Atari's Todd Slepian, North American producer behind the upcoming survival horror from Eden Games, Alone in the Dark (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PC), made another blog post to whet our appetite. This time, we learn more about the recipe devs tried to follow which resulted in a game broken down into episodes.

According to Slepian, TV shows played a major role in deciding how to present Alone in the Dark. Turns out Eden Games wanted to follow the formula of compelling TV series such as Lost, Prison Break, and 24.

Character development, storyline, plot twists, and cliffhangers were cited as the elements Alone in the Dark adopted for effective episodes players can enjoy one at a time. To quote Slepian:

Each episode is distinctive and can stand on its on as a fully playable experience yet it also ties in to the overall story arc of Alone in the Dark and contributes to the ultimate unraveling of the earth-shattering secret that lies beneath New York City’s Central Park

If we look at research, as Atari's producer pointed out, this setup is ideal. It is believed that only 20% of gamers play through the end, so giving them smaller stand-alone slices means they can appreciate the essence of Alone in the Dark without having to complete the game.

Buy: [ Alone in the Dark (Windows), (Wii), (Xbox 360) ]