Video games are my favorite way to be told a story. I believe we have officially reached the point where video games have passed all other forms of media when it comes to storytelling potential. When crafted as masterfully as Alan Wake II, and when consuming it properly, video games can deliver a more engaging experience than movies, books, attractions, etc. The art of storytelling has evolved from sitting around a campfire telling scary stories to experiencing these tales through ultra-quality experiences like this game. Playing this on my big TV, alone in the dark, with quality surround sound headphones was one of the most immersive things I've ever done.
On quality alone, this game in unrivaled. A pure technical spectacle. A tour de force of gamemaking the likes of which I haven't quite seen before. The lighting, the sound design, the graphics, the directing, the acting, the immersion, it was all spot on. The game engine was robust and able to handle a lot of things thrown at it. I still can't believe we're at a point where loading screens are mostly extinct. Could you imagine have to sit through a loading screen every time you went to the Mind Place?
Speaking of, the Mind Place was a brilliant idea, both thematically by being literally inside the mind of the protagonist and mechanically by having a place to gather all of your info, collectibles, maps, and upgrades. I love when gameplay compliments story and this was just such a cool idea and worked perfectly for this game. It reminded me of Sanctuary from Fable III, but done even better. I liked the little puzzle of pinning things to the case board. The profiling was also a neat mechanic, although it was more cinematic and not a puzzle. The Writer's Room was also awesome, but was obviously secondary as there wasn't as much put into it. At first I was upset that coming to the Mind Place/Writer's Room didn't pause the game, but upon reflection I think I appreciated that it didn't because the lack of an easy out kept me immersed... whether I liked it or not.
And while we're at it, let's talk about immersion. It is, I think, the single most important aspect of AAA gaming in this generation, and Remedy handles it like no other. Control was also an excellent showcase of this studios ability, but they honed in their craft with Alan Wake II. I love when a game commands my entire focus. I shut off the rest of the world and pour all of my energy into it and am transported inside of it. Usually this lends to a good ol' carefree time exploring a fun fantasy world, but in this case it meant literally feeling like I was in the Dark Place, hearing the subtle whispers of lost souls in my head as I walk by. Being alone in the dark. Feeling all of the anxiety. What a wild ride. There were so many moments where I wanted to pause and take a break out of fear but stopped myself in an effort to keep myself in it. These are the kind of feelings my video gaming life lives for.
The story hooked me immediately and kept fresh to the finish. It's been over 10 years since I played the first game, and I never thought this little cult classic game would spawn this incredible sequel. The mystery was set-up well and there were some great characters added; Saga Anderson was a great protagonist, and I also really liked Alex Casey (played by the incredible Sam Lake. What can't this guy do?!). I also admire how weird it got. The musical sequence was so out of pocket and bizarre and I loved every second of it. I respect games that take big swings and in this case I think they hit a home run. I enjoyed playing as both characters and enjoyed their stories in different ways, though overall I think I enjoyed Saga's side just a little more, though the Writer's Room reality-bending mechanics for Alan were really, really cool. Also, I'm glad I played Control before this as I feel feel rewarded for doing so with a lot of references to it in this game. I find myself suddenly invested in Remedy's Connected Universe and I'm ecstatic to see what they do next.
The gameplay also worked really well for me. It isn't a game I would recommend if that's all you care about, but it is an effective compliment to the themes of the game and is a great playstyle example of a horror-survival. I love how you never felt strong; it always made me consider my choices and how to use my limited resources, and also made me anxious that any small fight could end my life. I also like how they made fighting mostly optional, minus some boss fights of course. I found myself skipping enemies as often as I could to save the ammo. The puzzles, while admittedly not particularly challenging, thematically worked well with the world, which is something I feel games don't usually care about. Where most games just throw in puzzles because they think they're fun and don't care about how it works within its setting, Alan Wake II's puzzles felt natural to the world it was set in, and were even used to worldbuild. Overall the combat was just the right amount of challenge. I only died once during the entire game during Saga's first boss fight, but it still wasn't easy. My favorite boss fights are the ones that I beat on the first attempt but still make me work for it and feel earned; dying breaks the immersion, and the feeling of figuring out a fight on the fly feels natural.
