Back in September, I wrote a preview for the highly anticipated survival horror story that is Alan Wake 2. Having been 13 years since we last saw Alan Wake, there was a lot to live up to. Plus, the Gamescom 2023 showcase gave a peek into the new nightmare.
Well, after a couple months, I was finally able to dive in, and let me tell you…
It was absolutely glorious, and worth every bit of the wait.
Return to Bright Falls with me in this Alan Wake 2 Review, as I share insights on the story, favorite features and mechanics, and overall thoughts.
The Story
Alan Wake 2 introduces a new character: FBI agent Saga Anderson. Her and Alex Casey are called to investigate a gruesome murder in Bright Falls. Come to find out there’s way more to unravel as Saga investigates unending mysteries of the town.
At a certain point in the story, you’re able to switch between Saga in Bright Falls and Alan in the Dark place. This creates a nice change of pace throughout, and a unique perspective shift as you progress.
The story itself is nothing short of brilliant. I’m still wrapping my head around all the nuances, easter eggs, development, and little connections, let alone the plot setup. I was incredibly surprised that, while nominated, it didn’t win Game of the Year. However, it took home the awards for Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction, all rightfully so. It conquered these awards against some true beasts of competition in titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
What’s even crazier, and completely unexpected based on the events leading up to the ending: it’s not over.
I just pray they don’t wait another thirteen years!
Notable Features and Game Mechanics
Mechanics:
Number one on this list is, in my opinion, Saga’s “Mind Place”. This is a mental replica of the investigation room Saga and Casey have set up in Bright Falls. At any point during the game when playing as Saga, you can visit her Mind Place to review case files and manuscript pages, profile characters, and upgrade weapons. Not only is this an incredible concept in itself, but when going through and solving the cases, you get to “pin” new info up on the wall (the “case board”) as pictures/notes, etc, and the info automatically connects using a classic red string. It is such a cool visual, and makes it that much more exciting.
Another one would be the shoebox. There’s one at every save point. It is basically your stash. Initially it seemed annoying and pointless, but as you progress through the story, you acquire a few more weapons that you can’t practically carry on you. Plus, you need to dump the ammo for the weapons you’re not currently using (or the ones you don’t favor). This is where it comes in handy.
Now the shoebox is accessible to both Saga and Alan. However, they are separate stashes. While I understand keeping the dynamic and challenge separate in this way, it might have been cool for the shoebox to be a shared stash. So, high quantity/extra items could be shared between them in an additional way to support each other. Not a big deal at all, just something I thought about in the middle of one of the chapters.
Other Features:
A little something that just made me smile was how they wrote and portrayed Alex Casey’s character. Particularly in the Dark Place when playing as Wake, Casey embodies who we know to be Max Payne, just with a different name. It’s hard not to be sentimental, especially when both Alex and Max share Sam Lake’s likeness (the Creative Director of Remedy) and voice actor, the late James McCaffrey. This is certainly a nod for die-hard fans.
Another one that really amped me up has to do with the connection to Remedy’s 2019 release, Control. In Control, you’re exposed to this weird kids TV Show that was supposedly developed as a way to learn and navigate the FBC protocols. But it’s, well, very weird. In Alan Wake 2, when playing as Saga, you discover nursery rhyme puzzles, and a set of dolls to help solve them. You come across these and some research from Dr. Darling of the FBC (a key character in Control) about creating – can you guess it? A kids show based on nursery rhymes.
Last but not least, to prepare you slightly: be ready for the jump-scares. Being in the survival horror genre there’s bound to be plenty – and I can confirm. The most notable being Saga’s trip to the Valhalla Nursing Home, specifically the episode of tracking down Cynthia Weaver. This chapter in AW2 ramped up the nerves big time, not to mention added an interesting new enemy. But it’s a huge turning point in the story.
Okay one more thing – and it’s really such a small thing, and it’s simply a comparison. In Control, there’s a part called the “Ashtray Maze”. You receive Ahti’s cassette player in order to make it through. In my opinion, the Ashtray Maze is an absolute gaming masterpiece that cannot be rivaled. The music in combination with the level and maze design is and will forever be unmatched. In Alan Wake 2, I believe they attempted a similar feat with “Herald of Darkness”. The music was incredible, and there were definitely some cool aspects of the level design, but I found myself disappointed in the end.
Overview
My general thoughts are that Alan Wake 2 deserves every bit of praise and recognition it has received and will continue to receive as more people discover it. It stood on its own in 2023 as the No.2 game of the year. It’s one that will have plenty of replayability especially around Halloween when gamers and streamers are looking for a creepy, dark, horror thriller.
While it didn’t take the prize of game of the year, it had plenty more accolades to boast about among some tough competition. The twisted scenes of Bright Falls and The Dark Place continue to bend reality, and you can count on at least this die-hard fan waiting in eager anticipation to see Alan Wake again.
Happy gaming nerds!
