I could have had this Alan Wake 2 review online earlier, but finishing the horror game took a bit longer due to two reasons. The first reason: the unbelievably intense, terrifying atmosphere, crafted so artistically by developer Remedy, often required me to take a breather to gather my courage. The second reason: I wanted to savor this masterpiece for a longer duration.
(This review doesn’t contain spoilers for Alan Wake 2, but does contain them for the first Alan Wake)
Alan Wake 2 follows the intertwined journey of two protagonists: bestselling writer Alan Wake and FBI agent Saga Anderson. The first installment, released in 2010, showcased Alan Wake’s ability to alter reality through his writing. During a vacation with his wife Alice in the picturesque Bright Falls, elements from Alan Wake’s latest thriller novel ‘Departure’ come to life. Dark, shadowy, hostile figures called ‘Taken‘ emerge, vulnerable only in light.
As the darkness spreads, it manages to capture Alan’s wife Alice as well. Long story short: by the end, Alan sacrifices himself to save his wife from the darkness but becomes trapped in The Dark Place, a mysterious dimension where the Taken and The Dark Presence originate.
Alan Wake 2 takes place 13 years later, with our unfortunate writer still trapped in The Dark Place. Meanwhile, FBI agent Saga Anderson, along with her partner Alex Casey, is assigned to a gruesome murder case that leads her to Bright Falls. From there, her path intriguingly and mysteriously starts to intertwine with that of the titular character.
Starting the Adventure With…Detailed Buttocks
Following Remedy’s advice, I start the game in quality mode. Since the performance mode emerged, and 60 FPS has become the norm, I’ve struggled to revert to 30 FPS. But the developer states that the game was designed with quality mode in mind, and who am I not to heed their advice?
And truth be told, quality mode lives up to its name. The visuals are stunning. The bare man’s buttocks that appears on my screen within the first second shines in all its sharp, finely detailed glory. I didn’t expect to begin the adventure in this way, but it turns out to be far from the last surprise that Remedy conjures up.
An Artstyle Which Kind of Reminded Me of Red Dead Redemption 2
I have plenty of positive things to say about Alan Wake 2, and the graphics are undoubtedly high on my list. The way light filters through trees, illuminating the beautifully crafted environments with an orange glow, is reminiscent of a painting. At certain moments, it reminded me a bit of the art style of Red Dead Redemption 2, and that’s high praise.
But also rain-soaked streets look magnificent. Streets that, by the way, aren’t pristine like many other games but are sometimes littered with debris. Mist that blankets certain areas, adding an even more mysterious and ominous vibe. And of course, the character models themselves, almost photorealistic. Honestly, everything that appears on your screen throughout the gameplay of Alan Wake 2 looks detailed and distinctive.
Alan Wake 2 Deserves to Win in the Best Audio Design Category
Baldur’s Gate 3 will undoubtedly (rightfully) claim the Game of the Year 2023 award. But Alan Wake 2 deserves to win the Best Audio Design award, because the sound effects are bloody brilliant. Rarely have I played a game so rich in atmosphere, and much of it is owed to the sound. I highly recommend experiencing Alan Wake 2 with a good pair of headphones, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in every meticulously crafted sound. It’s abundantly clear how this significantly contributes to the game’s tension.
Even the quieter moments in the game brim with suspense. I remained constantly on edge, anticipating what might come my way. However, Alan Wake 2 isn’t primarily combat-heavy, so my concerns were often not even necessary in the end. It’s almost an art to witness how adept Remedy is at building suspense and instilling fear, without relying on throwing a stream of bloodthirsty enemies your way.
Because despite the presence of those bloodthirsty foes, it’s simple things like creaking hinges, rattling shutters, leaking pipes, and a subtly ominous background tune that consistently kept me on the edge of my seat.
Moreover, Remedy graciously incorporated occasional cheap jump scares in the form of a large, distorted face that screams for a split second on the screen. Despite being a cheap tactic, the developers are forgiven because they continuously demonstrate alternative ways to generate fear. These jump scares also manage to keep players constantly vigilant, knowing another one could strike at any moment. And every time one of those distorted faces appeared on my screen, my heart skipped several beats.
