My favourite in the Game of the Year nomination: Alan Wake 2 review - a mind-blowing survival horror

By: Vladyslav Nuzhnov | 01.11.2023, 13:00

Alan Wake 2 is Remedy's biggest project yet. We had to wait for the sequel for 13 years, but this is the case when every minute of waiting was worth it. The game managed to present an interesting and twisted story with two protagonists at once: detective Saga Anderson and writer Alan Wake. The first one does not know what awaits her and arrives to investigate one of the murders in which a mysterious cult took part. Alan is still trying to escape from the place where he was trapped in the first part, but soon the fates of these two intertwine to help each other. At the same time, the sequel was created in the survival horror genre, so the gameplay is very different from the first part. The emphasis is now on exploring locations, and there are significantly fewer enemies, although you need to use your resources properly, because the smaller number of enemies is compensated by their strength and skills. The atmosphere of the game is high and has its own contrasts, as we will have to visit small towns in the United States, as well as the night and gloomy analogue of New York. Add to this all the surprises that people who have played previous Remedy projects will appreciate, and we have a game that will definitely compete for the Game of the Year award. Although for me personally, Alan Wake 2 has already won this award. The gg editorial team has unraveled the secrets of Bright Falls and will share their impressions to help you understand whether you should buy Alan Wake 2.

5 Reasons to Buy Alan Wake 2:

  • The ability to play as two characters
  • You've been waiting for Alan's return for 13 years
  • A mind-blowing story about a detective and a writer
  • This is a potential candidate for the title of "Game of the Year"
  • You have played previous Remedy games such as Control and Quantum Break

1 Reason Not to Buy Alan Wake 2:

  • You only have to shoot 40% of the time, which is not enough for you

Fast Forward:

Plot: between reality and nightmare

Strange and creepy situations are still happening in Bright Falls. Now there are people from the mysterious Cult of the Tree running around, killing people at night. Recently, they cut out a man's heart on a table near Lake Coldron. Two FBI agents are called in to investigate: Saga Anderson and Alex Casey. They realise that this will not be an easy or quick case, so they decide to stay in Bright Falls, and from that moment on, there will be more and more "adventures". Saga is also concerned that some people in the town react as if they've seen her before, and talk about horrible things that have never happened to the heroine. And who influences this? That's right, our favourite writer Alan, who hasn't been able to get out of the cursed place for 13 years, but Saga is the person who can help him.

I'll refrain from giving any specific details, because I want everyone to find out for themselves everything that the Remedy writers have prepared. This story is full of intrigue, mystery, surprises, and psychedelic moments. The plot never seemed boring during the entire 20 hours of playthrough. At the same time, you don't want to say goodbye to this adventure, but you also want to understand all the events and understand how everything works. Sometimes it seemed that you were already beginning to understand the situation, and then the game knocks you out, you did not expect such twists and turns, and you realise that you have not understood anything yet. This makes you want to dive into the game and solve this mystery even more. This is exactly the kind of story I want to see more of in games: atypical and complex, but also able to maintain its quality throughout. Remedy has set the bar even higher for themselves, because their stories have been among the best before, so now it's hard to imagine what else the Finnish studio will come up with to keep surprising players.

Characters I'm always happy to see

I really enjoyed the characters in the game. I really liked Saga. Her story was more interesting to watch than Wake's, although before the release I thought it would be the other way round. You don't often see detective protagonists, so this character has something to stand out. A lot of characters from the first part returned, and you often had the feeling that you met old friends whom you were so happy to see. New people also fit in well. The Koskela brothers, whose adverts I never missed on gaming TV, and Alex Casey, who was given the appearance of Sam Lake himself, are just two of them. But it's worth noting that Remedy has its own Connected Universe, so some of their games take place in the same world. And in Alan Wake 2, this universe worked 100%. It was so cool to meet characters from their previous games, who also help us in the passage. So if you've played the studio's previous games, you'll get even more emotions than those who have only played Alan Wake 1.

It feels like we've seen this singer somewhere before, doesn't it?

The two-sided world of the game

In fact, we have two worlds. The first one, in which the Saga is set, is the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, which at first glance is quiet and peaceful, with its own small towns (for which I have a special love). In addition to Bright Falls, which was in the first part, the town of Watery, founded by Finnish immigrants, was added, and there is also a large amusement park. At the same time, we can visit Cauldron Lake, which also has its own secrets and interesting objects. In general, it is a pleasure to be in this region. There are mountains, lakes, dense forests, small houses and interesting people all around. It reminds me of the animated series Gravity Falls, where everything seems to be fine, but it also has its own paranormal.

