I remember playing the first Alan Wake a few years ago, and was captivated by its unique world and storytelling, inspired by surreal horror like Twin Peaks (which I love.) But I was a bit let down by repetitive gameplay and combat encounters.

Fast forward a few more years and I played Control on launch day, also developed by Remedy, and it seemed to fix everything I didn't like about Alan Wake with a brand new trippy and surreal horror story. Even better it seemed to be linked to the Alan Wake world, even more so with its final DLC that directly connects the two games.

Once Alan Wake II was finally announced I built my anticipation around what I loved about both previous games. I wanted a story and theme just as interesting as both games, but a definite improvement to combat and overall gameplay.

So now Alan Wake II is out, I beat it after a little over 30 hours, and I can confidently say that my expectation for this game were blown out of the water. This game is incredible, and an achievement in tension, storytelling, and visuals. Totally deserving for a Game of the Year nomination and is my personal game of the year at the time of reviewing.

The game obviously has you playing as the titular Alan Wake, but we have another character thrown into the mix, FBI agent Saga Anderson, as well as her partner, Alex Casey (played by the absolute legend himself, Sam Lake.) Both stories of Alan escaping the Dark Place and Saga solving a series of murders becomes increasingly connected as you play both characters.

I found the story incredible, and much like the first Alan Wake, the best part of the game, it's just phenomenal. I noticed a lot of inspiration from Control in how certain story moments are presented, and it made me really happy to see. Both characters stories are interesting, and how it all connects is so unique, I loved every second of it.

Gameplay is simple, pretty close to the first game, but definitely improved on all fronts. Much like the story, Alan and Saga have different approaches to gameplay. Combat is essentially the same, but Saga's ability to connect facts and progress on a case board, as well as a supernatural ability to communicate with people involved to further solve the game, and Alan's ability to write different themes to his story to literally rewrite reality to progress was all so interesting. Much like Control, this feels like a game I've never played before, and it's that unique feeling playing a game that I love and cherish so much.

Alan Wake II allows you to approach the story however you want with the ability to switch characters at almost any time, and I have mixed feeling about this. I feel like it doesn't always work with the pacing of the game, I couldn't switch during times I'd like, and thus the pacing felt a bit mixed at times. Still, I loved that both characters gameplay is varied enough that it broke up certain gameplay aspects enough that you don't get tired of doing one thing with one character for too long. Because as much as I love playing as both characters, I found myself having more fun playing as Alan, some of Saga's chapters felt long.

I wanted to throw in really quick that a lot of the gameplay reminds me of the most recent Resident Evil game, all the way down to the over the shoulder camera angle, as well as backtracking to explore different areas of the game as the story progresses and as you gain new items to unlock new areas.

Visuals are also absolutely insane, easily the best graphics of the year in my opinion. I was playing on quality mode on my PS5, and overall, it was a smooth experience, with a pretty choppy framerate in some areas. That's easily fixed with performance mode, but I was so blown away by the visual that I wanted to experience it in its full potential. But honestly, it's a travesty that this game didn't come with a photo mode, because almost every shot in the game was worthy of one. Who knows how many more hours I'd have in this game just taking pictures to spam social media with.

So, when the credits rolled, was I satisfied? One hundred percent, yes. This is the sequel I wanted and more. The way it ends has me so excited for what the future holds for both Alan Wake and Control. Remedy absolutely went above and beyond with this game. Again, this is my game of the year.

Cerebral, mind-bending, macabre, and thrilling are all words that describe Alan Wake 2 perfectly. A masterclass in survival-horror that doubles as the culmination of everything Remedy Entertainment has learned over its 20+ years in the games industry. Tensions are high throughout the entirety of the 20 hour runtime of Alan Wake 2, not only through combat, but through auditory cues, jump scares, changes in scenery, and striking shifts in color. Remedy utilizes all these tools to keep you on the edge of your seat while your heart pounds in your chest as you slightly turn your eyes from the screen in an attempt to reduce your anxiety. All of the best parts of Alan Wake 2 can be summed up in one word. Atmosphere.
Atmosphere is this games strongest aspect, and unlike other games of the same ilk that released this year such as Resident Evil 4 Remake and Dead Space, there is less combat here than you would expect. I found the majority of my playtime was spent piecing together the story, exploring the different locales and looking for collectibles, callbacks to other Remedy games, and hints at future events in the story or the greater Remedy Connected Universe rather than fighting Taken. That being said, combat is a delight in this game. Every encounter is important due to scarcity of ammo and other items, especially during boss fights, but I do wish there were more enemies to defeat. Graphically, this game astounded me at every cutscene and set-piece, and was enhanced by a robust and vivid color palette that truly nails the feeling of Autumn in a small rural town.
The story in Alan Wake 2 answers so many questions that players were left with after the first game’s ending, but tactfully introduces just as many (if not more) new questions and ideas into the fold. No spoilers, but I DO wish some of the new stuff that was introduced here was explained/explored more fully, as they really did a fantastic job of weaving new characters, plotlines, and genuinely intriguing concepts into the Remedy Connected Universe. If Alan Wake and Control are anything to go off of, I’m sure we can expect some DLC to tie up these loose ends before too long, and I am more than excited to return to this universe.

