After a thirteen-year hiatus, Alan Wake 2 invites us back with plenty more frights in a new psychological terror-stacked adventure.
After a very long thirteen years, we had to wait for Alan Wake 2, and ironically, the exact number of years after the events of the predecessor is set. That’s a hefty time to wait for such a game. Furthermore, with the predecessor amassing mostly favourable reviews and years of requests from fans, you’d think we’d have the sequel arrive sooner. Thankfully, there’s no longer a need to wait, and Remedy Entertainment has finally granted our wishes. Therefore, exciting times lie ahead.
Another thing to look forward to, and it’s a good thing that Alan Wake 2 has arrived at such a relevant time, as Halloween is right around the corner. And what better way to kick-start the scary period than to play as the troubled author once again in one of the most anticipated games in 2023?
But in Alan Wake 2, you’ll also be taking on the role of accomplished special FBI agent Saga Anderson, who built a fine reputation for solving cases that were construed as impossible. She has undertaken a new case on a series of ritualistic murders in Bright Falls and poses a devastating threat to the small town.
Meanwhile, Alan Wake has been imprisoned in an obscure nightmare and is writing a dark horror story to finally escape it. See, now both Alan Wake and Saga Anderson are playable protagonists who are on two journeys, and you’re to guide them as you explore two horrifying worlds. And because you can play as two characters, you can decide in any order which story to play.
Saga soon realises her connection with Alan as she finds out that she’s been forced into a supernatural horror story written by Alan. But there are far more intriguing mysteries, mind-benders, plot twists, and more beyond our understanding as you progress, which is some of what makes Alan Wake 2’s story so unique.
It’s also worth mentioning the top-notch photorealistic character and environmental designs, as well as Alan Wake giving off John Wick vibes with the full beard, long dark hair, and clothes. Moreover, you’ll see some of the best facial and bodily animations that include real-life expressions, emotions, and movement. The small town of Bright Fall is stunning to look at during the day, but when it gets to nighttime, that’s when things get ugly, as in, it’s really ugly.
Furthermore, Alan Wake 2’s environmental audio design is one of the best, if not the best, in a video game. Seriously, play with your headset on, and let’s say, for example, you’re in unsettling situations; you’ll be hearing the likes of winds, voices, screams from afar, rattling, whistling, snarling, groans, and elevating music to have you feeling uneasy and constantly fearing what surprises await you. Overall, it delivers the sensations you’ve never had, even in your worst nightmares.
As well as occasional inaudible voices from evil. The fright doesn’t end there, as you’ll surely witness more than enough jump scares to have you quivering in your boots, leaving you unhinged and your soul pulling away from your body.
And what’s another big problem that Wake and Anderson have to deal with? That’s right, the enemies. You’ll encounter many close combat fights against relentless supernatural entities in Alan Wake 2, known as ‘the taken’ – that’ll stop at nothing to take them down.
The situation gets more challenging when you’re given minimal resources, which is why you’re encouraged to ration them and strategise your attacks. It’ll take much more than your trusted gun to defeat them. But their one kryptonite is light – it’s your greatest ally, and if you combine that with your gun, not only will you defeat them, but it’ll ensure survival.
Just like the predecessor, Alan Wake 2’s combat involves you focusing your flashlight on the enemies to temporarily remove their supernatural invisibility, followed by shooting them with firearms to finish them off. But as mentioned, with limited resources like batteries and ammunition, you have to think cleverly to successfully surpass your enemies, such as usually aiming for headshots and an enemy’s weak points to save bullets. This tip helps more for challenging boss fights.
You also have the safe havens, which are the shining light areas that’ll protect you by avoiding detection from enemies and will restore some of the health that was consumed. But if you were to attack or leave a safe haven during combat, it’ll become temporarily unavailable. But not to fret; when enemies are about to strike, you can execute dodging moves to evade them.
But has Alan Wake 2’s combat improved from the predecessor? Is there more to the table? You bet there is. When you’re being subdued by an enemy, you can now shove them back with a melee attack, allowing you to follow it up with performing the standard combat moves to eliminate them. Plus, the combat overall plays better due to the much more refined and realistic movements and animations.
But there is a brand-new feature to the franchise you need to know about the most, which is the ‘mind place’ system that you can enter whenever you’re playing as Saga. The mind place is a room that behaves as a visual representation of her thoughts based on the information she received in the story. You’ll be administering a pin board that allows you to lay out clues you’ve discovered and analyse them to aid you in solving your investigations, especially the main case.
To discover clues in Alan Wake 2, you have to examine your surroundings, speak to people, and much more. Whenever you see a microscope icon on something or someone, it’s best to investigate them as they provide vital clues for your case. As you advance the investigation, there’ll be new questions unlocked, so are your deductions, and your objectives are updated.
To help you out more with the clues, the Mind Place also includes a profiling feature that enables you to get inside the minds of victims and suspects. The profiling lets Saga use her intuition to discover more clues after profiling people of interest.
The Mind Place also allows you to view found manuscripts, radio broadcasts, television shows, and various maps that have been collected. Plus, it’s a place where you can upgrade your weapons. After collecting clues in Alan Wake 2, you must correctly assemble them on the case board to be able to progress the story.
As for Alan Wake, he has his own version but has less content, and it’s called ‘writer’s room’. The writer’s room is where Wake attempts to recreate his reality using objects he has collected. Instead of a pinboard, he uses a chalkboard that he calls his “plot board” to brainstorm his ideas on how to distort the world surrounding him.
As Alan explores other places, he’ll find a number of inspirations for his story. The writer’s room also has a radio for you to listen to radio shows, watch television shows you’ve gotten, and you can view the maps you’ve found.
The mind place is an excellent gameplay addition. It’s very creative, and it gives all the necessary tools to make you feel like a real detective, mainly due to the abundance of puzzle-solving elements that really get your brain working by constantly challenging your mind. Bearing in mind that visiting the mind place doesn’t pause the game, it’s best to go when enemies aren’t around.
The same sentiments go for the writer’s room, as it allows you to lay Alan’s manuscripts, include plot segments and scenes, and enter different plotlines that lead to transformations of environments. And when you think about it, you’re ultimately inside the mind of a genius.
Alan Wake 2 not only surpasses the predecessor, but it’s undoubtedly a masterpiece, one of the best games of 2023, and a candidate for Game of the Year. This is quite an accomplishment, considering it’s a year that produced many great titles—it had me on the edge of my seat for many parts of the game, mentally preparing for what was coming due to the game’s intensely terrifying nature.
Alan Wake 2 will completely astonish you with its phenomenally written and mind-altering story, creativity, level designs, transitions, art direction, photorealistic visuals, eerie atmosphere, haunting audio, brain-challenging puzzles, exciting but nerve-wracking combat, and much more.
Alan Wake 2 is simply a must-buy; you’d be crazy not to get it, and you’ll be missing out on something special if you don’t. It was worth the thirteen-year wait, but hopefully, the next sequel won’t take nearly as long to arrive.