Even though I think this game is a technical and artistic masterpiece, I initially didn't give it a perfect rating. My reasoning is personal; even though I was never bored, I had a hard time having "fun" with this game. It isn't relaxing, I was stressed out after play sessions, and it took a lot of energy out of me. There were times where I had to force myself to keep playing even though my anxiety was rampant. It took me over a month to beat this game because I couldn't play for more than an hour at a time. Even though these aspects of my experience may seem negative, I think they're actually a testament to how perfectly crafted this survival-horror game is. Art is supposed to invoke strong feelings, and this sure as hell did for me. Very few games have incited such strong feeling in me like this, and I respect it for that reason. After thinking a while on it, I decided it was worthy of my (albeit meaningless) crown of Masterpiece.
In the spirit of fairness, I should list the critiques I have, though they are few. It was a liiiiitle too long. Not because it dragged or it didn't need that time, but for this particular genre it can get a bit exhausting after 20+ hours. It also had a few weird audio kinks I noticed. When Saga was talking on the cell phone, the surround sound did not pick it up correctly. When there was a radio playing it had an edited layer of radio fuzz, and that layer went away when coming out of the Mind Place. A few little awkward things sound editing bits that could've been patched up. Oh and while most of the horror was well-earned, there were a few cheap jump scares that I did not think the game needed to stoop to. But other than that, I don't think I have anything negative to say.
Also, at the risk of sounding like an elitist, I have a quick note about consuming video games. I fully believe when playing a video game like this you need to get as immersed as possible. Turn off all the lights. Put your phone in a drawer. Indulge in surround sound. Put everything else in the world aside and get as locked into a game as possible. There are so many little things you'll miss otherwise. Yes, it makes it scarier, but I promise you will get a more fulfilling experience if you do it this way.
Video games of this caliber come around infrequently and remind me why I love this medium so much. Video games are the ultimate form of storytelling expression, and I'm tired of pretending like they're not. A movie has never been able to make me feel as scared as this game did. A book has never invoked a mystery in my head like this game did. In my youth, I enjoyed video games that were fast paced, colorful, and fun. Nowadays, video games are much deeper than that. Video games can span genres just like anything else and are so much more than just Call of Duty and Fortnite.
Alan Wake II is my new Golden Standard for the survival-horror genre, a title previously held by Alien: Isolation (which is still fantastic in its own right). It is one of the best video games I've ever played.
100/100
On quality alone, this game in unrivaled. A pure technical spectacle. A tour de force of gamemaking the likes of which I haven't quite seen before. The lighting, the sound design, the graphics, the directing, the acting, the immersion, it was all spot on. The game engine was robust and able to handle a lot of things thrown at it. I still can't believe we're at a point where loading screens are mostly extinct. Could you imagine have to sit through a loading screen every time you went to the Mind Place?
Speaking of, the Mind Place was a brilliant idea, both thematically by being literally inside the mind of the protagonist and mechanically by having a place to gather all of your info, collectibles, maps, and upgrades. I love when gameplay compliments story and this was just such a cool idea and worked perfectly for this game. It reminded me of Sanctuary from Fable III, but done even better. I liked the little puzzle of pinning things to the case board. The profiling was also a neat mechanic, although it was more cinematic and not a puzzle. The Writer's Room was also awesome, but was obviously secondary as there wasn't as much put into it. At first I was upset that coming to the Mind Place/Writer's Room didn't pause the game, but upon reflection I think I appreciated that it didn't because the lack of an easy out kept me immersed... whether I liked it or not.
And while we're at it, let's talk about immersion. It is, I think, the single most important aspect of AAA gaming in this generation, and Remedy handles it like no other. Control was also an excellent showcase of this studios ability, but they honed in their craft with Alan Wake II. I love when a game commands my entire focus. I shut off the rest of the world and pour all of my energy into it and am transported inside of it. Usually this lends to a good ol' carefree time exploring a fun fantasy world, but in this case it meant literally feeling like I was in the Dark Place, hearing the subtle whispers of lost souls in my head as I walk by. Being alone in the dark. Feeling all of the anxiety. What a wild ride. There were so many moments where I wanted to pause and take a break out of fear but stopped myself in an effort to keep myself in it. These are the kind of feelings my video gaming life lives for.
