A man walked into a room. Within the room was a computer and alongside it a keyboard. There were all sorts of symbols on this board, and with these symbols the man could create words. He could write stories, convey ideas to people, and tell them how he truly felt. Words transformed to sentences, sentences to paragraphs, and eventually explanations. These words of power meant a lot to the man. He could feel free. As if what he said truly mattered for once. The man didn’t aim to be a writer, not even the greatest in the world. He wrote anyway, because it brought him joy and allowed him to escape reality. The days went by and then came the end of the fifth year. The year that showed him how far he got. The journey and processes he went through and where the man stood now. The man was tired and beaten from all that stood above him. Weighted down by the burdens of the world. Yet he continued to write, because it allowed him to escape just for a little longer. Feeling happy with what he had done. Publishing his final report of the year. Logging off and seeing what the new year brings. Walking into the dark. Brave and unafraid.
I’ve been writing video game reviews for five years now. Not as a job, but as a passion. To give myself reason and goals to strive for. To create this self sense of purpose, but in doing so it made life a tad bit harder to manage. It wasn’t terrible, but reality lurked over my shoulders. I need to buckle up for what is to come. You might not see me publish as many reviews in the future, but I don’t plan to fully abandon my work. I’ll write about the games I truly care about and share to whomever reads the articles why gaming is still amazing. Why I cling onto the hope that life can get better and that there are things to look forward to in this chaotic mess of a world we roam in. What better way to end the year than talking about a game about writing. A game that I’ve been wanting to play for a year now and finally got around thanks to a physical release. I know that’s a stupid reason as to why not to check out a game sooner, but for a title as big as this I’d like to see it on my shelf. A case containing the adventure I went on and look back at. The game I’m talking about of course is Alan Wake 2. Sequel to the cult classic horror game from 2010 developed by Remedy Entertainment. The same folks who brought innovative narrative driven action titles like Max Payne and Control. We all knew Alan Wake 2 would eventually happen. The first game had a cliffhanger so it was on Remedy’s plan. The time it took to make it though was astounding.
Alan Wake 2 originally began development after the success of the first game. It would follow up the events of the first game and push the boundaries of what Remedy could achieve. They even got a prototype up and running, but sadly they weren’t pleased with the direction the sequel was going. The work they had so far would transform into Quantum Break, and sadly their next big release wasn’t as good as they hoped. Remedy had been working for Microsoft for seven years now and decided to break off. Function by themselves and to prove they could do just that they made Control. A test to see if a together, more focused, and smaller budget game could stand up alongside the grand work they’ve made before. While not nearly as successful as Alan Wake the new game was still a hit. Being nominated for multiple awards in 2019 and considered one of the studios’ most creative pieces of work. Some expansions would be released for Control, three to be exact, with the third one being labeled AWE. The word spells ‘awe’ as if to say you’ll be in awe from all we’ve made. What Remedy fans did not expect was for the expansion to be a teaser. A connection to one of the greatest games from nearly a decade ago. Alan Wake was returning, and a proper sequel was finally in the works. Remedy was buckling up and strived to create one of their most ambitious titles yet.
A few delays and Alan Wake 2 released during October of 2023. Earlier that year we received the remakes of Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, and indie titles like Amnesia: The Bunker and the System Shock remake. Alan Wake 2, a sequel to a game some have forgotten about, had a lot to compete against. Two of which are icons of the survival horror genre. How would Alan Wake 2 stack up against these behemoths. Well thankfully it held up, and in some cases it was more than what we’d have hoped. Alan Wake 2 is one of the highest rated games of 2023, and second most awarded game behind Baldur’s Gate 3. It set new highs for the genre, and while it may not have pleased everyone it certainly achieved something special. There’s a reason why people still talk about this game more than a year after it was released. It’s weird in all the right ways. A work of art that can sit in a museum and be interpreted in numerous ways. It is one of two games I know that is actually about the making of art. The thought process and conflict that arise when trying to make art stand out. Where your work will take you and the end of it all. Alan Wake 2 is a horror masterpiece and I’m so happy I finally got to play it. I love this game. It’s my favorite work of horror since Bloodborne. I won’t say it’s perfect, but for every fault it has it makes up for it in another way. From its cool gameplay ideas, how the story unfolds, atmosphere, etc. Today we’re going to be talking about why Alan Wake 2 is incredible, and why it deserves your attention.
