Alan Wake 2 has taken its time getting here. Many fans finished up the first game all those years ago, back in 2010, and expected it to be a two or three-year wait at most. Thirteen years later, and we finally have the sequel we’ve all been clamoring for, albeit after a brief cameo from the titular character in Remedy’s own Control.
There was a lot of time that fans worried we wouldn’t get the continuation to the excellent Alan Wake after the cliffhanger ending left us all with more questions than answers, but thankfully that’s not the case, and the launch is imminent. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the game early, and what follows is a spoiler-free Alan Wake 2 review.
Alan Wake 2 – A New Start to the Established Story
As anyone who played the original will remember, the last time we saw Wake in his own franchise was when he decided to willingly stay in The Dark Place, ensuring the safety of the world at his own expense. He was also present in Control’s expansion AWE, which fleshed out his story a little bit, but was as much intended as connective tissue between the two properties as it was a continuation of his story. Now, we have a fully-fledged story for him to shine in, but with some new additions.
Along with Wake, Saga Anderson is a dual protagonist in the game, offering a different perspective to the unraveling ordeal. An FBI agent called into Bright Falls to solve another murder, the fourth in a string of cult-like, highly ritualistic murders, Saga and her partner Alex Casey – played by Remedy’s own Sam Lake – end up in a much more convoluted, dangerous, and mind-bending situation than they may have expected.
Saga’s purpose in the game seems pretty straightforward at first. Her gameplay is that of an FBI agent, piecing together the clues given to ascertain the circumstances of the unfortunate victim’s death. You’ll spend a lot of time exploring with Saga, gathering clues, asking questions, and putting everything together in her Mind Place. The Mind Place is accessible whenever needed, and much like the Souls-like genre, going there won’t pause the game, so be wary of your surroundings.
You’ll spend a considerable amount of time in The Mind Place. The game does a fantastic job of organizing both cases and clues so that everything is easy to access, and as you place the clues on the case board, you’ll feel like an actual detective trying to piece this horrific puzzle together. If you wish to proceed in the game, you’ll need to be a pretty good detective, but the game is incredibly lenient, and will regularly tell you if you’re trying to put the clue in the wrong place.
As well as the case board in the Mind Place, you’ll be able to sit at a desk in the center of the room and profile those you’ve met. This generally requires you to have met some requirements during conversations, or clues to pick up, but it always progresses the story and is incredibly satisfying in equal measure.
Nostalgia and Invention
As I’m writing this Alan Wake 2 review, I keep thinking back to the first game, and the immersive nature of the game, from the environments to the characters. I’m glad to say that for both new and old fans of the franchise, there will be plenty to appreciate for both. The environments are varied and EXTREMELY well-designed. The forests of Bright Falls are dense and intimidating. The subway is claustrophobic and unsettling. Bright Falls itself is almost uncanny valley-esque, with something not quite right about town, just like in the original.
The characters follow suit, with some legacy characters making a return in surprising ways, and other, new characters having momentous impact. Everything is glorious to look at, and this may just be the best-looking and most immersive game of the year.
To follow on from that, Remedy continues its iconic and unique mixture of live-action and gameplay, with some transitions being so seamless I found myself saying stuff like ‘wow’ and other expletive-laden phrases under my breath. When introduced to Mr. Door for the first time – who certainly has more to him than the trailers suggest and is played by the excellent David Harewood – these transitions will be especially prevalent.
Alan Wake Makes his Return
It has been a long time coming, but we finally get our time to take control of Alan Wake again, and he doesn’t disappoint. Anyone who played the original will remember that he wasn’t always particularly likable as a protagonist, and his relationship with his wife, as well as his professional life, was a little broken. However, he decided to make the hardest decision and most honorable, sacrificing himself to keep The Dark Presence/Scratch, contained in the Dark Place, along with himself. That was thirteen years ago.
It turns out that thirteen years in literal hell would have an effect on anyone, and as we meet him here, he’s more broken, angry, and unsure. He doesn’t trust his memory, his perception of time is shot (has it only been thirteen years for him?) and his time in the Dark Place has prompted him to become more crazed and less reliable. Almost an unreliable narrator? The more you play as Alan, the more you will understand why he is now that way, but I’m not about to spoil it. Find out for yourself. You’ll love it.
