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The actual grandfather of survival horror, four years before Resident Evil existed.
Alone in the Dark, released by Infogrames in 1992, created the survival horror genre before the term existed. Set in a haunted Louisiana mansion called Derceto, it used fixed camera angles, 3D polygon characters over pre-rendered backgrounds, limited combat resources, and puzzle-solving in ways that Resident Evil would later popularize to a wider audience. The Lovecraftian atmosphere, the feeling of being underpowered against supernatural threats, and the emphasis on exploration over combat all originated here. It was technically groundbreaking for 1992, rendering 3D characters in real time when most games were still using sprites.
Example
The very first room presents a test: a monster crashes through the window if you do not push a wardrobe to block it in time. This taught players immediately that Alone in the Dark rewarded thinking over fighting.
Why it matters
Alone in the Dark invented the survival horror genre. Fixed cameras, resource scarcity, puzzle-driven exploration, and atmospheric dread all started here. Resident Evil refined the formula, but Infogrames drew the original blueprint.
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