Imagine your helicopter is crashing towards a dark and dismal island.
Shadow Island. You grab your parachute and jump out, not knowing what's awaiting you when you hit the bottom. You find yourself on the roof of a house, somewhat shaken and bruised, struggling to stay calm as the rain pours down. Or... you shake the dirt off to find you've crash landed in some spooky woods, with an ominous mansion in the distance. You've just experienced the first few minutes of
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare where you can begin your game as either Aline Cedrac, the lovely young foreign languages expert who's come to help translate a set of ancient tablets, or as Edward Carnby, an investigator trying to find out what happened to his friend who was last seen heading to Shadow Island. Aline's road is much harder, as she starts off somewhat injured and with no weapon. However, on the upside, she doesn't have to fight her way to the house as she lands on top of it. Carnby, on the other hand, has a gun that is somewhat passable, but lands in the woods surrounding the manor. I played my game through to the end as Edward and have started a game as Aline, and being Aline is considerably more difficult.
Your journey as one of the two will lead you through the spooky Morton mansion, with shadowy ghoulies jumping out at you around many a corner. Yes, the requisite zombies are here. The good news is these take 3 shots with the trusty shotgun and they are done for. None of that getting back up business. There are hell hounds as well, and the first time one came at me, I screamed and frightened my own dog who was sitting next to me. Actually, I think he just thought I was crazy, but whatever. Edward's game is more action oriented while Aline's is more puzzle based, so you can choose according to your preference. I recommend starting as Edward, as this helps to make Aline's story make more sense when you play as her. Personally, I really enjoyed the whole Alone in the Dark experience so much that I want to play through Aline's story until the end too.
Along the way you'll also traverse a gloomy swamp, a dungeon-like laboratory and the World of Darkness (cue the ominous soundtrack), among other things. A fort is mentioned and Edward is even allowed to sneak a peek of it through a telescope, but doesn't get to go there. Aline does, however, so play as both characters to get everything you can out of the game. Occasionally, the paths of Edward and Aline cross to further the storyline along, but its not very often. They provide hints and things to one another from time to time via the walkie-talkies you both have, so its not a bad idea to keep in touch if you are stuck. Of course, sometimes Aline just derides Edward or whines about needing to be rescued (but that's only in the beginning before the flirting starts).
There aren't many weapons to be had in AITD, but they aren't hidden very well, so you should easily be able to find what you need during the normal course of the game. As Edward, I found that they were provided right when needed, and I rarely stressed over a lack of ammo. When my ammo ran out, I magically found the Lightning Gun, which was perfect for the level I was entering. And so on. As Aline, its not quite as easy, but then again, you don't run into as many baddies either and she is smaller, so dodging enemies is easier.