Locations where Saga will spend the most time: Bright Falls, Wateree, and Lake Caldron.

And then there is the world of Alan Wake. It's a dark place that is very similar to New York. And while I felt relatively comfortable in the world of Saga, even with all the problems, I always felt anxious in New York. You never know where the enemy is hiding, no one will help you, there is very little lighting. Even playing as Alan was a little harder, and in general, you want to get out of this damn place and not come back.

A dark version of New York.

But that's how it's supposed to work. After all, Alan has been in this nightmare for 13 years, and his desire is similar to the player's - to leave this place. He is never comfortable here, something is constantly terrorising him and trying to kill him. The saga, which has also accumulated a suitcase of problems, is at least in the real world, where it is calm during the day. And this contrast works well, because the worlds, locations, and state are constantly changing, which, together with the incredible story, makes you keep your gamepad in your hands and move on.

Slide the slider to see the difference between Saga's world and Alan's

Gameplay: life is saved by light

Given that Saga and Alan have their own peculiarities in the gameplay, I'll tell you how to play as each of them separately using the example of some tasks.

Detective Saga Anderson and the secrets around him

Saga arrives in Wateree to get to the trailer park. We need to find a person who can tell us where it is. After walking around, we find the Koskela Brothers, with whom we have a conversation about the park. From these conversations, Saga learns valuable information and is transported to the Mind Place, which is located in her head. This place has everything you need to continue your investigation, such as a crime board where Saga connects clues and evidence with red threads. Also on her desk is a dossier of all the important characters and at the right time she can read their thoughts to find out new details.

The place of Saga's mind

After that, Saga goes to the trailer park, which is located behind the amusement park. This is where the exploration process begins, as most of the locations are semi-open. For example, you can turn off the main road and find one of the Tree Cult chests, but you need a code to open it. The process of finding the code is always different. It can be just a key lying in the grass or a mathematical problem. Once you have the code, you open the chest and find a crossbow. That is why I advise you not to go straight through the story, but to try to explore everything you can. The locations are small, there is always a map, so you won't get lost, and at the same time, you will learn more about the game world and find interesting items or new clues to unravel the whole tangle of secrets.

An example of one of the finds that can be found at the locations

We reach an amusement park, we know that the key to the trailer is in the shop, but there are no keys. Instead, we find a note that mentions a screwdriver and its approximate location, and we realise that the rusty lock in the shop can be opened with this tool. We reach one of the rides where we are attacked by enemies. To fight them, we have a flashlight, because all the enemies are swallowed up by a shadow that can only be dispelled by light. There are also small arms and tools, such as a flare, to illuminate as much area as possible.

Yes, there are significantly fewer enemies, but it is also harder to fight them. It is advisable to shoot them in the head to use fewer bullets. Some enemies are affected by bullets only after being blinded with a flashlight, and flashlight batteries are the hardest to find. That's why most encounters with enemies are a separate challenge, and if you make mistakes, you have to run around and look for resources. I never had a situation where I ran out of ammo or first aid kits, but sometimes there was a total economy, where you count every round.

And this is how most of the Saga game works, but I didn't get bored playing it. The research process is made interesting. Somewhere you will find a puzzle that will allow you to get an accessory to the bracelet that makes the heroine stronger. Later, you see a chest containing resources, and you realise that you have to find the code, because then you will run around with 10 rounds of ammunition, which will quickly run out. At the same time, in the role of a detective, we conduct our investigation at the scene to get more answers. And at the end of most chapters, we'll have boss battles that stand out in their own right.

Alan's escape from the Darkness

Alan's adventures take place more indoors than outdoors, such as in a hotel or cinema. But what makes Alan's gameplay different is that some of the scenes we see are with real actors. If you need to turn on the projector to reveal more plot details, the scene on the projector will not be with game models, but with real people, which is quite unusual.

If Alan finds new details, he adds them to his script, which rewrites the events, so it often has to be manipulated to open up new passages and locations.

The place in Alan's head where he can rewrite the script to change the events of the game

But there are fewer elements of exploration for Alan. Yes, there are various chests and special characters that will improve the hero's score, but the locations are more corridor-based, although it works well for contrast. But it is much more difficult to deal with enemies.

