New Alone in the Dark starring David Harbour and Jodie Comer lands in October, prologue now free on Steam

In brief: If you’re old enough to remember Alone in the Dark – the MS-DOS games from the 90s, rather than the later remakes – here’s some exciting news: another remake is on its way and will be released on October 25. It stars Jodie Comer from Killing Eve and Free Guy, and Stranger Things star David Harbour. Best of all, a playable prologue is available right now on Steam.

Rather than a Dead Space-like timed demo, developer Pieces Interactive has released the entire prologue of the game, set before the main events and featuring a young girl called Grace Saunders as she wanders around a mansion.

You can grab the prologue now from Steam. The reviews are mostly positive, with some of the complaints being about the 16GB install size for around an eleven-minute experience. Seems like this is more of a scene-setting introduction that builds atmosphere; there’s no combat or anything, but there are a few jumpy moments.

Comer and Harbour play joint protagonists Emily Hartwood and private investigator Edward Carnby – both characters appeared in the original games – who are investigating a haunted countryside hospital known as Derceto Manor and Emily’s missing uncle, Jeremy Hartwood.

Developer Pieces Interactive said that the game would change based on which character players pick, with each one interpreting their journey differently, reacting to the environments in their own way, and residents of Derceto treating Hartwood and Carnby differently.

Alone in the Dark has plenty of big names attached. In addition to the Hollywood actors, it is creatively led by Mikael Hedberg, writer of horror classics Amnesia: The Dark Descent and the brilliant SOMA. It also has creature designs from Guillermo Del Toro’s collaborator Guy Davis.

The game has the usual puzzle elements found in survival horror games, and promises intense and tough combat where players will need to use every bullet they can find. There are also melee and throwable weapons for when ammo is in short supply.

There are a number of free (full) games available right now. Fallout: New Vegas is gratis on the Epic Games Store, while strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War is free on Steam.