This game was pretty amazing. I went in with 0 expectations, not even knowing what the game was about at all. I enjoyed finding each collectible, hidden room, and conversation all the way to the end.

I like how the map dynamically changes as you acquire new abilities, making older areas feel fresh with new movement options. Even the extra mission system (Board Countermeasures) encourages you to revisit areas, where you might stumble on some tucked away secret you found previously.

GAMEPLAY
This was a great third person shooter encouraging you to try different abilities and weapons to interact with enemies and the map. For the majority of the game, I enjoyed a variety of combinations until I settled into using charge and pierce. Eventually I found all the unique mods and replaced pierce with grip. Then, far into the late game, this combo seemed necessary. Nothing else seemed viable unless I wanted encounters to drag on for 15 minutes. It had some very unique and fun boss fights. While they were all simple in concept, they were fun in game.
- DLC GAMEPLAY
I think Make/Unmake provide a unique new aspect into the gameplay allowing you a situational but strong spot into gameplay and traversal. I liked this addition, especially when I started to become bored of the charge/grip combo I felt so necessary to use. Surge felt like a weak ripoff of charge. I only used it when I became bored of charge and for a couple trophies.

STORY
This has to be one of my favorite stories I've come across. I will add that this is heavily swayed since I read every single record, correspondence, and media piece in the game, but it still stands. The game provides an extremely deep lore that continues to extend further and further. I love the way it provides several conspiracy theories and even makes you question what is the truth and what's fake. I was not a major fan of some of the later parts of the story.
- DLC STORY
Actually a great addition to the game. Without the DLC, I think I would've had to rate the game lower. The DLC provides some more insight on one of my favorite characters. It manages to tie up some loose strings from the base game, and leave more questions in its place. I do hope that a second game is made.

CHARACTERS
Here's the order from best to worst
1 Ahti
2 Darling
3 Pope/Underhill
4Langston/Arish
5 Marshall
...
Everyone else
...
Jesse

Some of these characters were amazing. Some weren't ranked to minimize spoilers. Ahti is simply the goat, nothing more to be said. Darling's performance was on another level (I can admit that maybe the videos are cheating a little, but idc). I don't think my other picks are unreasonable.
Jesse is simply the weakest character with conflicting dialogue, unfunny quips, seemingly forced edgy lines, and just overall not as appealing as nearly any other character.

SOUND & GRAPHICS
Both super solid. The ambient sound and just general sounds of the world were very dynamic and pleasant. I was a huge fan of the music they included.
The design of the areas was also pretty cool. Enemy and level design were both great to look at.

I feel like 4/5 was pretty solid. While I loved the game's lore, I think other aspects weren't necessarily too unique or amazing. I wish the protagonist was stronger.

Just a post edit, for this review I thought that the AWE DLC was part of the base game and that the Foundation was the actual DLC. Didn't realize they were both DLC. I really like learning about the Alan Wake in the AWE expansion, but it wasn't really too big a change from the normal game. I wasn't necessarily a huge fan of carrying lights around.