This review contains spoilers
ALAN WAKE 2 IS A LIGHT IN THE DARK
My ex once talked about how she played Alan Wake on the Xbox 360. My ex sucks, so naturally, I assumed Alan Wake must also have sucked. I still do not know whether or not Alan Wake sucks. But I can say this:
Alan Wake 2 rules.
The game activated my "awe receptors" every time it decided to take an idea or technical ambition, and just fucking run with it. There are sections of this game that had me grinning ear to ear. The devs were clearly having a blast at least with the creative boldness they were willing to exhibit. There is a chapter in particular (if you know, you know) that is probably one of my favorite levels in a video game now. Alan Wake 2 is not just "another survival/psychological horror game". It's also a film, a satire, and even a musical comedy. Fuck it even has a few Tim and Eric-esque advertisements that had me cackling.
The technical aspects of this game were much like its plot, MIND BENDING. And not just in terms of fidelity. The sparing use of intensely saturated reds and greens was like something out of a French New Wave film. It really added a sense of frantic atmosphere to the Dark Place/Overlap sections. There was also the...previously mentioned iconic...section of the game when my jaw "literally dropped" when I realized the light from the giant TV "screens" were casting path tracing lights on the environment.
Sound design is incredible. There's a constant watery blurble that fades in and out within the environments of the levels. You're trained to fear this sound because it typically means a scary monster is near. But you start to feel as paranoid as the literally tortured writer himself when you realize that watery blurble that made you dread turning the corner was just a water cooler.
Being pretty damn experienced with writing and the genre, I was able to intuit a number of the plot's many twists and turns. But it didn't make the journey to them any less fun or intriguing. Protagonists Alan and Saga are both very solid leads. Their sections play differently (Saga's being more survival horror and Alan's more psychological) and offer refreshing balance. This is especially cool due to the fact that you are able to freely switch back and forth between their stories.
I think that all aspects of Alan Wake 2 are executed with exceptional skill...except for one little part. See, this game is almost a mirror of the Resident Evil 4 Remake of the same year (LAST YEAR). Alan Wake beats it out when it comes to presentation and artistic vision. But RE4 Remake decimates it in the gameplay department.
The gunplay is satisfying, and the flashlight feels tactile when using the power of Duracell to compel shadow zombies to kindly obliterate. But the enemy variety and design are painfully bland. There are exactly five enemies in the game: normal dudes, big dudes, dudes that throw stuff, spooky mirrored body dudes, and, of fucking course, DOGS. Exactly one of those enemies has a novel and spooky design. The rest usually end up being the same dude in a flannel shirt holding a blunt weapon. It's scary to hide and run from them, but it's not very fun to fight them. Especially when they fucking teleport around and "omae wa mo" you constantly, appearing right in front of your face to bash in your head. And this is kind of too bad considering it's...one of the most core elements to the experience.
That being said, when I first saw the HLTB, and that the average "story only" playthrough was around 22.5 hours, I was like "For a horror game? Oh Lord...That's way too long". However, I can tell you now that I am entirely satisfied with the game's length. I one-hundred percented Alan Wake 2, clocking in around 25 hours, and I wasn't bored for a moment.
Alan Wake 2 is an experience I'll likely not soon forget. If you come to this review in the future and find it has a five star rating rather than its current 4.5, you'll know that I am still thinking about it and realized I could overlook a bit of mediocre combat and enemy design in favor of every other incredible way this game delighted me.
My ex once talked about how she played Alan Wake on the Xbox 360. My ex sucks, so naturally, I assumed Alan Wake must also have sucked. I still do not know whether or not Alan Wake sucks. But I can say this:
Alan Wake 2 rules.
The game activated my "awe receptors" every time it decided to take an idea or technical ambition, and just fucking run with it. There are sections of this game that had me grinning ear to ear. The devs were clearly having a blast at least with the creative boldness they were willing to exhibit. There is a chapter in particular (if you know, you know) that is probably one of my favorite levels in a video game now. Alan Wake 2 is not just "another survival/psychological horror game". It's also a film, a satire, and even a musical comedy. Fuck it even has a few Tim and Eric-esque advertisements that had me cackling.
The technical aspects of this game were much like its plot, MIND BENDING. And not just in terms of fidelity. The sparing use of intensely saturated reds and greens was like something out of a French New Wave film. It really added a sense of frantic atmosphere to the Dark Place/Overlap sections. There was also the...previously mentioned iconic...section of the game when my jaw "literally dropped" when I realized the light from the giant TV "screens" were casting path tracing lights on the environment.
Sound design is incredible. There's a constant watery blurble that fades in and out within the environments of the levels. You're trained to fear this sound because it typically means a scary monster is near. But you start to feel as paranoid as the literally tortured writer himself when you realize that watery blurble that made you dread turning the corner was just a water cooler.
Being pretty damn experienced with writing and the genre, I was able to intuit a number of the plot's many twists and turns. But it didn't make the journey to them any less fun or intriguing. Protagonists Alan and Saga are both very solid leads. Their sections play differently (Saga's being more survival horror and Alan's more psychological) and offer refreshing balance. This is especially cool due to the fact that you are able to freely switch back and forth between their stories.
I think that all aspects of Alan Wake 2 are executed with exceptional skill...except for one little part. See, this game is almost a mirror of the Resident Evil 4 Remake of the same year (LAST YEAR). Alan Wake beats it out when it comes to presentation and artistic vision. But RE4 Remake decimates it in the gameplay department.
The gunplay is satisfying, and the flashlight feels tactile when using the power of Duracell to compel shadow zombies to kindly obliterate. But the enemy variety and design are painfully bland. There are exactly five enemies in the game: normal dudes, big dudes, dudes that throw stuff, spooky mirrored body dudes, and, of fucking course, DOGS. Exactly one of those enemies has a novel and spooky design. The rest usually end up being the same dude in a flannel shirt holding a blunt weapon. It's scary to hide and run from them, but it's not very fun to fight them. Especially when they fucking teleport around and "omae wa mo" you constantly, appearing right in front of your face to bash in your head. And this is kind of too bad considering it's...one of the most core elements to the experience.
That being said, when I first saw the HLTB, and that the average "story only" playthrough was around 22.5 hours, I was like "For a horror game? Oh Lord...That's way too long". However, I can tell you now that I am entirely satisfied with the game's length. I one-hundred percented Alan Wake 2, clocking in around 25 hours, and I wasn't bored for a moment.
Alan Wake 2 is an experience I'll likely not soon forget. If you come to this review in the future and find it has a five star rating rather than its current 4.5, you'll know that I am still thinking about it and realized I could overlook a bit of mediocre combat and enemy design in favor of every other incredible way this game delighted me.