i want to start by saying that my feelings about this game may be skewed by the disappointment i felt as this wasn't the alan wake 2 i was expecting. (my expectations were something far more similar to the prototype demo shown off by polygon in 2015) the alan wake 2 we got is so different from the first in so many aspects that i feel like i might've enjoyed this game more if it wasnt part of the alan wake franchise. there's a complete shift in both the tone and combat, and in my opinion, its for the worse.

unlike most people, i found the combat in alan wake 1 quite enjoyable, but in this game, they get rid of that more action oriented gameplay in favor of something more akin to if not straight up identical to resident evil 2 remake, and thats just not a game that im a fan of. (not that its bad, but i just didnt find it very remarkable) everything felt tedious and sluggish, not in a way that enhances the horror, but in a way that makes the gameplay frustrating, a nuisance and a complete borefest. atleast the visual effects they added in there are really cool though.

as for the tone, aw1 didn't take itself too seriously; it was honestly just as campy and funny as it was scary and thought-provoking. aw2, on the other hand, gets rid of that unique feel that the original games had. despite a few short-lived moments like the musical sequence, the overall tone is way more serious compared to the first game. there were still some instances where i burst out laughing, but most of those were definitely unintentional and it never quite felt like they were unintended in aw1.

the sequel's story feels somewhat recycled, and while i understand that this was a deliberate choice they made for this time loop narrative, the story going in circles barely even advancing the plot becomes uninteresting FAST. alan writing in saga and logan into the story mirrors alice and barbara drowning and both alan and zane's involvement with the dark presence in the first game exactly, which is frustrating, especially when alan explicitly states at the end of the original game that he won't repeat zane's mistakes. the game's reliance on this time loop plot feels exhausting when they already explored this concept in alan wake's american nightmare. it's challenging to engage with a story that replays the same events repeatedly, even if why things are the way they are is explained within the narrative. honestly, the story might as well have started and ended in the same place. the game somehow fucks this up even further by just like in re2r, making you replay the entire game to get the "true ending". i find that truly a disrespect of everyone sinking in 20 hours to finish the game's time.

in general i'd say i found the story overly complicated, which wasn't an issue in any of the prior games. the unnecessary complexity makes the story hard to get a grasp of and just less fun and more annoying.

also, the opening hours of the game were SO slow and boring, although it did manage to hook me in about six or seven hours into the game. however, i probably would've given up and uninstalled the game during those first few hours if not for my deep admiration for alan wake 1 and american nightmare.

finally i'd like to get some additional nitpicks out of the way;
im disappointed by the treatment of the cast from aw1, like barry, cynthia, tom, and sarah. they either act unrecognizable to how they were in the first game or are killed off, which feels unnecessary when they could have continued to be part of the narrative instead of introducing numerous new characters that require substantial development and contribute to the pacing issues of the first few hours. and TBH i cant help but miss the pure evil psycho mr. scratch we got in awan.
the soundtrack to this game is also marginally worse and thats probably because they decided to produce a lot more original songs for this game than they did for aw1 and these just dont hit as hard. dark ocean summoning has NOTHING on children of the elder god. there's still a few standout tracks amongst the litter though, such as this road by poe.

as for the things i liked about the game; graphics, the plot board and case board mechanics, live action sequences yada yada... there's still a lot you can praise about this game but i feel like that's been covered to the dark place and back already haha. looking back i atleast still have some fond feelings ab this game along with the not so great ones.

i'd also like to defend two criticisms of this game that i saw online:
firstly; the jump scares. they make sense for the story, theyre fun, and theyre also not even all that scary. think some of yall need to take a chill pill.
and secondly would be sam lake self inserting himself so much. to me it just makes sense. alan wake's literally about autofiction coming true so i found it kind of cool and meta that he featured himself so prominently.

overall, the game is just decent, but that's also what makes it so terrible. following up such a phenomenal game like alan wake 1 with simply mid just made me so depressed... lol i guess its better than getting nothing though

P.S: the first time i played alan wake 1 was like a week before i started alan wake 2 so this isnt nostalgia goggles or anything, i geniunely just adore alan wake 1 and its definitely in my top five (although the version i played was the remaster)