It has been a long time coming. Remedy takes a long time with their games but Alan Wake has finally woken up (pun intended). While it showcases itself as a thriller-horror this games plays out very much like an action game. That’s not to say it is a bad thing, as a matter of fact it’s a good game that everyone should play but there are some issues to it.
First let us start with the story since this game is very very story driven. As a matter of fact it is just a single player game. Basically you are Alan Wake a famous novel writer (much like Stephen King). You and your wife Alice are on vacation in Bright Falls, a northwestern town. Wake is also here to relax and be able to write a novel since he has writer's block. Things happen and your wife is kidnapped and it is up to you to save her. I won't say more because I would probably confuse you, but I will say that the story is pretty engaging although it ends on a cliffhanger which is annoying but makes sense since they are putting out 2 DLCs that will continue the story. The game plays out like 6 episodes in a TV show with cliffhangers ending each episode and recaps before every episode. There are also credits between each episode to really make it look like a TV show. The story is very much like Remedy's previous game Max Payne with the protagonist explaining to the player what is going through their mind except it's a horror-thriller. If you liked Max Payne for the story chances are you will like this.
Your main enemy is this Dark presence which has taken over the people of Bright Falls. To kill them you need to use light (like a flashlight) to remove the darkness on them. Once it has been removed you can kill the enemies using guns or shotguns. This is the gameplay of Alan Wake and continues throughout the game with some variations. It’s a solid concept and something very fresh. I really like the concept of light and dark and how it is used so effectively. One cool use in this whole concept is that flash bangs become more like grenades since the huge flash of light essentially kills them. Flares and flare guns are also really good weapons. But people expecting something like Silent hill will be very disappointed since it plays more like an action game. They throw a lot of enemies at you and you will end up dodging, using your flash light and killing a lot of these enemies. There are also possessed objects which come after you or birds that fly at you. These are very annoying but at least they bring some variations to the enemy types.
One thing that really impressed me was the graphics. The graphics look amazing and for a game that took a long time to make at least we know it went to something. Originally Remedy wanted to make this game into a sandbox type game but gave up on the idea. This led to them to have a world already setup for them. When walking from one checkpoint to the next it feels like you have travelled quite far since you can see the next checkpoint. But this game truly shines when the fog rolls in and the moon's light along with the fog creates shadows on the ground. It is a real sight to see and one that shows that Remedy really know how to make a game look amazing. One thing Remedy does not know how to do is lip synching and in cutscenes it shows. It looks a little bad since so many other games do it so well. It is a small issue and one that shouldn't stop you from playing the game.
The sound is good too. The music gives it that extra creepy atmosphere and apparently there are songs after each episode in the credits although I skipped through these. The voice actors are good and keep the story going. I particularly liked Alan Wake's voice since it is something different than Nolan North and is just as good.
In the end if you like action-horror games or like any of the Max Payne games, you will enjoy Alan Wake. The gameplay can get a little tiring towards the end since it’s the same thing over and over but the story is engaging enough to keep you awake. (get it, awake....Alan Wake....i should stop making these puns).