Story
It’s been thirteen years since the famous writer Alan Wake went missing, and nobody knows how exactly it all happened. All they know is that he went to a town named Bright Falls, something happened, and the only person who seems to know a little bit about the disappearance was his wife. Even she couldn’t fully recall or understand the incident. Thirteen years have passed and a new mystery has arisen. The body of an FBI agent named Nightingale has popped out of the blue and just like Alan Wake he went missing thirteen years ago. His corpse is bloated and has been tampered with by a mysterious religious group called the Cult of The Word. The members are unknown, but they wear dear masks and speak words of a writer. A man who can alter reality and bring upon a dark age if he wishes to do so. Sounds familiar to someone we know. Two agents are sent to Bright Falls to investigate the incident, Alex Casey and Saga Anderson. Seemed like a drowning at first, but they learn of the cult and find a manuscript page while exploring. The page describes them and their actions, and the dark events that would occur going forward. Hard to believe such a paper would be simply sitting there. Knowing who they were. They could’ve just ignored the page, but Saga Anderson decided to take it in case it would be useful in the future.
They head back to the town morgue to unravel more of Nightingale’s body. Only to find that his heart is missing, but just before they could perform an autopsy he sprung back to life. Killing folks in the station and fleeing into the shadows. Uncovering more pages, Saga is directed back to the lake where the body was found, and there she faces off against a corrupted Nightingale. Taken by the demons of darkness. Traversing into a realm, an overlap, where you can’t tell if the reality we live in is being affected. Once Nightingale is defeated the storm settles down. The sky becomes clear as day and the shores of the lake disperse. From there they find a man lying in the water. Bearing a flashlight, pages, and a uniform. His name is Alan Wake, the same one who had gone missing all those years before. Saga takes him in for investigation where he recollects what the last thirteen years of his life were spent doing. Writing within a room. Trying to figure out how to escape the dark realm. Writing a story of his return only for it to be hijacked by his evil double. Now he explores the abandoned streets of the city he once lived in. Figuring out what led to the madness. How to properly escape, and who decided to alter his manuscript. Our heroes will have to face all sorts of fears and nightmares. Determine what is real and fiction. Good luck.
Gameplay
In my original Alan Wake review I discussed how the game was more of an action shooter than a survival horror game. That aiming meant nothing, ammo was provided to you sparingly, and the levels followed a linear format rather than contain exploration and puzzle solving. Alan Wake 2 is a full on survival horror game similar to that of the recent Resident Evil games and Signalis. The game contains two characters to play as, unique mechanics for each, and a variety of areas you’ll have to venture through. Saga’s story is more detective focused. Relying on exploration across different maps you’ll have to travel to, crazed combat encounters, boss fights, and pieces of evidence to collect. Both protagonists have rooms you can travel to. Mental realms that allow them to look over the information they’ve gathered, and for Saga it’s evidence. There’s a board you can link the evidence onto and by slowly connecting the dots you may figure out what to do. How to solve certain puzzles, find items you need, or progress the story as you uncover the truth to each case and who each person is. The evidence sorting process is going to require more steps than just finding things in the world. Maybe you’ll have to profile people within your little realm or save up info for later when you have more parts of the evidence board filled out.
Alan’s campaign is more different than Saga’s in that it’s more traditional to survival horror title roots. It’s less combat focused, but when there is combat it feels intense. Since you’re in a dark realm you’re always surrounded and being watched by dark figures. You never know who might want to attack you, so you gotta traverse carefully. Every area in the dark realm is connected to each other, and some routes can’t be opened up. Alan’s mental realm is a writer’s room where using different plot elements he can change scenes he comes across. Opening the way forward, different routes, or allowing him to collect glimpses of different plot elements he can use. Once you’re five hours into the game you can swap between both protagonists freely, but you will hit a point where you need to progress far enough into both stories to finish the game. Now that we know how both characters work we can discuss combat and exploration. Just like I said it’s much like the recent Resident Evil titles. You have a third person over the shoulder camera, you aim, and your fire. When guns are low on ammo you need to reload, and when you have no ammo left in your inventory you’re pretty much f*cked. That’s why it’s important to check the world and environment as you never know when a toolbox or stash will be waiting for you. Returning from the first game is the light system where enemies must be exposed to light before you can deal any damage to them. If not the bullets will just fly through. Aiming is important with headshots doing critical damage. Standing still allows your shots to be more precise and moving makes it even harder. Make every bullet count. Do not waste it by spraying it willy nilly.