The voice actors also deliver commendable performances. Matthew Porretta’s voice as Alan Wake feels familiar and convincing again, while newcomer Melanie Liburd quickly won me over as Saga Anderson. Both possess pleasant voices to listen to. There are more challenging jobs for voice actors than the script of Alan Wake 2 though. For instance, earlier this year in Final Fantasy XVI, where actors had to convey much more emotion for their roles and astounded me with their performances. In this case, it’s slightly less intense, but the roles are more than aptly filled.
Alan Wake’s Gameplay
Both protagonists navigate through different realities, each equipped with their own unique gameplay elements.
As mentioned, Alan Wake remains in The Dark Place. And the name describes it quite literally; it’s a dark world filled with shadowy ‘Taken’. What’s especially interesting is that, unlike in the first Alan Wake, not every figure attacks you. Some Taken move calmly, addressing you (for example, with a kind of disturbing “ALAN WAKE?!”) but leave you alone, dissipating when you walk through them or shine your flashlight over them. Others, though, move towards you, accelerate, and engage in combat. To defeat a Taken, you need to first burn away their darkness shield with your flashlight. Then you can follow up by attacking them with your preferred weapon.
Alan Wake 2 doesn’t quite reinvent the wheel when it comes to combat. You can dodge attacks, shine your flashlight, and pull the trigger of your weapon. There isn’t much more to it. One of the few innovations is that Taken now have visible weak points, but I haven’t figured out whether shooting these spots is significantly more effective than just going for the good old headshots.
I found the flashlight mechanic actually slightly less appealing than in the first game. In the first game, you held a button down to gradually burn away the darkness shield from your opponent. This shield had its own separate health bar. In the second game, you press a button and wait for an animation to show the shield being removed. It feels somewhat less dynamic and interactive compared to the mechanics in the first game.
The combat can be somewhat clunky. At times, your maneuvering space is quite limited, leading to instances where you take damage because you’re brushing against the boundaries of your environment. Alan Wake 2 doesn’t rely heavily on combat, and that’s fine. You don’t find yourself in a fight every few minutes, so I wasn’t particularly bothered by it. An added advantage of fewer combat encounters is that when combat does occur, the tension is immediate and it doesn’t feel like just another chore. Still, the combat is one of the few things which could have been better and more fluent.
During fights, you must consider not only the ammunition for your weapons but also the batteries for your flashlight. You need to be conservative with them, meaning you can’t just shine your light on every Taken to see if they’ll actually disappear. Thus, you’re often compelled to navigate through The Dark Place, amidst all these shadowy figures, unsure if any of them might suddenly decide to attack you. This leads to the feeling of constantly being watched and threatened, even when the Taken sometimes just mind their own business.
By turning off your flashlight entirely, you can attempt to sneak past the figures stealthily. Success, however, is far from guaranteed. And do you really want to make The Dark Place even darker?
Another unique aspect of Alan Wake’s gameplay is his ‘Writer’s Room‘. By pressing the controller’s touchpad, you can dive into the writer’s room at any moment. Alan Wake can use this to ‘rewrite’ certain aspects of his environment in specific places. Discovering elements within The Dark Place allows you to apply certain plot points in predetermined scenes. Is a train blocking your path? Rewrite the scene to another moment in the timeline, and watch as the train suddenly disappears. Careful though, because it may have been replaced by something more scary or gruesome.
This mechanic also allows you to invest extra time in exploration. Some collectibles, for instance, are only accessible when specific plot points are applied in a scene. It’s a cool and original gimmick that showcases and guides you through the beautiful levels in various ways. Simultaneously, it introduces a puzzle element, helping to keep the gameplay diverse.
By gathering so-called ‘Words of Power‘, Alan Wake can also receive certain benefits, such as an expanded inventory, increased health, or an extra effective last bullet in his revolver chamber. These Words of Power can be found by keeping your eyes open in The Dark Place. Under the light of your flashlight, graffiti arrows appear in certain spots, guiding you to these upgrades.
Saga Anderson’s Gameplay
Fans aren’t always thrilled when a former protagonist is suddenly no longer the sole focus of a new game. It’s a bold choice that Alan Wake himself is not playable half of the sequel’s run time. There’s a significant risk that players might not be interested in the story or gameplay of the newly introduced character.
