I didn't get the chance to experience Alan Wake when it was first released in 2010. The game’s cutscenes, quirky cast of characters, and the majestic Pacific Northwest vistas have been enhanced for an experience that delivers as much on its visual impact as its unnerving atmosphere. The tense, episodic story is packed with unexpected twists, heart-stopping cliff hangers, and intense bursts of combat where it takes more than bullets to banish the darkness. Alan Wake Remastered offers the complete experience, with the main game and its two story expansions - The Signal and The Writer - in stunning new 4K visuals. ![]() His nightmarish journey to find answers to the mind-bending mystery he faces will lead him into the terrifying depths of the night. He has no choice but to confront the forces of darkness armed only with his flashlight, a handgun and what remains of his shredded mind. Wake is soon forced to question his sanity, as page by page, the story comes true before his eyes: a hostile presence of supernatural darkness is taking over everyone it finds, turning them against him. Following her mysterious disappearance from the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls, he discovers pages of a horror story he has supposedly written, but he has no memory of. Following her mysterious disappearance from the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls, he discovers pages of a horror story he has supposedly written, but he has no memory In this cinematic action-thriller, troubled author Alan Wake embarks on a desperate search for his missing wife, Alice. Summary: In this cinematic action-thriller, troubled author Alan Wake embarks on a desperate search for his missing wife, Alice.Now do Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Remedy. For that alone, this is a journey worth experiencing. It’s easy now, to play Alan Wake Remastered, and see exactly which pieces of it were later chipped off and morphed into what eventually became Quantum Break or CONTROL. Where the original game was seen as (or expected to be) the next logical evolution for a beloved developer, it now serves as a retroactive blueprint for everything Remedy has done since. I tested the game on a PS5 and it maintained a rock-solid 60 frames at all times regardless of how hectic the action got.Īlan Wake Remastered, as it exists, is something of an oddity. So the remaster simply upscales the original game and pre-rendered cinematics to 4K. ![]() The art direction and atmosphere Remedy created in 2010 holds up wonderfully today, and the original game still looks gorgeous on PC. ![]() The remaster job itself is relatively minimalistic, but honestly I don’t think Alan Wake needed that much work to begin with. It’s not a terribly complex combat system but it still remains singularly unique and perfectly fits within the game’s themes. You also get access to flares and flashbangs that are a great way to get out of a jam if you find yourself a bit too outnumbered. ![]() In a neat touch, mashing the reload button will make Alan reload his gun faster which adds to the frenetic, scrappy energy of the fights. This sounds simple enough and even though there isn’t a ton of enemy variety, simply throwing large enough numbers of them can make for extremely tense skirmishes as you’re balancing your flashlight between multiple enemies, trying to keep count of your bullets along the way. The game’s central theme of light vs dark plays into the combat system, as your enemies are shrouded in darkness that you have to burn away with light before conventional weapons can harm them. You’re armed with a flashlight (which doubles as a crosshair) and a small assortment of guns and throwables. The puzzles are nothing to write home about but the combat, in my humble opinion, is utterly sublime. It’s a hell of a compelling yarn with an absolute barn-burner of an ending.Īs was essentially customary for games around that time, Alan Wake is mostly a third person shoulder shooter that occasionally takes breaks for puzzles or walk-and-talks, with the occasional driving section thrown in. There’s a pervading air of mystery and intrigue that underscores every minute of the game, but exactly what that mystery is can be something of a moving target. The episodic structure of the story isn’t just a gimmick either, because Remedy are able to craft a story that’s packed to the rafters with exciting climaxes and near-death escapes, constantly reinventing itself as it goes. All of that weirdness is portrayed in an overwhelmingly stylised and heightened action game, filtered through the cinematic and narrative lenses of David Lynch and Alfred Hitckcock with a side of Stephen King.
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