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Alone in the Dark: Illumination Interview

AITD Pre-Order Screen 2
07 November 2014

We teased our Alone in the Dark: Illumination interview yesterday, but today the treat for horror fans is here! Enjoy our chat with Jason Brice, CEO of PureFPS.

 

  • Why did the team choose to pursue a class-oriented, cooperative game instead of the traditional single player affair? Will coop be drop-in/drop-out, with AI replacing real teammates? 

I think it is important to note that at its core, Alone in the Dark: Illumination IS a single player game. The game design was focused on being true to the history of the franchise. As such, you are highly encouraged to play AITD in single player mode which still draws heavy influence from its predecessors. That being said, when we signed on to do AITD:I, Atari very much wanted us to bring a new experience to the franchise. We felt that doing a CO OP version would suit the IP well. So, what we have ended up with is a Third Person CO OP experience that is very much an action survival horror game that is influenced from many other games on top of Alone in the Dark. There are echoes of Left For Dead, Alan Wake, Resident Evil, and in Single player mode…Dark Souls. There is something for everyone in AITD:I.In terms of “Class Play” we wanted to find a good balance. There are some great shooter games out there with a focus on coop…PayDay 2, Left for Dead etc, but we felt that by adding some mystical, magical powers to some of our characters it would allow for greater dynamics with the way characters worked together.

And no, AI won’t replace characters. If you want to play Alone in the Dark: Illumination as a two player COOP, or three player, you certainly can. In fact, there will be some Steam achievements tied to this. Moreover, you can play as any combination of classes. If you want to play as four Hunters, or four Priests, you can as well.

 

  • How long will each of the THREE (4th is DLC) campaigns last, approximately? Will there be any randomized elements every time a new campaign is started?

It will take about 2 hours per character to finish a campaign. After the first campaign is finished, the player will UNLOCK the next character. So, after campaign #1, the “Witch” will become available, after campaign #2 the “Priest” will unlock, and after campaign #3 the “Engineer” will be available. You will be encouraged to play all of the campaigns as each character. In essence, it will take 6 hours or so hours to finish every campaign (some will finish sooner depending on difficulty settings). Then, if you play each campaign as each individual character it will essentially give you about 24 hours of gameplay on one difficulty setting of which there are 3 settings currently. This is for single player.

CO OP Gameplay will provide even more gameplay beyond the SP experience. In terms of randomized elements, there are multiple randomized events per each level. This allows for the gameplay to not become predicable and too easy to advance.

 

  • Can players expect post-launch DLC and if so, what are you planning? New locations, new enemies, new classes?

Currently we already are working on the DLC. It will be an entirely new campaign, with a few new abilities/weapons, and possibly a new creature or two.

 

  • Why did you choose Unreal Engine 4 over CryEngine or Unity? What was your experience with it?

At PURE FPS, we are diehard supporters of Epic and their amazing platform. Unreal 4 has allowed us to push the boundaries in every way possible. Epic has cleared a path in history as one of the pioneers of the modern age of video games, and Unreal Tech has been at the forefront of gaming technology since its inception. Through the years it has had a massive impact on countless gameplay experiences, and continues to do so today with Unreal 4. AITD:I benefits directly from the years of development put forth at Epic.

 

  • I understand that the initial release will be on PC. That said, are you also considering PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases for 2015?

Alone in the Dark: Illumination is currently a PC exclusive. Additional platform releases are under consideration.

 

  • Thank you for your time.