The game started off pretty questionable in the first chapter, and I didn’t expect it to change, but man was I wrong. The game did an entire 180 and turned out fantastic. It felt surreal to play a new Silent Hill game in 2024 that actually had the vibes of the originals, I loved all the references to the original games as well. The visuals were stunning, the transition to the other world visuals were absolutely fantastic. The cherry blossom monster had such a fantastic design, and the chase segments were engaging and intense. The final chase segment was just great, the visuals gave me vibes of the otherworld hospital in Silent Hill 3, the creature AI was actually well made as well and it did a really good job of trying to catch you and cut you off. Overall this game was such a surprise and it genuinely gives me hope for this franchise’s future. Konami proved that they still have it in them, and both Masahiro Ito, and Akira Yamaoka did amazing jobs as usual, their work is some of the best and most unique in the industry, and I'm really happy to see them back working on this franchise. I love this franchise and seeing it come back like this makes me very excited for the future.

Watching some people react to this game's pretty simple and inoffensive message of "when you're isolated and on the brink, a small connection from another human can help begin healing" with "it's illegal to tell stories about mental illness that don't end with the illness 100% cured but also if you do cure the illness that's cheap but suggesting that there's no moment where you're 'cured' you just grow and become better at dealing with it is ALSO evil. And suggesting that small things might help depression is evil and ableist and also suggesting that getting help is good is also evil and ableist. And also displaying mental illness as being debilitating is bad but also displaying it as being minor amounts to shooting mentally ill people in the head. And also it's misogynistic to suggest mentally ill people, some of whom are women, can be helped or even saved by human connection" makes me SO excited for how today's media landscape is going to absorb, flatten and wreck the themes of games that actually HAVE deeply nuanced, complicated things to say about mental illnesses and healing from them.

Like, say, Silent Hill 2.

ANYWAY! I thought it was fine, great in some parts and weak in others. It's VERY on the nose about its theme — but people are still missing it, so whatcha gonna do. The reaction from people with 0 media literacy is frankly more interesting to me than the game itself. STILL, I enjoyed it well enough and I think a lot of the disdain it's getting has more to do with the way that modern Silent Hill fans have decided that anything new is inherently bad and cheap and will never live up to some imagined past of perfection than the actual game itself, which is, at WORST, mid and anvilicious.

To anyone who has played Alan Wake II, it is very clear what the moment of the game is, perhaps, the undeniable best moment in a game this year. Up until this point, Alan Wake II has already been an incredibly impressive showcasing of over two decades of Remedy’s work, both technically and narratively. An absolute juggernaut of art direction and writing that is almost completely unprecedented in the video game space, that has shown a true mastery of the cross-media shooters that Remedy has made their definitive image. And it is truly impressive, but if you’ve played the games leading up to this game, almost one question is surely on your mind, which is simply. “When is that moment going to happen, and how is it going to rock my world this time?”

Old Gods of Asgard, or as their real life counterpart Poets of the Fall, have been an instrumental figure in Remedy’s work since Max Payne 2. Their music has played in just about every title, and on almost every occasion it is one of, if not, the highlight of the game. In the original Alan Wake, the band was not just present, but a vital part of the story, personifying the band into an almost parody 80s heavy metal duo, who’s story takes up a good chunk of the game. With the highlight almost certainly being when you take the stage for yourself and take on a hoard of enemies as a truly glorious cheesy metal song blasts away as you shine lights onto a truly ravenous crowd.

In Control, the moment you realize what you’re playing is essentially a sequel to Alan Wake, is the Ashtray Maze. A location that is built up early on in the game, and as you approach the climax, it becomes clear you will have to traverse this bizarre labyrinth. And as the time finally comes to best this maze, a familiar name pops up, completely sucker punches you with the shock, followed by the aftermath of playing one of the best levels in video game history. Control’s strong art direction, using simple tricks to make these impossible brutalist locations, make the Ashtray Maze mesmerizing. A simple repeating texture, yet it feels infinite. It feels larger than life. And its Old Gods of Asgard that is to thank for that, when they come on in a Remedy game, you know something special is going on.

In that regard, like many things, Alan Wake II has much to live up to. How do you pull that same trick again and make it feel fresh? And the answer is very simple, and almost inevitable.

Go the full mile.

The moment you get the option of playing as both protagonists in this game, when you decide to play as Alan Wake again, this moment of the game is ready to greet you. And even before the chapter really starts, you can tell that something is up. There is an almost infectious pride and joy on display here, as talk show host, Mr. Door hypes up Alan Wake and his unique interview he is about to conduct with their house band. You even get to see the creative lead, Sam Lake, do a stupid little dance as they drop on you, “Herald of Darkness: The Story of the Journey of Alan Wake: The Musical”. At this point, you know Remedy is about to drop their classic trick on you, and they’ve not been shy about showcasing it after release, even getting a huge Game Awards showcase showing the music, so I had an idea of what was about to happen. But nothing can prepare you for what follows afterwards.

