Alan Wake is the best thriller game I've ever played. Alan Wake is one of the best horror games I've ever played. Okay maybe that's a bit of a stretch but it's in my top 10.
Alan Wake is one of the most unique games I've ever played. And I don't mean from a gameplay standpoint, although the flashlight-cleanse mechanic is pretty interesting and unique. I mean that Alan Wake is one of the greatest TV Shows I've ever played. I loved this game from the moment I saw the first trailer when I was just a dumb child and, after a few years, I managed to finally be old enough to actually understand it. So I played it and damn, was I blown away.
Alan Wake is a clear passion project of Remedy, just like Control and Quantum Break. But the difference with those games is that Alan Wake is undoubtedly the most inspired and unique of the bunch. I loved Control and liked Quantum Break, but rarely do games reach "Alan Wake" level in my eyes and I believe the reason for that is because it's such a simple but effective game and narrative. Light beats darkness. Alan has to save Alice. That's the whole story. But it is so nuanced and fresh that I have a hard time thinking of a game as good and unique as this one.
Let's get this out of the way. The gameplay is nothing special. The mechanic of cleansing the possessed with your flashlight and then shooting them is interesting but not nearly enough to warrant like 9-10 hours of gameplay for that. If anything, Alan Wake is more similar to The Last of Us than Gears of War (just to compare two popular TPS games). You go in a place, loot for a while, read notes, enemies spawn and you kill them. Repeat ad nauseam. And I don't hate that! I will forever remember what one of Halo's developers said in an interview, because it's so true. "If you can take a 15 seconds fun gameplay loop and stretch that across 10 hours of game, then you've created the perfect game". And I'd say Alan Wake's gameplay is pretty serviceable.
But the reason Alan Wake is one of my favorite games ever is because of its incredibly amazing story. Its simple premise but complete mindfuckery and interesting loose ends being tied up at the end and revealing it was all connected all along makes me feel like watching a great M. Night Shyamalan movie and being mindblown every 15 minutes. The game is OBVIOUSLY heavily inspired by Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone and The Shining (all three of which I adore to death) and it takes the best element of those and mashes them up together to create a story worthy of a TV Show or movie. Or, you know... Book.
The reason I'm so fond of this game is probably because it struck me so much as a very interesting and unique take on the thriller genre. In fact, and I think this is very funny, it's subconsciously been a part of everything I write. I write for fun, I don't publish my books anywhere cause I just do it for myself but a thing I've realized with time is that I always, somehow, have some sort of Alan Wake influence in what I write. Maybe it's a lighthouse here, a book coming to life there. Perhaps the contrast of light VS darkness, or darkness being personafied. Whatever it is, it's had such a big influence on me that I have a hard time not loving Alan Wake.
This game is narrative driven. If you expect stellar gameplay, don't even think about it. If you're looking for a gripping and cool story which is super reminiscent of a "who-dun-it" sort of story with huge elements of 80's/90's books and shows nostalgia, then this is the perfect game. Also if that's actually what you're looking for then that's kinda weird and way too specific.
So yes, if there's a game I would absolutely forever recommend to anyone, anywhere, it would be this one (I know, Life is Strange is my favorite game yaddi yaddi yadda). I could write an entire book about why this game is one of my favorite games of all time, but who cares about that anyway.
It's everything I've ever loved about Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone, amazingly mashed together into one beautiful, campy and fun experience. I love everything, from the soundtrack (Haunted by Poe and Children of The Elder God by Old Gods of Asgard are quite literally in my top 10 favorite songs of all time) to the simple and sometimes slightly frustrating gameplay.
This game has influenced me like no other. It influenced my love for thriller, for horror, for books. It influenced my writing, the way I see stories. It wasn't just a game, it was a full-on experience. I love Alan Wake so much. I sincerely hope this game never gets a sequel. It's perfect the way it is.
(Fun fact: This game is getting a sequel)
It's not a lake... It's an ocean.
Alan Wake is one of the most unique games I've ever played. And I don't mean from a gameplay standpoint, although the flashlight-cleanse mechanic is pretty interesting and unique. I mean that Alan Wake is one of the greatest TV Shows I've ever played. I loved this game from the moment I saw the first trailer when I was just a dumb child and, after a few years, I managed to finally be old enough to actually understand it. So I played it and damn, was I blown away.
Alan Wake is a clear passion project of Remedy, just like Control and Quantum Break. But the difference with those games is that Alan Wake is undoubtedly the most inspired and unique of the bunch. I loved Control and liked Quantum Break, but rarely do games reach "Alan Wake" level in my eyes and I believe the reason for that is because it's such a simple but effective game and narrative. Light beats darkness. Alan has to save Alice. That's the whole story. But it is so nuanced and fresh that I have a hard time thinking of a game as good and unique as this one.
Let's get this out of the way. The gameplay is nothing special. The mechanic of cleansing the possessed with your flashlight and then shooting them is interesting but not nearly enough to warrant like 9-10 hours of gameplay for that. If anything, Alan Wake is more similar to The Last of Us than Gears of War (just to compare two popular TPS games). You go in a place, loot for a while, read notes, enemies spawn and you kill them. Repeat ad nauseam. And I don't hate that! I will forever remember what one of Halo's developers said in an interview, because it's so true. "If you can take a 15 seconds fun gameplay loop and stretch that across 10 hours of game, then you've created the perfect game". And I'd say Alan Wake's gameplay is pretty serviceable.
But the reason Alan Wake is one of my favorite games ever is because of its incredibly amazing story. Its simple premise but complete mindfuckery and interesting loose ends being tied up at the end and revealing it was all connected all along makes me feel like watching a great M. Night Shyamalan movie and being mindblown every 15 minutes. The game is OBVIOUSLY heavily inspired by Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone and The Shining (all three of which I adore to death) and it takes the best element of those and mashes them up together to create a story worthy of a TV Show or movie. Or, you know... Book.
The reason I'm so fond of this game is probably because it struck me so much as a very interesting and unique take on the thriller genre. In fact, and I think this is very funny, it's subconsciously been a part of everything I write. I write for fun, I don't publish my books anywhere cause I just do it for myself but a thing I've realized with time is that I always, somehow, have some sort of Alan Wake influence in what I write. Maybe it's a lighthouse here, a book coming to life there. Perhaps the contrast of light VS darkness, or darkness being personafied. Whatever it is, it's had such a big influence on me that I have a hard time not loving Alan Wake.
This game is narrative driven. If you expect stellar gameplay, don't even think about it. If you're looking for a gripping and cool story which is super reminiscent of a "who-dun-it" sort of story with huge elements of 80's/90's books and shows nostalgia, then this is the perfect game. Also if that's actually what you're looking for then that's kinda weird and way too specific.
So yes, if there's a game I would absolutely forever recommend to anyone, anywhere, it would be this one (I know, Life is Strange is my favorite game yaddi yaddi yadda). I could write an entire book about why this game is one of my favorite games of all time, but who cares about that anyway.
It's everything I've ever loved about Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone, amazingly mashed together into one beautiful, campy and fun experience. I love everything, from the soundtrack (Haunted by Poe and Children of The Elder God by Old Gods of Asgard are quite literally in my top 10 favorite songs of all time) to the simple and sometimes slightly frustrating gameplay.
This game has influenced me like no other. It influenced my love for thriller, for horror, for books. It influenced my writing, the way I see stories. It wasn't just a game, it was a full-on experience. I love Alan Wake so much. I sincerely hope this game never gets a sequel. It's perfect the way it is.
(Fun fact: This game is getting a sequel)
It's not a lake... It's an ocean.