Overview

The success of Alone in the Dark made a sequel inevitable and it arrived just over a year later. But Alone in the Dark 2 de-emphasised the horror aspects of the original — focusing on pirates rather than monsters — and thus its music was entirely different. For unknown reasons, Philippe Vachey was replaced by Jean-Luc Escalant, whose background was as a guitarist in bands. Escalant focused on conveying fun and adventure with a guitar-laced Irish-themed soundtrack. Like its predecessor, while the PC version featured a MIDI soundtrack, the 3DO version allowed 30 minutes of CD quality tracks to be streamed as redbook audio. Website GOG.com recently released a downloadable trilogy of the first three games in the Alone in the Dark series. Among the bonus goodies of this generously priced release were the soundtracks for each of the three games.

Body

The introduction theme immediately reflects the shift in musical approach for Alone in the Dark 2. The track establishes the Christmas Eve setting with a homage to Jingle Bells, before developing into a moody theme highlighting a lyrical melody. This melody is much more attractive than Vachey's — largely because it was inspired by pop music rather than avant-garde experiments — but it wasn't intended to create the same suspense. Moving from orchestral imitatations to small ensemble, the instrumentation — whether arpeggiated piano chords, subdued choral parts, or cool guitar underlays — also emphasise accessibility above atmosphere. This modest melodic approach to music production was certainly a technological advantage, given it was much easier to preserve the original intentions of the music on PC MIDI. However, the psychological effect of the music was lost by making it more pleasing to mainstream listeners.

As players delve into the exploration, the background music for exploring the mansion generally emphasises fun above atmosphere. "Getting into Action" throws ambient underscore and symphonic imitations out of the window in favour of a light rock theme ideal for head-nodding. The ominous bass grooves of "Silent Steps" are a fitting echo to footsteps, but the pizzicato strings and Christmas references that eventually emerge are more comical than horrifying. "Pitch Black" and "Investigations" are among the most ambient additions here, but even these are filled with upbeat rhythms and jazz flavours. Only "Caution" and "Final Confrontation" feature the dense orchestral sounds associated with the original game. While Escalant's approach is a radical departure from Vachey's, it reflects that he had a very different view of the game: a fun pirate-themed adventure game, rather than a cinematic horror experience filled with monsters. For his pieces to have been approved, the developers must have partly shared his vision and wanted the title to have a mainstream appeal.

To fit the pirates theme, Escalant has stated that he was particularly inspired by Irish music when producing this soundtrack. While folksy undertones run throughout most of the tracks here, the Irish influence is most pronounced in brief carnival-esque jigs such as "Naughty Girl" and "Carnby's Execution". While these sound like they could belong in a Monkey Island game, they're a decent fit to the gameplay for those that can tolerate comical ditties. "Furtive" and "Courage" are more impressive examples of the Irish influence on the soundtrack. While Escalant wasn't able to obtain the budget to stream live recordings, the 3DO version features especially convincing synthesis of instruments such as the accordion and tin whistle. More country-influenced additions, such as "Don't Despair" and "Loneliness", emphasise guitar leads — the instrument that Escalant is most skilled with. The authentic effect is obviously lost on PC MIDI, so the 3DO soundtrack featured on the GOG.com release is a far more fulfilling listen.

Summary

Escalant's light-hearted approach to Alone in the Dark 2's soundtrack is the primary reason why the game was less affecting than the original. Yet the shift generally complemented the pirate adventure and gave the game a wider appeal. Aided by his background as a guitarist, Escalant offers plenty of interesting stylings and memorable melodies to entertain listeners even on a stand-alone. And while hardly a pioneering or elaborate score, the 3DO soundtrack is particularly well-implemented and fully realises the potential of the original compositions. Overall, a different but not necessarily inferior soundtrack to its predecessor.