Alan Wake 2 Review
This is the ritual to lead you on. Your friends will meet him when you are gone.
Alan Wake 2 is a triumphant return to the magic lake which gave life to the words the author used.
Though developers Remedy Entertainment have been hinting at links between their games as far back as the original Alan Wake, it wasn’t until 2019’s Control and its downloadable expansion AWE that they really began to tie things together. With the release of Alan Wake 2, these painstakingly wrought connections have paid off handsomely, with characters and plotlines from across the Remedy Connected Universe – along with recognizable facsimiles from IPs they no longer control including Max Payne and Quantum Break – collide in spectacular fashion.
Alan Wake 2 picks up 13 years after the original game was released and the titular character re-entered the nightmarish Dark Place hidden beneath Cauldron Lake to save his wife Alice from the sinister Dark Presence residing there. Ever since, the successful crime-fiction author has tried unsuccessfully to write himself a way out by using the reality-warping powers of the Dark Place. Meanwhile, in the real world, FBI agent Saga Anderson and her partner Alex Casey are investigating a series of ritual killings taking place near the lake in which the victim’s hearts are removed. When Saga is confronted with unexplainable supernatural events, she discovers that both her story and Wake’s are inextricably bound together as the Dark Presence stirs again.
The game is broken up into two distinct narratives – one each for Saga and Wake – that you can generally switch between at your own leisure. Befitting her nature as a cop, Saga’s story is the more action-oriented of the two, and features a wider array of upgradeable weapons along with boss encounters. She also utilizes a “mind palace” technique to organize her thoughts, which in the context of the game manifests as an innovative mechanic that allows you to find and connect clues in order to make informed deductions that drive the overall plot forward.
Wake’s segments, on the other hand, lean more strongly into the horror elements and themes present in the story, and you often benefit from taking a more measured and stealthy approach in the darkness. Though he doesn’t have Saga’s arsenal, he is armed and extremely dangerous with his typewriter, as works of art like Wake’s writing can alter reality inside (and sometimes outside!) of the Dark Place. By drawing inspiration from visions he encounters, Wake can literally rewrite the “scenes” in his ongoing story, letting you change his world as an elaborate puzzle-solving mechanism.
Visually speaking, Alan Wake 2 is an absolutely stunning game, and Remedy has once again demonstrated their mastery of the latest graphical techniques, such as ray-tracing. Likewise, its art direction is inspired, with each distinct location perfectly hitting its every mark. From the sinister urban sprawl of Dark Place New York to the tranquil, dead shores of Cauldron Lake, every step is filled with beauty and haunted by the dread of what might be awaiting you around the next corner.
Fans of Remedy’s previous works will no doubt be aware that sound and especially music are incredibly important to their games, and Alan Wake 2 is no exception. The atmosphere of the Dark Place within Cauldron Lake and the land around it are truly elevated through creepy and clever audio effects, and the music is absolutely incredible. As with its predecessor (just one example from a long line of inspirations taken from Twin Peaks), there are chapter end songs, but this time around they’re beautiful, wholly original creations inspired by the dark poems you encounter in your journey. Old Gods of Asgard – the in-game alter ego of real-life band Poets of the Fall – also make their return, and are integral to the most amazing video game sequence that I’ve ever encountered thus far. Yes, it is better than Control’s Ashtray Maze (if you know, you know).
13 years is a long time for a sequel to be developed, and given the hype generated by the original’s cult-like following from the narrative seeds planted in Control, Remedy had a lot to live up to. Rest assured: as someone who absolutely adores Alan Wake, I can tell you that the wait for its sequel was absolutely worth it, and that creative director (and face of Max Payne/Alex Casey) Sam Lake’s creative vision has been flawlessly executed. Alan Wake 2 is an expert take on the survival-horror genre, and a lovingly crafted story about stories and their power to captivate – and in some cases change – the world around them.
Alan Wake 2
Completed January 6, 2024
Overall
★★★★★
FAQ
What is Alan Wake 2?
Alan Wake 2 is a third-person action game with strong horror and survival-horror elements. It is the latest entry in the Remedy Connected Universe, which also includes Control and Alan Wake and is tangentially related – but not directly connected, for reasons of IP ownership – to Quantum Break and the Max Payne series.
Do I need to play Alan Wake or other games in the Remedy Connected Universe to understand Alan Wake 2?
No. Though doing so will bring you a better appreciation of the events unfolding, Alan Wake 2 does an excellent job of setting up and contextualizing the relevant characters and plots.
How much does Alan Wake 2 cost?
As of January 17, 2024:
How long is Alan Wake 2?
It took me roughly 24 hours to completely finish the game with all collectables, which also included a second playthrough to achieve the true ending.
Will Alan Wake 2 receive any DLC or expansions?
Yes! The game has already been updated with a new Final Draft new game plus mode that adds additional collectables and a new ending.
In addition, two full expansions have been announced, including Night Springs, in which you play as some of the side characters in their own self-contained stories, and The Lake House, in which you return to the dual narratives of Saga and Alan as they explore the Federal Bureau of Control’s Cauldron Lake research facility.
Have you ever played Alan Wake 2? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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