As you progress further into the game you’ll uncover new guns to use. Each allows you to adapt to the situation you’re in and in some cases make certain sections easier. Are you in a tight little corridor or enemies keep running up to you? Whip out the shotgun. Enemy is at a long range and you want to get the jump on them? Pull out the crossbow or flare gun. There’s even upgrades for both characters. Saga collects manuscript shreds to upgrade guns, and Alan has words of power to gain personal perks. The game has autosaves, but you want to save often in save rooms. There you can store items in a shoebox, because you only have so much inventory space. Outside that there’s not much else for me to describe. Just learn to adapt, survive, and get closer to the truth. The nightmares creep closer and hopefully you can bring an end to the terrors.
Thoughts
So what are my overall thoughts on Alan Wake 2? I believe Alan Wake 2 is better than the first in numerous aspects and a new high point for the survival horror genre. However, your love for this game will depend on what type of player you are. Alan Wake 2 has been showered in praise, but when I look at video reviews of this game reception seems to be mixed. Some understand it as the work of art it is, and others disliked the direction Remedy went this time around. Going for a less gameplay driven experience and more narrative focused one. Alan Wake 2 is the most high budget title Remedy has made to date and easiest to get into, but with it came some caveats seen in many modern Triple A games. I understand why people may dislike Alan Wake 2, but allow me to defend certain points these folks are arguing. The first complaint being that it’s not as fun as the first game. The original Alan Wake looked like a survival horror game on the surface, but when you actually play it you quickly realize it’s a cathartic shooter. One where levels are set up in a linear fashion to get you to the goal quickly.
Aiming didn’t matter much. As long as Alan points in the direction of the enemy he lands direct hits. There was never a point where you had to have certain body parts or hold your gun steadily. Ammo was plentiful and you never had to worry about exploring to find new gear. The start of each chapter always reset you back to a pistol, and much like a classic shooter like Quake you would have to reacquire your gear as you progressed forward. It was a game format I was not expecting and didn’t mind to be honest, but looking back at it now it feels disjointed. Like we’re hopping from place to place, because for the sake of the game you need a change of scenery. It would’ve been cool if we got to explore places in Bright Falls. To wander the streets of the town or slowly trek through the vast woods in fear of what could jump out. That and the original game relied heavily on ambush, which combined with the linear level structure that always pushed you forward got repetition. Another point to remember is that video games have changed a lot since then. The first Alan Wake came out in 2010 for the Xbox 360. The era of chaotic shooters. Times were different and as developers got older their tastes changed. They matured and so did their work. It’s like the new God of War games were expecting it to be exactly like the original is a fool’s thought, and if they did make it like the original you invite a crowd of people who argue what it’s missing. The secret spice doesn’t work as well the second time, because it wore out now and you can’t just rely on nostalgia. You should allow developers to become artistic.
I saw an argument the other day where someone was praising how great Uncharted 4 is and that it’s close to being a movie. They got a lot of flack and brought up the point of the game industry is for work to be expressive. We should be open to different games and ideas, because if not the industry will stagnate. Be open to new games. Be open to different ideas of fun. Alan Wake 2 is not going to be fun for some people, but it was fun to me because I was open to its concept of fun. What it tried to do, and what it tried to do was impressive. Going back to gameplay I think it’s better because rather than being a chaotic shooter it’s full of survival horror. What I and many other people probably expected the first game to be. Resources are actually scarce, aiming matters and you want to make every bullet count. What I appreciate about Alan Wake 2 is combat is used sparingly, but when it is done it feels intense. Even a fight against a single cultist with a lead pipe feels dangerous, because again supplies are sparse and you never know when you will find more supplies. I especially love roaming the dark world in Alan’s campaign. Every enemy is a shadow lurking about, but you never know which one will attack you. Some may just waltz up to you, but won’t attack. So you have to play patiently and be aware. Shine your flashlight at them, inch towards their direction, dodge when they throw a punch, and then shine your light. You don’t want to waste flashlight charges on enemies who don’t attack. This is a good survival horror game because you’re constantly thinking about resources and what’ll kill you.