The Herald of Darkness segment of Alan Wake II is a true masterclass of everything Remedy has led up to this point. Because this is not just an arena or a level set to an Old Gods of Asgard song, no, the song is the level. A four act musical that does indeed, document the life of our titular protagonist, in a way that feels larger than life. The whole level is essentially like a rollercoaster dark ride, using screens to get you further and further into the maze to make the song progress a bit further and further. All these screens use live action footage of the actors, which isn’t uncommon to Remedy, and definitely not in Alan Wake II, which at this point, you’ve seen a truly staggering amount of, but seeing everything on display in this level is something else. Like Control, the trick is simple. It is essentially just a bunch of video files that are being strategically used to craft a narrative. But that simplicity doesn’t take away from that raw feeling of “this is the best thing I’ve ever seen.”

As you progress further and further into the level, it paints a picture of Alan Wake, arguably, the character that Remedy has put the most time and effort into crafting. And I think this portion of the game is honestly essential to really solidifying Alan as a character. While none of what is sung about is new information, a lot of it is information that was never really a particular focal point of the first game. Having bits where you can see Alan’s bizarre childhood nightmares that led to his success as a writer, and having that success turn into frustration and stagnation with his middling writing is incredibly interesting. And seeing it play out in song form with the actors tossing around white powder, and getting increasingly more hostile in the second part, is not just a striking way of getting attention, but it really makes Alan feel more like a legitimate character as in comparison to the first game.

I think a truly striking part of this section of the game, is that for the most part, there isn’t too much in the way of gameplay up until this part; at least in comparison to what you were doing prior. Alan Wake II is a game that isn’t necessarily trying to blow audience’s minds with the gameplay loop like they were in Control, and it works completely fine. Yet in spite of being a relatively simple over the shoulder shooter game, II has a gameplay moment that gave me absolute goosebumps. A moment that solidified that this was not just the best moment of the year, that Alan Wake II was almost certainly the best game of the year, but indeed, a moment that made me realize it might be the best of the decade.

Act III of the song is truly a special moment of the game. A nostalgic remembrance of the first game, but instead of the beautiful Washington countryside, it is instead made up entirely of screens, and props. A beautiful fake memory. And a moment that made me feeling rosy eyed memories of a game I only just played last year; and one I’m not even super crazy about in retrospect. But its that love and detail you can feel the folks at Remedy do have for this title that comes through, and that is what matters. And then the moment happens. Just as you’re remembering everything. You get maybe the best ally you could possibly receive in that moment, the iconic Alan Wake flare gun. And in that moment, the Taken come out, and you absolutely torch them, as the Old Gods rage on to your glorious rampage. It is a moment that you can only dream of creating. It is the perfect blend of build up, satisfaction, character building, and serotonin activation that can only be achieved through pure raw music. It is a titan of game design, and something that could’ve only been crafted through a lot of love, care, and experience.

Of course, this isn’t the end of the song, but at this point, as unfortunate as it is. It is time to wrap the song up. Nothing can last forever. Even Alan Wake agrees to a bossa nova version of the song, to which he does a little jig to. And so, using a new gameplay mechanic of changing the location, through Alan’s writing, you enter a new scene to end the song. A full live action dance number to round off this absolutely incredible level. A moment of pure stupid bliss. Capping off with a confused, but ultimately satisfied Alan Wake, looking on and smiling as he sips a coffee, to this truly bonkers musical number, about how absolutely mediocre his life is. I truly love this level, and just about everyone else who has played this game can back me up. It is truly in a league of its own, and likely will not be replicated again in just about any game.

It feels a bit strange to only write about one moment in a game, presumably one with plenty of memorable moments. And trust me, there are a whole bunch of other scenes and moments I could heep undeniable praise for. But honestly that is the whole game for me. Just about every set piece, every level, every performance, is something as interesting as this, even if it isn’t perhaps as flashy or as overt as this one moment. Alan Wake II isn’t a flawless game, its gameplay is essentially just a more stripped down Resident Evil 2 (2019), and sometimes the pacing isn’t perfect. But I really don’t care. Remedy as a studio has been an endearing and wonderful game studio, not because they make the best polished games, but because they’re constantly making games that are undeniably interesting. Alan Wake II feels like that ultimate melting pot of ideas that they’ve wanted to achieve since the first Alan Wake title, fully realized into a truly special multi-media project. A game that truly promises to cash in on everything that makes the studio one to look out for, and something I’ve been thinking about the entire month as I was playing it. There are times when you know something is special, and this is just one of those undeniable moments.

Here’s to the Champions and Heralds!

Severly dragged down by spotty combat encounter design that pitfalls into demented crap in Act 3, an uninteresting ovearching narrative in a setting that feels like a parody of itself, garbage menu-ing that makes even the simple act of changing party members a slog and a fuckload of bugs that mar all aspects of the game. Its completely nonexistent sense of pacing is both strength and weakness, making characters get all buddy-buddy in the span of barely a couple of hours of gameplay and having defining narrative moments happen with zero buildup but also making it so that a playthrough is full of weird and interesting encounters in every corner. Otherwise, the actual combat mechanics are mostly fine if a bit overwhelming to players unfamiliar with TTRPG rules, and the companions and their respective questlines are pretty charming though often thematically overlapped with each other. Passing marks since despite of it all it's the type of game that is more than the sum of its parts, but those parts are stuck together with expired duct tape and while plenty of people will adore those parts others will have them fall square on their face.