The dust is starting to settle after the barrage of new information from the PlayStation Showcase, and fans are able to now start digesting exactly what was seen and announced, including the Alan Wake II trailer! There were some expected reveals in the new footage for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, as well as some less than expected announcements in the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater remake and remaster.
Thankfully Remedy was also in attendance showing off their highly anticipated sequel to 2010’s Alan Wake, Alan Wake II. Not much is known gameplay wise, but we now have somewhat of a basis story-wise, as well as a release date and surprisingly some DLC plans for the future!
Alan Wake II – Story Trailer and Release Date
Many fans of the franchise have been wondering exactly how Remedy were going continue the story after the ending of the first game and the surprise inclusion of the character and universe in Control, but after releasing the story synopsis, it looks like any fears fans may have had are unfounded and unnecessary.
“Saga Anderson, an FBI profiler with a reputation for solving unsolvable cases, arrives in Bright Falls to investigate a string of ritualistic murders. The case slides into a nightmare when Anderson discovers pages of a horror story, a horror story that starts to come true…
Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare prison beyond our world, writes a dark story to shape reality in a desperate bid to escape. Hunted by an insatiable horror, Wake struggles to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.
Anderson and Wake, two heroes on two desperate journeys. Two separate realities connected in ways neither of them can understand. Echoes become reflections. Reflections that can reach out to each other.Trapped in a horror story where there are only victims and monsters, can they break out to be the heroes they need to be?”
Fans, myself included, have clamoured for a follow-up to the first game to find out Wake’s fate, after he’s left in what is described by Remedy as a ‘nightmare prison’. Whether this one ends with him escaping or the new character Saga Anderson joining him there is unknown at the moment, but Remedy have shown time and again with Alan Wake, Control and more that it isn’t afraid to leave the characters in precarious and depressing predicaments.
Thankfully we don’t have long to wait, with the game mooted for an October 17th release, and no doubt between now and then we’ll find out much more from the studio as well as a guaranteed extended gameplay trailer right before launch.
Alan Wake II – Post-Launch DLC Announcements and More
As part of Remedy’s marketing push, they’ve released an Alan Wake 2 FAQ, which includes some interesting information. The most surprising would be the announcement of free DLC, as well as two fully-fledged paid expansions.
“We will be supporting Alan Wake 2 post-launch with both free content as well as two paid expansions. The expansions are called Night Springs and the Lake House, but that’s all we are going to tell you about them. For now,”
With details about the game pretty sparse on the ground it’s no surprise they’re keeping the game’s post-launch DLC plans close to their chest, so to speak, but still, announcing such comprehensive DLC before the game has even launched is a positive move for fans of the series.
Also in the FAQ is the surprising note that players don’t have to play Alan Wake or Control – the loosely connected game set in the same universe from Remedy – to fully understand and enjoy the sequel. With the ending of the first game this is a surprising announcement to make, but an understandable one, as steeping the sequel with too much connective tissue to a thirteen year old game could have caused problems for the studio, but also the players trying to understand what is already a complex universe. No doubt there will be the broader strokes of the universe still at play, as well as countless easter eggs for the die hard fans to appreciate.
Are you counting down the days till release?
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