

@@anonymoose2341 I think people forget that the reason a game's story is as enjoyable as it was is because it was in game format. Trying to make something into a film is entirely different as you can't immerse in a film like you can a game. You are guided scene by scene in a movie, you have control to a greater degree in a game. I don't think a person needs to study game design or film-making to understand this.

[@mikaross4671]

@@anonymoose2341 That would ruin Soma entirely.

[@mikaross4671]

I'm shocked this is from one the people who worked on of Soma, considering how bad this game is by comparison.

[@MeCrazy516]

alone in the dark is by far one of the least confusing lovecraft games i have played, its very easy to follow if you pay attention and play both characters...from cassandra being the writer who essentiall alan waked the og script (you can see the script being put into a mask in the prologue), to finding out Jeremy was preventing the big tree from being revived by making a deal with the darkman is all there. I had all this worked out by the end of playing carnby who i played 2nd. the way the story is put together is actually quite amazing , and its full of little connections that dont even really need to exist

[@GamingHarryYT]

That’s great, but WHY was Cassandra writing the story? And for what purpose? And why did the story deviate at the end?

[@animekid9000]

@@GamingHarryYT You might go into some of this in your video (I haven't watched it all yet) but I have been writing notes during my third playthrough so I have some Thoughts on this, but not many. Cassandra ends up writing the story because of Jeremy, according to his casebook she was the last person he ended up asking for help before he decided to go with Nyarlathotep's contract instead. There's an obvious throughline of people being bound to narratives; Jeremy believes that everyone is given/cursed with a divine story, which he sometimes expresses as the events of the original Alone in the Dark and later reworks into the contract plan. Cassandra's narration is probably meant to be her method of helping Jeremy, through weaving together a story wherein the good guys save the day and go home. As for why it deviates at the end? That's honestly pretty simple; beings like Shub Niggurath and her Dark Young cannot be bound by Narratives. The way the game ends up using Nyarlathotep and Shub Niggurath is that the former understands human customs and performs through them, meaning that he's willing to 'play a part' through his contract with Jeremy, while Shub Niggurath has no such 'human-ness' to her. Yes, amusingly, Nyarlathotep the Crawling Chaos has ended up being connected with Order in this particular story.

[@GamingHarryYT]

Yeah that makes a bit more sense. Thanks for sharing!

[@MeCrazy516]

@@GamingHarryYThow did the story deviate at the end? It never deviated, the cult and the big tree is brought up repeatedly the entire game, more so with carnby than emily but either way there is clearly something happening. its just it made you focus on the darkman and jeremy as he seemed to be the more immediate threat and that is why you went there in the first place. The "switch" at the end is honestly completely brilliant writing because the answer to what the real threat is was there the whole time. As for cassandra specifically, you never actually meet her, but you do find she is not only writing your characters stories, but she rewrote jeremys as well, when you find a note about a safe from his story. Jeremy keeps saying he should be dead, because he died, thats how the original started. there are a few other references to how things should be different also. I would not say Cassandra is necessary, but it is a nice touch that ties the game to the original and provides more depth to the lore........do i understand everything completely, probably not....but this is still a lovecraft game. There are a few items i never figured out, and some stuff might be in the game for the purpose of being weird, like graces drawing of emily. but the overall story with the darkman and the tree god thing (i dont even want to write its actual name) and how those 2 are connected, is easy to follow. i mean a normal lovecraft game is usually none of it was real and your insane, or you were killing people the entire time and are insane

[@GamingHarryYT]

It deviated because Cassandra narrated that Edward and Emily left during the feast of St. John with Jeremy and the tree killing everyone wasn’t mentioned.

[@rodrigoluzz7534]

This game revived my interest in survival horror. Haven't played something that interesting since Darkwood. Despite the reviews and sales, it will probably become a cult classic in the next years.

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

The initial Steam sales look encouraging. According GameSensor, the game sold 20,000+ copies in the 1st week launch for a revenue of $1 million.

[@nats92lilac]

Hopefully we'll get a DLC then

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

The rating & reviews in Steam are far more encouraging than in Metacritic. The first week sales on Steam are also encouraging, 20,000 copies sold and $1 million revenue.