Fortunately, this isn’t the case in Alan Wake 2. On the contrary. Personally, I found the gameplay of Saga Anderson more engaging than that of everyone’s favorite writer. While Alan has his Writer’s Room, Saga has her ‘Mind Place’. You can press the controller’s touchpad at any time to enter the agent’s ‘mind’. Here, you can reread manuscript pages left by Alan, upgrade skills, but most importantly, view your case board.
As you play as Saga, you collect clues. Whether it’s from analyzing a victim, spotting a specific email on a computer, or from a conversation with a witness, all gathered clues are stored in your mind place. You then link these clues to logical connections on the case board. It’s relatively easy to match which clue fits where on the board, so you don’t have to strain your brain too much. However, for players who would welcome more detective-style games, like yours truly, it’s a cool gameplay element that made playing as Saga all the more engaging.
As Saga, you explore the more familiar world. Her story doesn’t unfold in The Dark Place but presents you with fantastic settings like an abandoned amusement park (always creepy) and a nursery home. Combat functions essentially the same way; you face enemies using a flashlight and follow up with a weapon. Here, you’re not combating the shadowy figures tormenting Alan, but primarily members of the mysterious Cult of the Tree. These cultists conceal themselves behind deer masks, which is exactly as creepy as it sounds.
Instead of hunting for Words of Power, Saga needs to find Manuscript Fragments to upgrade her skills. You discover these hidden in lunchboxes scattered throughout the environments. You can also find manuscripts written by Alan. These sometimes predict future events, providing intriguing foreshadowing. Their occasional function as handy warnings for certain dangers is a nice bonus.
There are plenty of collectibles to be found in the agent’s gameplay. Besides the lunchboxes, there are also cult boxes. Inside, you find ammunition (which is always very welcome), batteries, or flares to temporarily keep your enemies at bay. These cult boxes come with a small riddle or puzzle, the answers to which you can usually find in your immediate surroundings.
And if that still doesn’t satisfy your collecting needs; nursery rhymes are also hidden throughout the surroundings. These contain a note resembling children’s rhymes. You need to place specific toy figures in certain locations, corresponding to what the story tells. This action unlocks useful charms that, for example, mark all resources in your surroundings or grant you a one-time escape from death.
Saga’s gameplay simply offers more than that of Alan. Her environments showcased more variety, and I must say I found more enjoyment in her storyline. Nonetheless, both storylines and gameplay form a cohesive whole, complementing each other excellently.
Exploration Could Be Rewarded in a Better Way
Since the environments in Alan Wake 2 are stunning, I was more than happy to seek out collectibles. But I soon noticed that the rewards from my exploration often barely balanced against the resources I wasted on my journey. This is primarily due to how enemies respawned, sometimes incessantly. The Taken in Alan Wake 2 can endure a lot and don’t simply fall with each headshot.
Certain enemies are true bullet sponges. I’d defeat them, be ‘rewarded’ with a stash of new ammunition, and then, on my way back, immediately face the newly spawned enemies, utilizing that hard-earned ammunition again. This made me feel that, besides enjoying the sights, the actual reward for exploration wasn’t as substantial as I had hoped.
Conclusion
Alan Wake 2 looks like a magnificent painting, supported by what I’d consider the most exceptional sound design I’ve ever experienced in a game. From the very first minute, I was pulled into the mystery and never found a dull moment along the way. The game includes at least 2 chapters that are so unique and fantastic that I’d immediately place them among my top favorite recent gaming moments.
As it should be (but often isn’t) in a horror game, I remained in a constant state of alertness. The fact that I felt this tension not only during certain combat-rich moments but practically throughout the entire duration of the game, is an incredibly impressive feat by Remedy.
The game isn’t entirely flawless. In my opinion, exploration isn’t adequately rewarded, and at times, I encountered minor lip-sync issues and inventory bugs. However, the few small downsides and hiccups in Alan Wake 2 pale in comparison to the immensely impressive atmosphere and the consistently intriguing storyline it presents from start to finish.
