Alone in the Dark 3: Unexpected Returns

Naturally, Carnby loses it

It occurred to me after last time that I never used the whip directly on the machine, just from a distance where I thought it was originally. That works. No new enemies. It leads to a room with a flask and some more Winchester bullets. No way forward, except a board in the air. Doesn't lead anywhere, but I guess I go down. Seems like this could be hairy, better save.

This looks much worse in pictures than it does in motion

Oh, Carnby leaps across using the board. Cool. Glad I don't have to do anymore jumping puzzles. That was the worst aspect of the first game. And I'm in a new place. The upper floor of the saloon. Naturally, the doors are locked. There is a map here, but I don't really need that.

If that is Emily, I see she's headed for a Calamity Jane kind of role

A zombie? Umm...is that Emily? And this door is locked too...and I can't cross that, can I? There's a costume jewelry ring here. I can use it, but that just gets me the ring and the jewelry. I try everything I've discovered from before. The gatling gun is jammed, but the rest of my guns work. They don't open the doors, and neither does punching, searching or pushing them. The pit trap is a death scene and there's nothing to walk over. But wait a minute...what about these lamps? Maybe I push them? No, I light them. And wouldn't you know it, one of the doors open up.

In case you're just joining the franchise, this is what taking an item looks like

A news article about the Arizona Kid, who was shot in the back by Fast Jarrett. Apparently he haunts where he died during the vulture's song. And then the ghost enters a painting of him in blood, and he can be followed. Flavor, or hint?

Its exactly as crazy as it looks

After continuing deeper, I am accosted by someone I presume to be the Kid. Ah, the clock has a vulture alarm. Only, the picture isn't in blood, and I have no way of making it bloody. I missed a lamp and a door last time, so I better reload.

The other end of the portrait

A shadowy figure appears and Carnby can't move. Another instakill? No, its a hint, the amulet allows me to survive death. Or the amulet allows one to survive death, maybe it isn't the amulet I have. If it is, its only going to activate in a cutscene. I try the Kid again. But I notice something is in him. So I pick it up. Its a night valet. What is a night valet? Its something you put clothes on while you dress. Which leaves another question. WHAT? Is this a troll move?

Mirror, mirror, upon the wall...

Anyway, after some time, I figure out that the solution is to try feeding the vulture. Doesn't really make any sense, but trying to shoot the Kid in the back doesn't work. This causes the vulture to slump over and the Kid to return to his painting. I also get a token. I follow. The room the painting leads to is a seemingly normal but nice room. Some exploring grants me a 30/30 bullet, a bulb and a pearl. Bringing me up to 19 items. I don't have a bullet, but one of the wanted posters said the kung fu prisoner escaped by punching a 30/30 bullet in a lock.

I feel like there's an album with this cover somewhere

This leads directly into the room I couldn't reach thanks to the hole in the floor. Unfortunately it seems there's not much there. The items in the last room do nothing on this door and my previous items have no effect either. After extensively looking around here and in the last room, I don't discover anything. So I once again resort to a walkthrough. Wouldn't you know it, but I have to push the mirror, after searching it, and search the exact right spot on the bed to get an arrow and then use it somewhere else. That gets me the picture I walked out of changing into another picture. This unlocks the door that locked when I went into the vulture room. Yeah, that makes sense.

Carnby, feeding his raging alcoholism

The key opens a door back in the main hallway. I'm hating this section because the pit is really easy to fall down, from either end of it. Inside, another healing flask (now I'm up to 98 HP) and a diary. Written by Emily, if I'm not mistaken. A source of humor if not hints. Emily's costar, Billy Silver, demanded to be paid in gold ingots. Which if you know your classic Hollywood, is not unusual. And my complaint about the crack is apparently pointless...since an earthquake produced it. Which ties into some said off-hand on the radio in the intro.
The diary implies that whatever ghosts were around got summoned when the earthquake happened. She and a gunsmith named Morrison are the only survivors. What happened? Who knows. But I do know its kind of hard to take Emily seriously since her accent is bizarre. Originally she had a southern one in the original, but here it sounds like someone trying to affect a midwestern accent and failing horribly.

Well, its cool-looking at least

The next part continues to elude me. From here I can go out unto the balcony, and there are many closed shutters here. None of which I can enter. I get shot at whenever I cross one. Nothing I do seems to work once again. The usual methods, pushing, opening, shooting. Walkthrough says put diamond in dragon's eye...in Emily's room. There's no indication you can do anything with that, unless you walk right against it. That just gets me a box of ammo. Now what? Use clothes horse [night valet] near shutter and a monster will walk out.

I suppose the cover on the ground is a hint

After some considerable fiddling, and getting shot at, I put it down where the game wants me to. Guy fires a couple of times, walks out, falls down. I push over the shutter to walk over it. Now, this is a clever puzzle, using an item that is in theory completely useless. It makes sense, since he thinks he's still attacking you. But, I can't see how you'd ever figure that out. With the game's fiddly detection and the sheer off-the-wall nature of the puzzle it seems unreasonably hard.

What is it with '20s games and their obsession with photography equipment?

The room he was guarding has some interesting items in it. I'm apparently going to bit a camera, as I now have the stuff to build a flash. Why do I need this? I'm sure there's going to be some inane reason. I get another key too. Lots of things for essentially opening another locked door. Curiously, there's a photo of the gangsters from last game.

What, Alone in the Dark's actually going for scary now?

The door it opens leads me to this thing. Umm...wasn't expecting that. This is pretty creepy. What isn't creepy is running around the room trying to make sure you aren't missing something. There's an oil can, which I can use on the lamp I have...but nothing else. But then I remember there was a piano earlier, and I could use a token on that.

And every rhyme is worse than the last/I'll be glad when this part's in the past

More backstory, there's something better than gold underneath the town, so they bring in a bunch of prisoners to dig into the town. The game doesn't tell me what just yet, but its pretty clear it isn't anything good, since they're all ghosts...and that thing. I can't kill it, and I don't really see anything that the piano opened. Which means more fun exploring around for me.

This Session: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes