I got this game for $2.75 but I would've gladly paid full price for it. It (intentionally) feels like both a sequel and a spinoff to Alan Wake and is a nice, bite-sized experience for anyone curious about the gameplay of Alan Wake. You can start with it, but the story will not make sense.

You must find more pages of your old manuscript, edited to help drive the evil Mr. Scratch out of Alan's body so he can reclaim it and finally be with Alice. You accomplish this goal by basically doing the same stuff you did in Alan Wake: shining flashlights, shooting guns, and killing monsters. But this time it's all set against the backdrop of the Arizona desert.

The combat feels MUCH more refined in this entry and all of the clunk has been removed. The weapons, gunplay, and light mechanics all feel smoother and much more accessible than they did in the original game. Plus, you now have an arcade mode and even more lovely FMV to look at!

Overall, a solid spinoff/sequel, but you will not get your money's worth if you haven't played the first game.

It's kind of wild how much better this game is than the original. Even when you're stuck replaying the same events, the game doesn't feel like it's trying to waste your time. There's more diverse gunplay and enemies take less time to stun, making combat more enjoyable. And of course, the narrative is great due to a genuinely unnerving villain. Is it perfect? No. In fact, it's still kind of boring, and playing the same three levels 3 times each doesn't make it better. But it's only a few hours long so you might as well give it a shot if you like the story of Alan Wake.