The story hooked me immediately and kept fresh to the finish. It's been over 10 years since I played the first game, and I never thought this little cult classic game would spawn this incredible sequel. The mystery was set-up well and there were some great characters added; Saga Anderson was a great protagonist, and I also really liked Alex Casey (played by the incredible Sam Lake. What can't this guy do?!). I also admire how weird it got. The musical sequence was so out of pocket and bizarre and I loved every second of it. I respect games that take big swings and in this case I think they hit a home run. I enjoyed playing as both characters and enjoyed their stories in different ways, though overall I think I enjoyed Saga's side just a little more, though the Writer's Room reality-bending mechanics for Alan were really, really cool. Also, I'm glad I played Control before this as I feel feel rewarded for doing so with a lot of references to it in this game. I find myself suddenly invested in Remedy's Connected Universe and I'm ecstatic to see what they do next.
The gameplay also worked really well for me. It isn't a game I would recommend if that's all you care about, but it is an effective compliment to the themes of the game and is a great playstyle example of a horror-survival. I love how you never felt strong; it always made me consider my choices and how to use my limited resources, and also made me anxious that any small fight could end my life. I also like how they made fighting mostly optional, minus some boss fights of course. I found myself skipping enemies as often as I could to save the ammo. The puzzles, while admittedly not particularly challenging, thematically worked well with the world, which is something I feel games don't usually care about. Where most games just throw in puzzles because they think they're fun and don't care about how it works within its setting, Alan Wake II's puzzles felt natural to the world it was set in, and were even used to worldbuild. Overall the combat was just the right amount of challenge. I only died once during the entire game during Saga's first boss fight, but it still wasn't easy. My favorite boss fights are the ones that I beat on the first attempt but still make me work for it and feel earned; dying breaks the immersion, and the feeling of figuring out a fight on the fly feels natural.
Even though I think this game is a technical and artistic masterpiece, I initially didn't give it a perfect rating. My reasoning is personal; even though I was never bored, I had a hard time having "fun" with this game. It isn't relaxing, I was stressed out after play sessions, and it took a lot of energy out of me. There were times where I had to force myself to keep playing even though my anxiety was rampant. It took me over a month to beat this game because I couldn't play for more than an hour at a time. Even though these aspects of my experience may seem negative, I think they're actually a testament to how perfectly crafted this survival-horror game is. Art is supposed to invoke strong feelings, and this sure as hell did for me. Very few games have incited such strong feeling in me like this, and I respect it for that reason. After thinking a while on it, I decided it was worthy of my (albeit meaningless) crown of Masterpiece.
In the spirit of fairness, I should list the critiques I have, though they are few. It was a liiiiitle too long. Not because it dragged or it didn't need that time, but for this particular genre it can get a bit exhausting after 20+ hours. It also had a few weird audio kinks I noticed. When Saga was talking on the cell phone, the surround sound did not pick it up correctly. When there was a radio playing it had an edited layer of radio fuzz, and that layer went away when coming out of the Mind Place. A few little awkward things sound editing bits that could've been patched up. Oh and while most of the horror was well-earned, there were a few cheap jump scares that I did not think the game needed to stoop to. But other than that, I don't think I have anything negative to say.
Also, at the risk of sounding like an elitist, I have a quick note about consuming video games. I fully believe when playing a video game like this you need to get as immersed as possible. Turn off all the lights. Put your phone in a drawer. Indulge in surround sound. Put everything else in the world aside and get as locked into a game as possible. There are so many little things you'll miss otherwise. Yes, it makes it scarier, but I promise you will get a more fulfilling experience if you do it this way.
Video games of this caliber come around infrequently and remind me why I love this medium so much. Video games are the ultimate form of storytelling expression, and I'm tired of pretending like they're not. A movie has never been able to make me feel as scared as this game did. A book has never invoked a mystery in my head like this game did. In my youth, I enjoyed video games that were fast paced, colorful, and fun. Nowadays, video games are much deeper than that. Video games can span genres just like anything else and are so much more than just Call of Duty and Fortnite.
Alan Wake II is my new Golden Standard for the survival-horror genre, a title previously held by Alien: Isolation (which is still fantastic in its own right). It is one of the best video games I've ever played.
100/100