[@sirtalkalotdoolittle]

This is Alan Wake-level complexity. Nice work!

[@Becktastic01]

Made sense to me, thanks to you and your hard work!

[@auricprophet7106]

As great as it is to have the whole picture or story, your content is more than just the story you explain, its you. Swiss cheese as this is, your input and explanations are STILL able to scrap together and make a great video with a decent plot no matter the material your given and in my humble opinion, thats talent worth watching.

[@javtam55]

Obed Morton from Alone in the Dark 4, such a great game!

[@SnuSnuDungeon]

It's a step up in the Alone In The Dark games and my god did this franchise need it.

[@sephirothishere1]

The bit at the end where the narrator tells you something that didn’t happen. That they had already left before fighting the boss. I always figured that was a bug.

[@nosmasamson]

Thank you! I love you analysis/explained and lore videos!!

[@kgptzac]

I appreciate videos like this to explain messy and confusing video game plots so I don't have to confuse myself by playing them.

[@13lueBomber]

*@Harry* Another well put together video, and always entertaining. Thank you, I appreciate! I also use your videos to fall asleep to some nights. The longer, the better. 👨🏻‍🍳🤌🏼

[@sirtofbaggins4270]

I remember playing the original as a kid. Good job on the video. Keep it up. I know sometimes it can be rough.

[@TheEternalSteelAngel]

BEST thing to open up to. This is a treat to listen to on a long drive. Thanks Harry!

[@austinwest1734]

This reminds me of the black goat Ainz summoned in overlord. Jeremy also just said the same same spell ainz used at 16:35

[@Cold_Zero_The_Wise]

So I'm not the only person who caught that as well😊

[@LoveStorm]

I think Ruth and Grace are under Nyarlathotep's influence. That explains graces behavior, Ruth's "I know more than you" vibe and the guidance thoughout the story. Futhermore, explains why they are in the temple on emily's secret ending (and the father's masks too), why grace is the chosen one (Nyer doing the gods will), and why ruth leaves with emily in edwards bad ending.

[@busterthecluster7648]

You should do GTFO lore I think it would be cool to learn more about it

[@estoylaroca]

Appreciate you posting this. Honestly, no time and energy to play the games anymore, and am *REALLY* just looking forward to you posting the "explanation" of it all. That said, I did watch a playthrough of this before, and yeah, being blunt about it, the story is shit. I get the sentiment that there'll be things to be explained "in the next game", but to leave a fuck ton of it to the next game, making this game absolutely useless? Yeah, I don't think a next game is happening at all. I still vividly remember the trailer of the old alone in the dark game, like using the joystick to move the burning stick around, and lighting up the surroundings and stuff, so Alone in the dark holds a special place in my heart for that innovation alone. But this is just not it. It looks dated, it feels dated, and the story is just a big mess. Absolutely not your fault that the story is the way it is. But still, big props for trying to make a sense out of it. We (viewers) can see how much effort you've put into this, and that's why we're very appreciative of what you do.

[@Lawrance_of_Albania]

I can simplify the story: Both main characters came into contact with that large tree and they hallucinated everything

[@DarkLawYGO]

i have to guess DLC is coming someday. to attempt to tie some up loose ends.

[@thekidsinked3565]

Thank you for this video it definitely would have been a challenge to make

[@The_Ortiz]

Thank you for this. I did not understand the story at all and ended up with the same questions in the end

[@eafstudios6436]

I have a theory that Ruth Tallant may actually be an "avatar" of the "Goddess" in the area a.k.a. Shub-Niggurath a.k.a. the Black Goat of the Woods or at least was a patient who had become a "vessel" or "proxy" of this entity. That's the reason why I think she appears with Grace and they both wear the masks in scene of the ending where Emily submits to the darkness. Her appearance alongside Grace with the cultists in the ending where Emily joins the Dark Man could mean that Shub-Niggurath was "contained" according to Jeremy's contract that Emily took on. Especially since Grace doesn't get sacrificed.

