Before Alan Wake 2 released late last year, I hadn't played any Remedy game other than 2019's Control. An incredible experience, that game is one of my favorites. After I finished it, I knew that eventually I'd have to try out some of the rest of the Remedy catalogue, but I just never got around to it. Thankfully, Remedy got around to me, releasing Alan Wake Remastered in 2021 and Alan Wake 2 just a few months ago.
Alan Wake is, first and foremost, a game that absolutely swims in atmosphere. From the titular character's narration to the soundtrack to the game mechanics themselves, everything here works beautifully to create a sense of creepiness and shadowy dread that perfectly accompanies the Pacific Northwest woods, mines, and logging camps that this game is primarily set in. 'Optional' manuscript pages, radio shows, and TV snips help reinforce the feeling that something just isn't right here, as a cast of great characters makes their way through the compellingly written plot. And it should be noted that Alan Wake himself is voice acted with immense narrative talent. As a horror-adjacent story about the supernatural, this game is excellent. As a metatextual commentary on the nature of writing and weaving a story, it's even better. Remedy is truly unmatched in this department.
As far as the gameplay goes, Alan Wake isn't particularly revolutionary, but it is fun, and there are several standout sequences that break up the more common gameplay loop of point-wait-then-shoot. I enjoy horror, but I'm easily unnerved - Metro and The Last of Us are more than enough to get my heart beating fast. So I don't usually play games like this for very long periods of time. It's a testament to the essential fun-ness of the game that I could usually complete an episode or so every time I sat down, even if I'd occasionally grind against clunky movement and repetitive enemies. The game's DLC episodes - The Signal and The Writer - introduce more compelling gameplay in the form of additional environmental interaction, but I do hope the series' most recent installment offers something new in the gameplay department.
Alan Wake Remastered is a great game. The story is incredible, the setting is tonally near perfect, the soundtrack hits on every beat, the graphics are solid, and the gameplay is fun enough if not inspired. I won't soon forget Barry, the Andersons, or Wake himself. And I'm excited to take on the rest of the universe Remedy has created.
Alan Wake is, first and foremost, a game that absolutely swims in atmosphere. From the titular character's narration to the soundtrack to the game mechanics themselves, everything here works beautifully to create a sense of creepiness and shadowy dread that perfectly accompanies the Pacific Northwest woods, mines, and logging camps that this game is primarily set in. 'Optional' manuscript pages, radio shows, and TV snips help reinforce the feeling that something just isn't right here, as a cast of great characters makes their way through the compellingly written plot. And it should be noted that Alan Wake himself is voice acted with immense narrative talent. As a horror-adjacent story about the supernatural, this game is excellent. As a metatextual commentary on the nature of writing and weaving a story, it's even better. Remedy is truly unmatched in this department.
As far as the gameplay goes, Alan Wake isn't particularly revolutionary, but it is fun, and there are several standout sequences that break up the more common gameplay loop of point-wait-then-shoot. I enjoy horror, but I'm easily unnerved - Metro and The Last of Us are more than enough to get my heart beating fast. So I don't usually play games like this for very long periods of time. It's a testament to the essential fun-ness of the game that I could usually complete an episode or so every time I sat down, even if I'd occasionally grind against clunky movement and repetitive enemies. The game's DLC episodes - The Signal and The Writer - introduce more compelling gameplay in the form of additional environmental interaction, but I do hope the series' most recent installment offers something new in the gameplay department.
Alan Wake Remastered is a great game. The story is incredible, the setting is tonally near perfect, the soundtrack hits on every beat, the graphics are solid, and the gameplay is fun enough if not inspired. I won't soon forget Barry, the Andersons, or Wake himself. And I'm excited to take on the rest of the universe Remedy has created.