Areas are interconnected outside of Saga’s campaign where you have to fast travel between certain zones. However, it makes sense in Saga’s campaign because each zone is a different part of the county. This removes a lot of the disjointed feel I had from Alan Wake the first. Where it forcefully led you to new areas for the sake of progressing the game rather than let you naturally walk into them. It also adds some intensity and surprises as you venture to new parts of the map. Sidetracking and stumbling upon supply caches you can use. Encountering one of the many side activities that may nab you exclusive treasure like the charms Saga can equip. Uncovering new bits about the world and much more. The game lets you explore and sometimes I take my time to check the world in case I’d miss something. Alan Wake 2 as a game is stellar to me. It’s what I hoped the first game was instead. One last thing I want to note before I forget. Alan Wake 2 lets you freely swap between characters rather than forcefully switch. It’s like The Last of Us 2 where you have two protagonists, but by allowing the player to switch you let them decide how they go through the journey. They can decide whether they switch every two chapters like I did or plow through the one they like more. Some people complain this game has pacing issues which I can understand, but doing this allows the lengthy pacing to feel less noticeable and more in control of the player. Whereas The Last of Us 2 makes us go through one character’s ten hour long story before we get back to what is happening in the present.
Enough about the gameplay as I’ve shined my light on it. What other core aspects of the game are good? I’m not one for visuals, but Alan Wake 2 is the most beautiful game Remedy has ever made. With striking scenery like the Alltown America that is Bright Falls, the spiraling trees of the forest, the rainy gloom of the dark world’s New York, and sun rising above the lake water. I always stopped whenever I saw the sun rise in the distance. As if to say, “It’s the start of a new day and the nightmares will no longer harm you.” The game is also a technical achievement with how smooth transitions can be. This is truly a next gen game as it does things past titles would not be able to achieve today. I love how the world changes instantly when you alter scenes in Alan’s campaign, or the mind bending f*ckery that occurs during hellish set pieces. Hopping into your mind realms and instantly back into what you were just doing. Without having there be a loading screen for each. All of this is done without stuttering, bugs, glitches, etc. I do remember folks having issues with the PC version when Alan Wake 2 was originally released, but it’s been patched up since then and I heard it runs like a dream. I’m just gonna say right now there’s two musical set pieces in this game. One you might already know because they did a live rendition during the Game Awards of 2023. Both are amazing with the one they did in real life being one of my favorite moments in a game.
Final aspect to discuss is the story, because that’s what fans were most excited for when it came to Alan Wake 2. I love the story of this game. It can be confusing at times with not every single question being answered by the end, but that is what makes compelling horror to me. Not able to understand what is at hand and being frightened by it. Some parts of the game can be confusing if you aren’t willing to keep up with the reality swapping and altering aspects. However, I love it because it rewards people who are willing to keep up. Let the pieces fall into place or question what may or may not be. Both protagonists are compelling and despite them not being the best of individuals I still found them likable. Saga being a normal woman being wrapped up into strange problems beyond her control, and doing the best to prevent the inevitable. Alan attempts to locate the source of the madness, and realizes that some of it may in fact be his fault. Learning the fears they’ll have to overcome not to bring an end to the nightmares, but improve as on their own volition. If not that then like I said during the intro this is a story about the creation of art and the thought process. The fear of what we make, our work not being good enough, or how our work will define us. This and Lorelei and The Laser Eyes are two games that perfectly discuss what art is. That it is more than we see on the surface. The layers we can interpret.
Alan Wake 2 is a masterpiece. The only problem I have is that the upgrade system could be done better as finding the upgrades are hard. Other than that I had a blast playing this game from start to finish. I strongly recommend getting this game even if you haven’t played the first game. Even if you are not up to date there’s a quick recap discussing what happened in the first game and its expansions. This is peak survival horror and I now dub it as my all time favorite survival horror title. Go support Alan Wake 2 if you have the money to. We need more unique horror games like this rather than the dozens of remakes we somehow keep getting. Show the industry that art is valued and respected. Show them that I give Alan Wake a 10/10 for being incredible.
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