Most of Alan's enemies are shadows, and that's where the difficulty lies. You don't know until the last moment whether it's just a shadow or whether it's going to attack you. So you either have to avoid them carefully, or get close and see how they react. If the shadow has dispersed, then everything is fine; if it is swinging, you have to dodge quickly and shine the flashlight. And this is another problem, because while in Saga you can kill half of the enemies without a flashlight, in Alan it won't work, and batteries are always the biggest deficit, so you constantly have to come up with something to stay unharmed and with resources.

And it is in the game as Alan that you feel that it is a survival horror, because there is a real problem with resources, and you almost always panic and check every cabinet and box for at least some resources. At the same time, you're constantly tense because you don't know where the nearest danger is. Although the game is more frightening not because of the screamers, but because of the sounds, atmosphere, psychodynamic moments, and the expectation that something is about to happen. But it doesn't happen, you relax for a few seconds, and then realise that this is your biggest mistake.

Immersive experience: graphics, sound, and performance on PS5

I played the game on PlayStation 5 and almost all the time the game kept a stable 60 fps. Sometimes there were drops, but they were not critical. The game never crashed, and there were no serious bugs either. Only once did the dialogue between the characters fail, and I had to restart the game. So it's not a situation where the game doesn't work well on release, but it literally needs a few more patches to fix all the minor issues.

One of the best visuals in 2023

Remedy uses its proprietary Northlight game engine, and it helped the developers create one of the most beautiful games of this year. In Alan Wake 2, most objects are very detailed, especially vegetation. There are always a lot of small details on the screen, which creates the feeling that each location is "alive". The authors have also done a good job with lighting, destruction of objects, and picturesque landscapes. The picture is constantly changing, because the game takes place at night, in the morning, in the evening, and during the day, which only adds variety and makes you look at those locations that you have already seen more than once. The only problem is minor visual bugs, when some textures "live their own life" and mirrors that do not show the reflection. That's why the game still needs a few patches, but otherwise, Alan Wake 2 is a game that shows how much graphics in games have changed in 13 years.

A soundtrack to add to your playlist

I don't remember the last time I added not just one or two songs from a game to my playlist, but almost the entire album. The soundtrack in the game is very cool. Firstly, after each mission, a different song sounds, and I recommend not skipping them but listening to them, because they put an end to each chapter. Secondly, the compositions in the game describe the world and events of the game, which immerses you even more. Some are calm, some are dramatic, some are driving, and each sounds at the right time.

The rest of the sounds are also fine. Gunshots, actors' voices, background noise, everything is voiced and recorded at a decent level. Together with the great visuals, this all turns Alan Wake 2 into a very atmospheric game that immediately absorbs you.

What I didn't like.

I have nothing to criticise Remedy for, but there is a problem that cannot be avoided. Some localisations are so bad that I still have no idea how it got into the game. In the Ukrainian localisation, it feels like a machine translation. Some of the phrases simply make no sense. For example, one of the objectives was translated as "Take the car back to Bright Falls". But we need to drive the car to Bright Falls. Or the sweater "Deer Diner" was translated as "Dear Deer". I can't evaluate the quality of other localisations, but people on Twitter complained about Spanish and German. The most common problem is that a canvas of text just appears on the screen and doesn't disappear until the end of the scene. It's a shame to see such a good game with such a poor localisation quality. The developer and publisher are already aware of this and are preparing patches that will fix the translation issues. But it is also known that the translation was entrusted to Keyword Studios, so the company should put more effort into translating games next time, because it spoiled the experience for some of the audience.

An example of one of the problems in some localisations is the full-screen text canvas

Five things you need to know about Alan Wake 2

  • Alan Wake 2 is Remedy's biggest game that will definitely compete for the Game of the Year award
  • Two playable characters are available in the game at once
  • Visually, Alan Wake 2 is one of the most beautiful games of 2023
  • At the release, some gamers faced problems with the localisation of some languages and minor visual bugs
  • A twisted plot and diverse gameplay do not let you go until the credits roll
Alan Wake 2
Genre Survival horror
Platforms. PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Number of players Single-player
Developer Remedy Entertainment
Publisher Epic Games
Time to complete 18-25 hours
Release date 27 October 2023

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