[@Garth_Brown]

interesting

[@beepbeep5181]

I love your channel I watch your videos every night before bed 😭🩷 you’ve showed me so many games I never would’ve come across! Thank you! 🙏🏽

[@roguepanther90]

This is actually one I understood. I understand most stories are fairly linear, but I think this one had a good reason for not being so. Especially with the house. It uses the idea of ones shadow self and subconscious very clearly from both characters. It seemingly recreates the idea of how we work through trauma in my opinion.

[@rodrigoferreramenezes5274]

I did understand what the game is trying to do, because i know the history of the original 3 games. To me it's more complicated than confusing.

[@Gungelion]

There is an explanation for many of the loose ends within the game, but it is not one many people like. Judging by the structure of the game and its connection to previous installments, I surmise that this game is intended to be "part one" of a continuing story. the answers to many of these questions are intended for a future installment

[@juankovacs6033]

If Harry didn't understand the story it means even the writers didn't understood the story as they made the game 😂

[@XxFatJesus360xX]

New video on a friday is a good omen.

[@rocknrolla7288]

Perfect, thanx Harry!

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Honestly I kinda like a slightly confusing and vague story.

[@cthulhluftagn3812]

The tree isnt the gost, its one of the 1000 young. The black goat is shubniggurath, a giant cloud of pure life. If your in a fight with that you loose..

[@djordjebogicevic2998]

Once again, amazing video 😇

[@Enmessara]

As a fan of the original trilogy i'm taking those links as canon (in so much as it can be) you see the AITD has done this kind of thing before. The Edward Carnby of the 2008 AITD is the same one as the one in the Original Trilogy, he goes missing after the events of Slaughter Gulge.. and no spoilers things happen and he ends up in "Present" day New York. Time and Space don't really mean much in a Lovecraftian based universe. Another point I thought of, Grace is special, because she's not meant to be there. She wasn't in the first game, she was in the second , the reference "We have to take her to Hells Kitchen" is relevant.

[@gordon5661]

hell yeah thanks for doing this video still!

[@blumiu2426]

It's alright to say someone didn't do their best on a particular work. I'm not sure why reviewers hesitate devs or creative staff, but will go ham on a faceless company made up of these people, but a fair critique is much desired. If the title of the video has "confusing story", that already says enough of the writing. I suppose attempt to ask the person on Twitter the reason, but just judge it based on what is given. Not every writer delivers their best every time, attenuating circumstances or not.

[@AL-lh2ht]

At least it’s not as bad as the alone in the dark sequels. Or that online multiplayer game.

[@kd9749]

Oh sh!t man, you went for it! Looking forward to it!

[@lynnbowers4722]

In mythology Cassandra was an oracle. She saw the future. But she only foresaw terrible things so was feared and rejected. Make of that what you will.

[@danielligman3231]

Where are people getting the idea that this game didn't sell well? At least for PC, it was in the top 100 of Steam best sellers for almost a week.

[@Garth_Brown]

people don't know shit

[@severalracoons9315]

Just when I was about to start rewatching some harry videos there's a new upload. 🙏

[@karkashan]

I think that creature we see is one of the Dark Young. Looks strikingly similar to other depictions in recent media (like the ones that show up in the light novel / manga / anime Overlord).

[@roiandrilx]

after playing both campaigns and putting together all documents the story is pretty clear. i didn't find confusing at all. the dev team did a good job in spreading info throught the documents imo. the only thing left unexplained is perosi death but not everything should be explained imo

[@doubleaction0080]

Perosi is bizarre. Isn't there a note that implies she's the one that taught Jeremy how to use the amulet? There's enough information based on what is known about Derceto and the collectible stories to piece together that the artist colony was also into occult stuff. That could explain how she knew how to use it. So did she use a talisman to travel through time? But why would that work, when you only ever use it to move through Jeremy's memories? Just the act of taking the talisman from the French Quarter is bizarre, and it IS real because Emily can see it when you play as Carnby. For that matter, how are people traveling into these places without a talisman, such as Lottie being in the Hateful Mound? Why is Lottie randomly having coughing fits that her brother seems totally unconcerned about, even a little annoyed by?

