Alan Wake 2, the survival horror title by Remedy Entertainment, was nominated across categories at The Game Awards 2023, including the coveted Game of the Year award. Although considered an underdog at the event that had giants like Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, fans were thrilled to see Alan Wake 2 win highly-deserved awards.
The Game of the Year was picked up by Baldur’s Gate 3, but Alan Wake 2 managed to take home some of the highly prestigious awards at the event, which highlighted the game’s strengths, such as its focus on narrative, art design, and much more.
Alan Wake 2’s Wins at The Game Awards 2023 Were Imminent
Alan Wake 2 was nominated across a total of eight categories at The Game Awards 2023, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, and a few others. It was very well known that there were very slight chances of it winning the Game of the Year award, as games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom were the favorites to win, and eventually Baldur’s Gate 3 grabbed the award.
However, it had the best chances of winning the awards in the other categories, which Alan Wake 2 indeed did, as it secured three prominent awards at the event: Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Game Direction. The Best Game Direction award was one of the most surprising awards for the game, as it was up against the biggest titles released in 2023, like Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
This award is given out for “outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design,” and it highlights how Alan Wake 2 managed to immerse players with its amazing environment design and character designs. The dense and scary places with unsettling vibes and characters having unexpected impacts on the game are just some of the examples of how the game gave players a horror experience like no other horror title this year.
Alan Wake 2 also won the Best Narrative award, surprising everyone as it managed to win against heavy-weight titles like Final Fantasy XVI, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. These games have some of the best narratives seen this year, as the role-playing title Baldur’s Gate 3 had a player-based narrative, which is one of the most appreciated features of the game.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 allowed players to play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, with several missions for both Spider-Men and some divided between the two. Alan Wake 2 has always been a narrative-focused game, and with the second protagonist, Saga Anderson, it offers a different perspective to the players and holds up better than Spider-Man 2‘s narrative.
The game allows players to switch between Alan Wake and Saga Anderson at any point in the game and gives both protagonists the same importance, and eventually, both characters’ narratives feel like one and more connected than ever before as the story progresses. The events in one character’s story also impact the other character. Additionally, both Alan Wake and Saga Anderson get equal screen time, whereas Spider-Man 2 almost always has Peter in the spotlight.
Another award Alan Wake 2 picked up was Best Art Direction, beating games like Hi-Fi Rush and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Although it was quite unlikely that it would win this award, it definitely deserved it. The game instantly immerses players in the world of Bright Falls with an extremely well-designed and realistic art style. The mixture of live-action and gameplay, environmental textures, and lighting all make it the most visually stunning and immersive game of this year.
Although Alan Wake 2 did not win the Best Score and Music award, it might well have, as the soundtracks have impressed everyone, from players to critics. There are several amazing songs in the game, with Herald of Darkness taking the top spot, and it’s so popular that TGA 2023 featured a live performance from the fictional band Old Gods of Asgard. The album also entered the top 10 albums on iTunes this past weekend.
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