Fine, I guess. Does some interesting stuff with the story, and while the gameplay is mostly the same, I like the way it develops the "shine flashlight on typewritten words to manifest the object/action" mechanic introduced at the very end of the base game. That being said, I'm a bit frustrated by one thing: it's a chapter that takes place entirely in an abstract constantly-shifting nightmare world that can present itself any way the devs want, but they just doubled down on the main game's approach of setting most levels in boring industrial areas connected together by bits of nondescript forest. Very strange choice to set a game in a charming picturesque small town that seems like it has some dark stuff boiling beneath the surface, only to basically ignore it for 90% of the game's play time. I didn't complain about this in my review for the main game, so I'm doing it here.

A great DLC, there isn't much new story but it does provide insight into what's going on with Wake post-ending. The difficulty is ramped up with a heavy emphasis on using the environment against enemies with a gimmick from the original game that gets expanded upon. The final boss is a kinda iffy - amazing conceptually, but a little too reliant on physics objects that feel a bit random. Gamer protip, you should have the maxed out flashlight by that point and it can reach pretty much across the whole arena, so take cover behind solid objects and keep your distance.

Un DLC que se podría calificar de innecesario, en tanto a que no expande en apenas nada la narrativa (salvo un par de ocasiones específicas bastante chulas que dan algo más de trasfondo a la historia personal de Alan) y que no se ve para nada beneficiado por el gran final que tiene el juego base. Es decir, no hay nada a nuevo a nivel mecánico, más allá de la adición de un par de collectathons en forma de relojes o lectura de carteles para tenerte entretenido si no tienes nada mejor que hacer, y no avanza en nada la historia, aunque bien es cierto que enseña el futuro inmediato del protagonista nada más termina el último capítulo y tiene un jefe bastante guay, por lo que entiendo que en su momento pudo ser interesante, pero jugándolo años después creo que las intenciones que tiene no han envejecido de la mejor manera.

En cualquier caso, no dura más que una hora y es gratuito, así que como se suele decir, a caballo regalado...

Top tier track: Anna Ternheim - No, I Don't Remember

The first of the DLC episodes that expands on the ending to Alan Wake and goes over the surreal experiences Wake goes through while trapped in the Dark Place. In terms of gameplay, it’s pretty much more of the same, though I do appreciate it for adding a new way to utilize the flashlight aside from just making the enemies vulnerable.

There are floating words throughout the world, and when light is shined upon them, it causes those words to materialize physical objects into the world. For example, shining your flashlight on the word “tools” causes ammo, secondary weapons, and batteries to appear. This mechanic is actually used in some pretty neat ways, as part way through the episode, you need to avoid shining your light on certain words, as they can cause hazards or even additional enemies to spawn. Alternatively, you can intentionally trigger certain hazards in order to damage groups of foes. I really like this new take on the flashlight mechanic, and I wish that it was in the base game.

The story for this episode is a character study of Alan and focuses on him as a character. It’s a lot more surreal, even in comparison to the base game, since it takes place entirely within Alan’s mind. I really like the direction the story of the DLC goes in, especially in comparison to the story of the base game. It doesn’t really spend much time paying tribute to its inspirations, instead opting to focus almost entirely on Wake himself.

I appreciate The Signal as an expansion. It has a number of aspects to it that I wish the base game had. It places a greater focus on Wake as a character while spending less time paying tribute to the media that inspired it, and it introduced a creative additional way to use the flashlight mechanic. It is quite short, but it's a decent addendum and a solid step forward from the base game.

I appreciate the increasingly unhinged brain constantly screaming aesthetic here but good god am I tired of just shooting at everything until it falls down. Light bringing words sitting around the environment into the false-reality of the dark place is sick as hell but I feel like it could've been an opportunity for puzzling that never really came.

I'm still gripped by the story and this did nothing to reverse that, but this episode was more an opportunity to let the emotions from the base game swirl around for a while rather than add that much.

Apesar de ser sobre o segundo jogo, esse vídeo questiona algo que também me questionei, enquanto jogava o primeiro: Alan Wake, seria um bom escritor ou não?

Tirando a parte de necessidade dele ser bom, por questões narrativas do jogo, me baseado nos manuscritos que li, eu diria que é mediano e olhe lá. Mas como dito no vídeo, é difícil bater o martelo, ele escreveu tudo aquilo numa situação pouco convencional; fica a dúvida sobre a qualidade da escrita do personagem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQg5Vg5N4RY