[@animekid9000]

I think one big problem people who aren't familiar with all of Lovecraft's work when discussing this game's story have is that they tend to not understand that the 'memory worlds' you visit are less places on our plane or faithful representations of the past but instead are clearly meant to be portions of the Dreamlands. The Dreamlands, to keep it simple and only discuss what's relevant here, is another world influenced by humanity's dreams and fears that is effectively controlled by Nyarlathotep. Portions of this realm can even be entirely altered by certain special 'dreamers' which in this game is mainly presented through Jeremy. Oh also, the orderlies are travelling to and from the dreamlands via Shub Niggurath. Perosi's one note says that she broke the discs that allow easy entry into that world but that "I am sure She [Shub Niggurath] is still able to whisper the answer [entry into the worlds, since the previous sentences were about the discs/talisman coordinates] in the ears of the wrong people [the cultists, obviously]" I read the coughing fits experienced both by Lottie and Mags as being due to the rot, the game's easy symbol for Shub Niggurath's corruption and also just a literal deadly mold. Lottie and Mags both probably do most of the cleaning so it makes sense that they would also be the ones most exposed to the mold.

[@doubleaction0080]

@@animekid9000 I think at best you can say the traveling to other locations aspect is game is Dreamlands inspired, but that's about as far aa you can go. The reason other people don't make the direct comparison isn't necessarily because they haven't read the work, as you are assuming, but because the comparison isn't appropriate. The game is very explicit about these locations being dives into Jeremy's "memory", used interchangeably with "psyche", sometimes with direct metaphor for his psychological state (the sealed room the steam ship, Jacob). Dreaming isn't involved at all, you instead move around with magic talismans, and it lacks any of the permanent Dreamlands features. And even if one were to wax about Dreamlands, that... doesn't actually explain why Perosi is a time traveller. That note about the plates actually makes things more confusing, not less, because you don't even always use them to travel around, and Jeremy says he doesn't need them at all, and apparently nobody else needs them either... so what was the point of smashing them? I also don't think there is any reason to assume the mold, if that is the source of the coughing, would only affect the staff. The rot is in the walls of the house, and everybody inside is stuck there, so what would either of them be doing that would even expose them more? What would they be cleaning that would expose them more? The rooms, that everybody else also goes in? Grace's room even has rot in it and she seems fine. And anyway, Lottie is a nurse, not a maid. And it still doesn't explain Batiste's tired reaction, which granted might just be bad direction rather than significant dialog.

[@naswinger]

ruth was in league with the dark man. in the black goat of the woods ritual in chapter 5, she is the only one not actively participating and she doing his sign of submission hints at her allegiance. i don't understand her powers though, that she can transport the character to the shipping company. however, grace really is weird. where did she pull out that syringe? what was it for? i mean, yea, she's a bit insane too like the rest. overall, i liked the story a lot. oswald was quite unfinished as a character though. he served very little purpose and was barely explained.

[@BlurXgames]

Thanks Harry

[@JSandwich13]

Thank you so much for this. I played through the gamd as emily. I dont know much about h p lovecraft so i was completely lost. The game doesnt make the story easy to follow

[@Lord-Darkness]

This guy keeps making me buying scary ass games ty bro giving me grey hair

[@scorpionlord9175]

why not dunk on the writers? it doesnt mean they are terrible writers in general, it just means in this case, they made a shit story that while had potential, but for whatever reason just fell flat because of plot holes and unresolved things. shit writing is shit writing. it doesnt mean the person is bad. someone can be an amazing writer, but still on occasion make something that is shit. doesnt mean they are a bad writer. so yes, drunk on them when they deserve it and praise them when they deserve it. dont make excuses, be honest and say "i love his work in soma and TDD, but man this one was bad. hopefully you do better next time mate."

[@frostgem8013]

I have 3 theories as to why this story is confusing. 1 is that they want to pull a modern RE and make dlc campaigns to fill the gaps, 2 as you mentioned is to have a sequel answer the questions(I would like them to continue to remake the series), or 3 its because of Embracer Group's corporate meddling causing the story to be rushed because those idiots dont know how to NOT ruin any company they acquire(yes I'm salty about what they did to Timesplitters).