So good. One of my new favorite stories about meta-narratives.

Everything really hinges on the story here. This game coils on itself again and again in a way that's deeply confusing at first, but very clear and legible in the end. It's truly a feat to take in all the levels on which this game operates.

The one weak point has got to be the gameplay, mainly the combat. Every other mechanic works well to fit within the theme of the story, and the gunplay should too. It's just wonky and never really amounts to something good as the game goes on. It's serviceable but that's about it.

Just about everything else fucking rocks. The artistic direction is immaculate, the humor and horror are on point. The pacing of it all and the story twists are meticulously crafted to a tee. And the sound design ? Maybe one of the best things about it.

I'll end on saying that one level in particular concerning music has got to be one of my favorite gaming moments of 2023. The ideas are so wild for such a big production... It's really a treat.

While Alan Wake II was on my radar, I didn't expect it to be THIS good. AW2 is a masterwork of surreal survival horror. With some many layers to unpack in its story and presentation, to its tense and engaging combat, AW2 takes you on a wild ride that you won't soon forget.

The shining star here is the story and presentation. Some may find Sam Lake's writing to be a bit pretentious at times, but I found this to be his best work. The game is separated into two stories: the titular character, Alan Wake, is trying to escape The Dark Place after the events of the first game, and the brand new character, Saga Anderson, is attempting to solve a string of murders that are occurring in Bright Falls. The story has so many surprising moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Those who enjoy a complex narrative will find themselves wholly engaged with every chapter, especially when playing as Alan.

The gameplay is expanded and more modernized from the previous game. With tons of stuff to collect, weapons to try, and intimidating enemy encounters. There are a few boss fights as well that help increase the tension even more. The general design of the game from both stories are unique and interesting.

AW2 just achieves a vibe that I haven't felt from any franchise since the golden era of Silent Hill. It isn't cheap horror, nor is it meant to be scoffed as some kind of stupid jump-scare fest (tho there is a fair share of those). The metanarrative and deeper themes only sink you more and more into the horror. I won't dare spoil anything, but this is most definitely the best narrative of the year.

In terms of negatives, I do think that the dodge that you're given for combat is a bit finicky, especially when trying to get a perfect dodge against enemies. I also found that exploration can be a bit tiresome. This may just be a me thing, but I don't really like when a survival horror game tries to have open world elements. I like a more linear approach overall, with some little side paths or optional little areas for some extra goodies to collect. Having the game be open world (mostly for Sagas story, but also somewhat present in Alan's) just made me feel like I was getting too drawn away from the main narrative and objective. It was fun sure, but it kind of took me out of the tense experience a lot.

All that being said, Alan Wake II is an absolute banger of a game. Yet another GOTY contender in my eyes. Remedy is continuing to put out some incredible games lately, and is quickly becoming one of the best developers around. This is a must play for any survival horror fan. Though I would recommend either playing through the original Alan Wake or reading up on the events of that game in order to fully enjoy this one.

My Game of the year.

Experimental, layered, innovative, brilliant. Could only work as a video game and could only be done by Remedy.

bugs made me depressed and miserable because they completely halted my progress for 2 days but they’re fixed now and the ending was so good that I completely forgive them. BUT I don’t wanna see that bullshit in a game ever again I nearly took my god damn life.

Not controversial to say that writing in video games aren’t anything extraordinary barring a few cases, but this narrative had me clutching my balls from the prologue all the way through to the cliff hanger conclusion. What starts as a simple murder mystery, evolves into a huge multi media, genre spanning survival horror experience.

The combat is nothing special whatsoever but it does what it’s supposed to do and I have no gripes with it, the few boss fights are fun and I’m glad they’re centred around interesting mechanics rather than bullet sponges.

Alan’s scene writing gimmick is one of the most coolest video game mechanics I’ve ever seen, I never got bored of it once and it’s so intuitive. Thank u next gen

Visually one of the greatest games out rn. The dense forests or the noire stylised New York, it’s jaw dropping every time. Some of the best environmental story telling I’ve ever seen, every pixel was designed with love.

As a Norse mythology enjoyer I was very happy to see it be a central theme throughout the game, it’s in your face while subtle at the same time, they respect your intelligence. Small note I haven’t seen mentioned much, Remedy filling the game with Finnish culture is such a nice touch. Specifically having Ahti sing Yötôn Yõ, I haven’t been able to get the song out of my head all week.

