Oil Lamp

Oil Lamp
Item information
Type	Item
Use(s)	pour oil on ground (JITD) light up darkness (AITD1+3)
Location(s)	The Loft (AITD1) The Little Shop (JITD) Saloon (AITD3)
Game information
Appears in	Alone in the Dark (1992) Jack in the Dark Alone in the Dark 3

The Oil Lamp is an item in Alone in the Dark (1992), Jack in the Dark and Alone in the Dark 3.

Description

Alone in the Dark (1992)

The lamp is found in the Loft, where the game begins, sitting on the table next to the protagonist. When used, the protagonist will hold it in their hand while walking and is unequipped if the player equips a weapon or activates an action. The lamp needs to be refilled with oil and lit by matches or a lighter and slowly degrades when the player equips it. Falling in shallow water extinguishes the lamp, making it necessary to refill and light it again.

The lamp can be dropped in the ground to illuminate the surroundings and allow the player to fight enemies or interact with the environment. It is used as a weapon when thrown at Pregzt at the end of the game.

Jack in the Dark

The Oil Lamp is an item found in The Little Shop that is used to defeat Indrani de Bali. The lamp can be found behind the counter, lying on the ground. It bears similarities to a classic Persian oil lamp from Aladdin.

When Indrani de Bali awakens and walks towards Grace, she will emit her noise to scare her. When she does, Use the oil lamp. Grace will create an oil slick underneath Indrani, and the puppet will slip, defeating it.

Alone in the Dark 3

It is used to illuminate dark places and allow Carnby to see through the pitch-black darkness. The oil lamp comes as two objects, first as an "An unlit lamp" that changes to "A lit lamp" when kindled with oil and matches.

The lamp is obtained after using a token in the Saloon piano or when Carnby falls into the saloon's cellar without having inserted the token in the piano. By using the oil can and a box of matches, the unlit lamp changes to "A lit lamp" in the inventory. Carnby keeps the Oil Lamp in his possession until he eventually loses it after making progress, or until the player drops it. After reaching the cave beneath the saloon, the lamp needs to be rekindled with the matches. The bats in the cave are attracted to it and may attack Carnby. In this stage, the lamp is no longer necessary and can be dropped to distract the bats.

Notes

• If the oil can and box of matches are not acquired before heading to the saloon's cellar, the player will get stuck and be unable to make progress. Same goes for the cave beneath the Saloon if the lamp or matches are dropped beforehand.

Trivia

• In the first edition of The Mystery Examiner released with the first Alone in the Dark, there is an advertising for the oil lamp, called Lux Wonderlamp.
• The oil lamp is the most iconic object in the franchise, appearing in all the cover arts of the original 90's trilogy. However, Carnby never uses one in Alone in the Dark 2 nor is seen holding it in Alone in the Dark 3 during gameplay.
• In Alone in the Dark 2, an oil lamp can be found in the attic of the mansion in Hell's Kitchen as a background prop. And a lamp can be seen on a table in the Morton Manor Lobby in Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare as a subtle homage to the original trilogy. It also appears as a prop to guide the player in Alone in the Dark (2024).
• In the horror game The Evil Within, Sebastian wields an oil lamp that bears a striking resemblance to the one in the Alone in the Dark cover arts.