played through it before getting to Alan Wake 2 in the future, the atmosphere and narrative are very unique, these are easily the best things about this whole game.

the combat design is also good on paper but it misses the mark on some points, the guns feel satisfying to shoot, Alan controls well and I like the flashlight mechanic with the battery management standing out the most but taking down enemies's darkness shields takes an good while which in my view kinda ruins the flow of combat, the dodge mechanic is also very clumsy, the timing to avoid attacks doens't feel tight enough and if you mess up enemies will start to combo you to death, enemy attacks are also hard to telegraph and some of them even come out off-screen without an warning.

the dull enviroments are also an issue, you will often walk around in forests or abandoned mills/ghost towns.

overall Alan Wake is an very unique game that stands out thanks to it's great atmosphere and engaging narrative, the action elements are tight but the lack of polish on them in some areas often brings out boredom and unfairness whenever you are engaging into combat, the enviroments are often dull and lacks any variety, I would say to play one chapter per playing session and come back later for an more refreshing experience if you are planning to blast through this game.

nonetheless I enjoy it enough to keep going, looking forward to the DLCs and Control!