One June PS Plus Game Could Give a Classic Franchise a…

Summary

Alone in the Dark (2024) faced challenges in the form of lukewarm reviews and "softer than expected" reception, leading to its developer's closure.
Alone in the Dark stars Jodie Comer and David Harbour in a reimagining of classic series elements for a modern horror experience.
The game's availability on PS Plus may give it a second chance to shine and be appreciated by a wider audience.

The latest batch of PlayStation Plus games has recently dropped. And although it may still have some catching up to do compared to Xbox Game Pass' streak of highly-liked and well-performing titles over the last couple of months, PlayStation Plus continues to offer some great games for subscribers across a range of genres and eras. Among June's PS Plus inclusions, there is one title from last year that was a revitalization of an IP that reaches back to the early days of gaming: Alone in the Dark.

After the first few Alone in the Dark entries established (if not invented) the ideas and templates of survival horror, the latter-generation ones were thought by many to have been uneven in quality, and veered too far away from the franchises' core aspects. Following that, the series itself went dark for nearly 10 years before 2024's reimagining. However, it fell victim to failing to meet publisher expectations, leading to the closure of its developer. Now that it's available on PS Plus, though, this could give Alone in the Dark (2024) another chance to be noticed and appreciated.

The other games released on PS Plus for June 2025 are NBA 2K25 and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.

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By Ollie Tuscarny

Alone in the Dark Hitting PlayStation Plus Hopefully Gives it New Lease on Life

Alone in the Dark (2024) Suffered an Undignified and Undeserved Fate

Alone in the Dark (2024) was arguably fighting an uphill battle before it was even released. The series had lost a lot of goodwill since its heyday, and with the likes of Alan Wake 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and other high-profile horror games coming in proximity to it, combined with its comparatively subdued marketing, it's understandable why it may have been largely missed at launch. Reviews at the time were also lukewarm. Its moody atmosphere was praised along with David Harbour and Jodie Comer's turns as Edward and Emily, and it did well to present the mood and spirit of the classic games. However, some of its other aspects and mechanics were a bit rougher, and its average shorter playtime was also seen as a mark against it.

In what has unfortunately become increasingly the case within the industry, Alone in the Dark's "underperforming" sales put it on the chopping block. Within three months of the game releasing, developer Pieces Interactive was shuttered by parent company Embracer Group, which itself was still experiencing the backlash caused by a proposed substantial deal falling through in 2023. Thus, Alone in the Dark ended up lost in the shuffle and largely forgotten, its future still uncertain.

How Alone in the Dark Being on PlayStation Plus Could Give the Series a Second Wind

Reactions and sentiments around Alone in the Dark's inclusion in this month's lineup have been largely positive, with fans and users noting their interest in checking it out. Alone in the Dark dropping on PS Plus now during the late Spring/early Summer could work out more in its favor, as this is usually a time when game releases in general slow down. It's also months ahead of the traditionally crowded Halloween season, when many horror games time their own releases and more audiences are attuned to the genre.

Horror games have been going largely from strength to strength, with AAA and indies alike producing some of the best the genre has to offer in the past few years. Alone in the Dark 2024's reimagining of the iconic elements of the series provides an experience that both calls back to its roots and brings it into the modern landscape of gaming. The latest iteration may have been initially overlooked, but it being made available on the service and the reception it's received so far has a chance of giving it, and potentially the IP overall, another shot.

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