Speaking of music… it’s huge in this game. Every chapter closes out with a song with relevant lyrics, sitting back for 2 minutes and digesting the chapter you just played while the lyrics make you rethink everything again is an amazing feeling.

There are so many brilliant characters here, Brightfalls and Watery are so alive. There’s not necessarily any side quests or real interactions with the majority of npcs, but these places fill really lived in. So much personality displayed in every corner. Ahti, Rosa, Odin, Tor, Mulligan, Thornton, Booker, Door, all beyond exceptional. And this is just the side characters… Wake is as you’d expect, but Saga is a really great addition to the game. I think her voice work is a little rough at times but the character is brilliant.

Giving the choice to switch between either character and play at our own pace after the introduction was a genius move, I personally played through all of Alan’s side and then came back for Saga, but you can go in whichever order you please.

There’s foreshadowing thrown in your face from the get go, things are constantly being revealed while asking more questions, while also wrapping everything up in a nice bow and at the same time, opening the door for another sequel. I’m super invested in Remedy’s universe and will definitely will be playing Control after.

I haven’t actually said much of substance since I think it’s best you play this as blind as you possibly can. There’s more I wanna say but it’s 6am, pls just play the game

start to finish, the most well-crafted story i have experienced all year. the fucking story within the story within the story is interesting. how do you even do that. did you know that there's a full 20 minute short film that is entirely missable. it makes almost no sense on your first watch but like. the amount of love and care that went into this is insane.

this has some of the best atmosphere and tension building i've ever had the pleasure of seeing or playing through, it's so dread inducing and does such a perfect job in all of its horror aspects. i do not have the words. so good. top 3 game of the year

An absolute masterpiece from Remedy. This game is leaps and bounds better than the first game and is my favorite game in their catalogue by a mile.

Alan Wake II is such a wonderfully strange and passionate project - I'm so glad we have games this weird being made in 2023 without developers needing to compromise on their vision. Remedy has perfected their craft here - the story is absurd and entertaining, the graphics, art direction and presentation are absolutely insane (the mix of in-engine and live-video cutscenes was genius) and the gameplay is fun and doesn't overstay its welcome (probably the weakest part of the package but not bad at all; it felt much better than the first game).

I have to give a special shout-out to the sound design in this game - it's truly top notch. I highly recommend playing with headphones; the music and sound effects create an incredibly tense atmosphere that immersed me the entire time. I was genuinely creeped out from the sound design alone and it made the experience that much better.

As I've slowly been making my way through Remedy's catalogue the last few years I've realized that they're one of the most talented developers working today. You can tell that they put their all into their projects and that they're true labors of love. Alan Wake II was one of the best gaming experiences I've had this year and I'm beyond excited to dig deeper into their Remedy Connected Universe in the years to come.

As always, with a narrative heavy game like this it's tough for me to talk more in depths about the nuances of the story without getting into spoilers but I am going to do my best here as Alan Wake II has a lot to unpack. What I can absolutely say is this: Remedy continue to be masters of style, atmosphere, and story telling.

Alan Wake II is a massive departure from the first game in terms of how it looks, plays, and just generally feels. It is much more of a survival horror game this time around with proper grid-based, Resident Evil-ass inventory management. Enemies feel to be more of a threat, and in general we have a much darker and more terrifying tone than the first game.
Dark areas are dark and your flashlight feels more important than ever, as infrequent uses of street lights, safe rooms, and neon provide some semblance of relief among the atmosphere. For fans of the previous game Control, a lot of impressive visual tricks to mess with the player are used in this game, but do be warned that there is a liberal usage of old-fashioned hard-cut jump scares as well.

The game features two playable protagonists, Saga and Alan. Once both are properly introduced, the player can freely hop between them in safe rooms and play their stories in whatever order they wish. I could certainly see different players coming away with wholly different experiences depending on if they choose to prioritize one over the other, or keep an even balance throughout. Both characters have their own collectibles, with Saga pinning hers up on a corkboard and Alan using them to strengthen various gameplay abilities.

As for the narrative, it is a wild ride from start to finish. I can certainly see it being divisive (in full honesty, I am still not totally settled on this score) and at times it feels fairly cyclical. There were a couple of moments that I felt like Remedy was more "checking a box" for a thing that has to be in Remedy games now, but it all still serves a meaningful purpose for either the story or the player, and is executed well. Saga is a fantastic new character with her own quirks and struggles, and she had me every bit as invested as Alan himself. Overall, I am excited to see what the Final Draft and the DLC will bring, and what ultimately will be next in line from Remedy.

Alan Wake 2 is a work of art. It is bold, cryptic, and does not compromise on its own weirdness nor the messages it wishes to convey. It is definitely rough in some areas but still manages to be a charming package overall. I don't think I have played a AAA game so uncompromising since Death Stranding, and I hope we continue to get more crazy off-the-wall shit like this.