Alone in the Dark Remake: Should You Choose Edward or Emily First?

After the opening cinematic in Alone in the Dark, you must choose whether to begin as Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood.

Emily is the better first choice for most players. Her family connection to Jeremy Hartwood gives many of Derceto’s conversations and revelations more immediate context, while her seven-round pistol also reloads more quickly than Edward’s six-shot revolver.

Edward is still a worthwhile starting character if you prefer approaching the mystery as an outsider. The overall route through Derceto is broadly similar for both protagonists, but the game changes dialogue, cutscenes and parts of the story according to who you choose.

Should You Choose Emily or Edward First?

Choose Emily Hartwood first if the story is your main priority.

Jeremy is Emily’s uncle, so she arrives at Derceto with an existing connection to the Hartwood family and several of the people living there. Characters recognise her and respond to her differently, giving conversations a more personal context from the beginning.

Edward Carnby approaches the same mystery as the private investigator Emily hired to find Jeremy. He has no family history with Derceto, which makes his campaign feel more like an investigation conducted from the outside.

Neither choice gives you a completely separate campaign. Large portions of the exploration, puzzles and combat encounters are shared, but Pieces Interactive created different dialogue, cutscenes and character-specific sections for each protagonist.

The official Alone in the Dark site describes Edward and Emily as two different perspectives on Derceto, including completely different cutscenes and levels.

What Changes Between Edward and Emily?

The most noticeable differences are the way Derceto’s residents interact with each protagonist and the character-specific material later in the game.

Emily encounters conversations and scenes tied more directly to her family history. Edward receives his own responses and story material because the residents view him as an outsider investigating Jeremy’s disappearance.

Chapter 4 contains the largest structural difference. Each protagonist receives a unique sequence built around their own past rather than simply seeing a modified version of the same scene.

There are smaller differences elsewhere as well, including character-specific rooms, clues and Lagniappes.

For example, Emily can enter the Derceto morgue during her Chapter 4 storyline, while Edward follows a different route. Some collectibles also appear only during one protagonist’s playthrough, making a second run necessary if you want to complete every Lagniappe set.

Does Emily or Edward Have Better Gameplay?

The fundamental controls, puzzles and combat systems are the same for both characters, so neither protagonist provides an entirely different gameplay style.

Their starting handguns are the most obvious combat difference.

Feature	Emily Hartwood	Edward Carnby
Starting weapon	Semi-automatic pistol	Revolver
Capacity	7 rounds	6 rounds
Reload	Magazine reload	Individual rounds
Damage	Lower per shot	Higher per shot
Combat advantage	Faster reload and extra round	Stronger individual shots

Emily’s pistol is generally easier to use during the early game because all seven rounds can be replenished quickly.

Edward’s revolver holds six rounds and reloads them individually, but its shots are more powerful. That makes it more rewarding if you are comfortable making individual shots count.

The difference becomes less important as the campaign progresses because both characters gain access to the same wider selection of weapons.

I would not choose a protagonist purely for combat. The narrative and Chapter 4 differences matter considerably more over an entire playthrough than the starting handgun.

Do You Need to Play as Both Edward and Emily?

Yes, if you want to experience everything Alone in the Dark has to offer.

THQ Nordic has stated that experiencing the whole story requires at least two playthroughs, one as Edward and another as Emily.

A second playthrough gives you:

• Different dialogue and NPC reactions.
• Different cutscenes.
• A character-specific section in Chapter 4.
• Character-exclusive clues and Lagniappes.
• Different standard and secret ending possibilities.

The two campaigns still share much of Derceto, so do not expect a Resident Evil 2-style pair of substantially separate scenarios. The value comes from seeing the same mystery interpreted from another perspective and reaching the sections that are genuinely character-specific.

How Do Lagniappes Affect Your Character Choice?

Lagniappes are collectible objects grouped into themed sets, and some cannot be collected with the same protagonist.

That makes playing both Edward and Emily important for anyone aiming to complete the collection.

More importantly, several specific Lagniappe sets unlock secret objectives connected to alternative endings. These include character-specific requirements, so collecting Lagniappes across both playthroughs reveals content that cannot be accessed simply by completing the main story once.

There is not one universal “true ending” obtained by collecting every Lagniappe. Edward and Emily each have their standard outcome, character-specific alternative endings exist, and another secret ending can be triggered through a separate Lagniappe set.

If this is your first playthrough, I would concentrate on the story and collect whatever you naturally find rather than worrying about forcing every ending immediately.

Should Your Second Playthrough Use New Game+?

New Game+ is a particularly good option if you choose to return as the other protagonist after finishing the game once.

THQ Nordic added New Game+ in May 2024. It starts you with all weapons unlocked but also changes the balance with more and tougher enemies, additional gameplay events and scares, and an alternative introduction.

That means your Edward and Emily runs can differ in two ways at once: you see the other protagonist’s story material while New Game+ changes parts of the combat experience.

If you mainly want to see the other character’s scenes without increasing the challenge, however, a normal second playthrough is perfectly reasonable.

Edward vs Emily Differences At a Glance

Feature	Emily Hartwood	Edward Carnby
Connection to Jeremy	His niece	Hired to find him
Perspective	Personal and family-driven	Investigative outsider
Starting firearm	7-round pistol	6-shot revolver
Reload	Full magazine	Round by round
Starting weapon strength	Faster handling	Higher damage
Derceto interactions	Emily-specific dialogue	Edward-specific dialogue
Chapter 4	Emily-specific story sequence	Edward-specific story sequence
Exclusive content	Character-specific locations, clues and Lagniappes	Character-specific locations, clues and Lagniappes
Ending content	Emily standard and alternative possibilities	Edward standard and alternative possibilities

Final Recommendation

There is no wrong first choice. Emily Hartwood offers the more personal introduction to Derceto, while Edward Carnby provides the stronger outsider-investigator perspective.

The more important decision is whether you plan to play the game twice. Switching protagonists is the best way to experience the character-specific scenes, conversations, collectibles and endings unavailable during your first run.