DentalDynamite
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I need scissors! 61!
I need scissors! 61!
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This small budgeted little standalone addition to the original Alan Wake fixes the predecessor's biggest problem, actually being fun to play. With the addition of new enemy types, a lot more weapons and improvements in the responsiveness to Alan's movement, I actually thought the combat system was quite enjoyable. In addition to that, this game with its own little self-contained story being set inside the fictional show Night Springs isn't nearly as long as the original Alan Wake game, which means the gameplay doesn't overstay it's welcome this time. The story told was alright elevated by the antagonist Mr. Scratch, which results in a more cheesy tone compared to Alan Wake, but this fitted the narrative context well. The most interesting part for me were the manuscript pages giving us more details about characters from Alan Wake and what happened to them after the events in the previous game.
Worth a look for everyone that enjoyed the original game.
Worth a look for everyone that enjoyed the original game.
A game heavily inspired by Twin Peaks, of which there aren't many of. It's dripping in atmosphere, especially in those beautiful rendered dense forests. Has a great narrative with a good cast of characters. One of the narrative devices used is a rather unique way of conveying parts of the story, this being manuscript pages scattered around the world, which foreshadow a lot of events. All of this makes sense in the narrative context and creates its own sort of twisted, gripping suspension. I would not classify Alan Wake as a horror game, but I love its unique thriller atmosphere. Another thing I love about it and remedy games in general is their incorporation of other media forms, the highlight being the TV show Night Springs, of which the player can watch multiple episodes of. This TV show of course being a homage to Twilight Zone is often really odd and adds a lot to the unique ambiance I like about Alan Wake.
What kind of brings the game down unfortunately, is the gameplay side of things. The combat system in theory has interesting ideas, with a heavy focus on light as an offensive and defensive mechanism. But the combat really falters under the game's 10-15h runtime, with too few enemy types to fight and not nearly enough variety for the player to approach fights differently.
I also thought, that the last Episode felt rushed, which got remedied through the DLC Episodes though.
But even with the at best serviceable gameplay, I still think this is a unique experience, which earned its cult status and should be experienced.
What kind of brings the game down unfortunately, is the gameplay side of things. The combat system in theory has interesting ideas, with a heavy focus on light as an offensive and defensive mechanism. But the combat really falters under the game's 10-15h runtime, with too few enemy types to fight and not nearly enough variety for the player to approach fights differently.
I also thought, that the last Episode felt rushed, which got remedied through the DLC Episodes though.
But even with the at best serviceable gameplay, I still think this is a unique experience, which earned its cult status and should be experienced.
While I enjoyed the excellent written and voiced characters, they just could not carry the whole 20h or so journey the game takes to complete. The shallow gameplay loop became stale rather quick, and the game just dragged on for the next dozens of hours. The only thing that kept me going was the banter between the cast and the resulting humorous and sometimes emotional moments. This whole dynamic between all the characters is a real accomplishment, but I would have rather watched a show with them, than playing this game, which I kinda forced myself to finish.