If remedy have proved one thing as a developer its that they can craft a game with a solid mood and tone. If they proved a second it’s that they make games with gloriously satisfying combat.
Alan wake continues this trend.
Taking its inspiration from the likes of Stephen King and David Lynch Alan Wake is arguably an action laced thriller.
A game about a writer named no prizes for guessing Alan Wake suffering from writing fatigue and frustrated with his passion. Alan travels to the quiet mountain town of bright falls with his wife to get away from it all. But within short time his life is plunged into darkness literally when his significant other goes missing and he starts being attacked by shadowy figures in his attempts to find her.
Alan spends the majority of his time wandering through creepy forest like environments at night with the occasional industrial based set piece aside.
Combat is based round using a combination of fire power and light based equipment to weaken or kill foes. Controls are solid for the most part although I would advise changing the default controls as I could never quite adjust to pressing the left bumper to dodge both left and right as it’s simply more instinctive to use both.
Other than that controls are tight including the dodge mechanic which must be used sparingly as Alan cant simply agent smith his way round enemies attacks so spamming the bumpers will simply get you killed.
I could see how some could say the environments are repetitive as you will spend 80% of your time in a forest. But remedy do a lot with this one environment to keep things fresh and interesting braking monotony up with the likes of cabin’s to loot, enemy choke points, a lumber yard and other such points of interest.
One thing I did find redundant was the enemy variety. There are basically two types of shadow figures, on top of shadow birds and animated objects as well as the odd super shadow figure that’s usually part of the plot however each of the super shadows employs same abilities. It would have been nice to see some more suitable enemies such as wolves and even more monstrous creations thrown into the mix or even give existing enemy’s more attacks. This feels like a missed opportunity which hopefully the inevitable sequel address’s although I’ll say again that the games pacing and set pieces do stop things becoming too repetitive.
The most crucial choice in my opinion was the decision to roll the camera back to show enemies pursuing you. This in a sense gave Alan a sort of clairvoyance which in my opinion ruined a lot of the scares as you weren’t being caught off guard by enemies nearly as much. This to me is the single element that changed this game from being horror based to a slightly creepy action game. It shouldn't surprise that the games pacing is very similar to remedy's other franchise max payne levels aren't numerous however they are long.
Graphically the game is excellent with superb lighting effects as you’d expect.
Sound is also key as it can alert you to an upcoming enemy’s presence. The game’s soundtrack is also very suitable for crafting a story as licensed songs serve to break up usually tense chapters. Complimented by a fantastic original score.
The game isn’t extremely long clocking in at roughly 7-10 hours although it is satisfying enough to play through a second time on the included nightmare difficulty and gain all the collectables which give a greater insight into the game's mystery . DLC is also available extending the game by a third.
The game has some memorable moments.
One stand out moment of awesomeness which I wont ruin involves Alan and his friend Barry showing a little bit of attitude on a farm owned by a pair of ageing senile rock stars.
Overall wake is a tense atmospheric and engaging experience with a pacing similar to remedy's classic Max Payne series but with a sprinkling of creepiness. The story does feel a little unsatisfying towards the end as if it was chopped deliberately for DLC but anyone looking for something horror flavoured that doesn’t involve asinine puzzle solving and item management should give wake a try.
End score: 8.5/10
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