It took Remedy 13 years to release a proper sequel but it was worth the wait.
Alan Wake II is one of the best narrative experiences I've had in both cinema and videogames. It's a psychological horror thriller gem, excels at crafting an unnervingly suffocating yet oddly soothing atmosphere, combining live action footage in-game seamlessly, which is now a staple in Remedy's game design, along with the certified banger of a soundtrack they composed for this game brought to you by Finland's favorite heavy metal band Poets of the Fall and others.
New added mechanics innovate in practically every aspect from the original game released 13 years ago, gameplay suffered a massive shift for the better, with a combat style straight out of the Resident Evil remakes that fits perfectly and feels revitalizing. It forces you to get smart about it and pick your battles wisely, as sometimes running away and avoiding combat is better in the long run for resource management purposes.
With two protagonists now, each one gets their own set of mechanics to drive the story forward; a detective with the ability of clairvoyance used to gather evidence to solve the mystery, and a writer with the ability to alter reality by editing the pages of his manuscript. Very creative ways to tell a story, also playing in the whole meta aspect of it all. What they did here is truly mind-blowing.
I firmly believe that in the future we will be talking about this game in the same way we now talk about Silent Hill 2, as a milestone and point of reference in the genre.
Alan Wake II is one of the best narrative experiences I've had in both cinema and videogames. It's a psychological horror thriller gem, excels at crafting an unnervingly suffocating yet oddly soothing atmosphere, combining live action footage in-game seamlessly, which is now a staple in Remedy's game design, along with the certified banger of a soundtrack they composed for this game brought to you by Finland's favorite heavy metal band Poets of the Fall and others.
New added mechanics innovate in practically every aspect from the original game released 13 years ago, gameplay suffered a massive shift for the better, with a combat style straight out of the Resident Evil remakes that fits perfectly and feels revitalizing. It forces you to get smart about it and pick your battles wisely, as sometimes running away and avoiding combat is better in the long run for resource management purposes.
With two protagonists now, each one gets their own set of mechanics to drive the story forward; a detective with the ability of clairvoyance used to gather evidence to solve the mystery, and a writer with the ability to alter reality by editing the pages of his manuscript. Very creative ways to tell a story, also playing in the whole meta aspect of it all. What they did here is truly mind-blowing.
I firmly believe that in the future we will be talking about this game in the same way we now talk about Silent Hill 2, as a milestone and point of reference in the genre.