Alone in the Dark Prologue (internally known as Grace in the Dark) is a playable teaser developed by Pieces Interactive and published by THQ Nordic. The teaser consists of a prologue chapter of Alone in the Dark, introducing the themes, gameplay and settings of the upcoming game.
Set in Derceto Manor, a home for the mentally fatigued deep in the American south, the Alone in the Dark Prologue follows 11-year-old girl Grace Saunders helping Jeremy Hartwood send a letter to his niece[1], when things go terribly wrong.
Plot[]
Grace is making a paper mache mask out of what seems to be a manuscript when she hears a loud noise from a room outside, she goes to investigate. Inside the room, she finds a paranoid Jeremy Hartwood asking her if she is "one of them" and babbling that he needs to send a letter to his niece but is afraid that it could get intercepted by Mr. Waites. Grace helps him make the letter look like it isn't his own, filling the letter with her writing. When turning to ask for a number, Grace notices Jeremy's gone, so she goes to post the letter herself.
On her way to the Clerk's Office to post the letter, the Stair Hall changes right in front of her eyes, with an eclipse outside the window, and the whole manor looking changed, as if it was abandoned and taken by the elements. She goes down the stairs and is surprised by a creature that jumps after her, to avoid it, Grace pushes a stuffed bear into the water to use as a "bridge", and as she gets to the other side, she notices more of those creatures coming to her, so she runs to the Waiting Room and shuts the door behind her, evading the monsters.
She crawls through a small window to Mr. Waites' office to post the letter, and as she leaves it on the table, she hears a noise in the dark, she ignores it. As Grace turns her back, a giant creature emerges from the shadows and plunges at Grace, the screen turns to black.
A car comes towards Derceto, with Emily Hartwood staring at the letter sent to her by Grace. She leaves the car with private investigator Edward Carnby, both of them finding the Manor strangely familiar. With no time to waste, they go in to find Jeremy Hartwood, and the scene fades out.
System Requirements[]
Minimum:[]
- OS: Windows 10, 64 bit
- Processor: Intel Core i5- 8400; AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 8GB; AMD Radeon RX 570 8GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 20 GB available space
Recommended[]
- OS: Windows 10, 64 bit
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K; AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 2060 8GB; AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 20 GB available space
Gallery[]
Release Trailer[]
Screenshots[]
Trivia[]
- The Prologue is an homage to Jack in the Dark, that in turn is a playable teaser for Alone in the Dark 2 where you play as Grace Saunders in events prior to her main story, which is also the reason for the game to be known as Grace in the Dark.[2] It even features a Jack-in-the-Box that can be played with, referencing the eponymous character from the game.
- Grace in the Dark is the second game in the series to be named after a character. Even though the playable teaser is officially named Alone in the Dark Prologue, Grace's name is featured in the logo.
- The manuscript that Grace uses to make the paper mask seems to consist of the story from the first Alone in the Dark, in which Jeremy Hartwood hung himself in the attic.
- The paper mask made by Grace Saunders is based on the classic Edward Carnby's head, replicating his hairline and hair color, Grace even mentions that she intends to "paint a big mustache in it."
- The rocking horse from the attic in Alone in the Dark (1992) makes a return. If Grace touches the horse, it will rock back and forth just like in the first game.
- The teddy bear from Jack in the Dark and Alone in the Dark 2 also makes a return, however it can't be interacted with.
- The letter sent to Emily Hartwood has a stamp revealing that it was posted on June 21st 1930.
- The Prologue is the game with the least items in the series, having only one key used to open a door.