Like Saga, Alan has his own Mind Place, but of course, this is specific to him. His is called the Writer’s Room, and here you won’t be putting together clues of a case. Instead, as you traverse the levels you’ll come across story beats in the form of Echoes, which, when aligned correctly, will play out a situation. No spoilers, but these situations can then be used to warp reality around you.
Remedy has used its engine to great effect, as mentioned with the incredible graphics of the environments and characters, as well as the live-action transitions, but these are perhaps the smallest of their technical achievements. If you’re in a subway and need to access a train? Well, there are four options, and only one of them opens the train to go forward. It just so happens that this particular option also includes the burned and charred bodies of the victims of a particular murder cult. It is horrific.
As well as the Writer’s Room, you’ll be granted a new tool for Wake to use in his fight against his enemies – the lamp. Seemingly innocuous, this will be your best friend very quickly. It allows you to transport light from one light source to another, which coincidentally will allow you to pass through previously obstructed paths. Throughout my time with Alan Wake 2, the real-time changes to the environment never got boring. Whether it was something simple like a locked gate disappearing in a bath of light, or an entire hall changing from a meeting room to a ritual murder room in front of me, it always astounded me.
We should all be thankful Alan Wake 2 took so long, because there is no way older technology could have enabled this, and it becomes a central, important part of the gameplay, but also represents Wake’s character perfectly. He is a writer, he writes the story.
Much like Alan Wake, Alan Wake 2 features the same basic tenets of gameplay. Darkness hunts you. Light hurts the darkness. Shoot. Unlike the first game though, you’ll have a lot more tools and weapons at your disposal, far earlier on as well. It wasn’t long before Wake had a shotgun and Saga a crossbow, for example.
As well as more tools and weapons on hand, the game throws puzzles at you like it’s nobody’s business. Some are required to progress, usually involving case clues (for Saga) or light sources and story moments (for Wake), but there are plenty of hidden or optional ones that require a little digging, and usually have rewards, collectibles, and more.
Connections and Collaborations
Over the course of the game, you’ll find the two protagonists and their stories intertwining in some unusual and unexpected ways, and it works for the better of it. You’ll be able to choose between the two characters and who you play as at will, for the majority of the game. If you wish to stick with Saga for the entirety, you’ll be able to. If you want to experience the game as Alan, again, you’ll be able to.
The game will force your hand at certain points, choosing for you, but effectively, you have the option to experience the game how you wish, and whilst the stories are connected, they’re distinctive enough that you could argue you have two games in one.
As well as the connective tissue between the two protagonists, you also have the many references and nods to Control, the FBC, and more, further proving Remedy is pushing forward with their Remedy Connected Universe, and I have to say, I’m all for it, especially if it gets me more of Ahti the Janitor!
Final Thoughts
Our Alan Wake 2 review is coming to an end. There’s not much to say against the game as a whole. I suffered one bug at the end of the first chapter which unfortunately resulted in me having to restart the game and then the chapter, but this is due to be patched out, and honestly wasn’t an issue at the time, and didn’t occur again.
Graphics don’t make a good game, but they do elevate an already good game, and this is the case for Alan Wake 2. The game is outstandingly beautiful and during my time with it, never once suffered any frame rate issues or performance issues as a whole. Considering some of the effort going on behind the scenes, with the changing worlds especially, this is impressive.
The voice actors clearly realized the importance of the sequel, with everyone bringing their A-game, but a special mention must be given to Alan Wake themselves, Matthew Poretta, and Ilkka Villi. The dual performances, Poretta for voice and Villi for physical encapsulated how Wake would be after all this time, and I lost count of the number of times I’d have no choice but to empathize with Wake, mostly due to the actors and their performances. There’s a chance they may pip Yuri Lowenthal to Best Performance this year.
Whereas the first Alan Wake was more of an action-adventure game with a few horror elements thrown in, Alan Wake 2 flips the script. This is a horror game, heavy on the horror, heavy on the graphic, adult themes, interspersed with moments of brutal combat that’ll leave you sweating and your heart pounding. It holds nothing back. It makes the hard choices. It is immersive, incredible, and a technical achievement. It’s what we fans have deserved after all these years of waiting, and Remedy has done themselves proud, and that’s the biggest compliment this Alan Wake 2 review can give.
10/10
Alan Wake 2 was played on PlayStation 5 and reviewed on a code supplied by TaraBrunoPR. As featured on OpenCritic.
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