★★★★☆
Alan Wake was like playing an episode of Twin Peaks written by Stephen King. Its odd story blended horror with action and became a hit after its 2010 release, but its long-awaited sequel, which is like a crossover of True Detective and The X-Files, is darker and more disturbing.
It’s more ambitious than before too. Realistic animations are mixed with live-action scenes and the two become hard to distinguish, which is the point because the meta story is about fiction and reality blurring together. I’m not paranoid but I quickly found myself questioning everything.
There are two playable characters whose plots overlap; you begin as Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a ritualistic murder in a rural town. Then, there’s Alan Wake, a novelist who has been trapped in a nightmarish dimension called the Dark Place — which is a rainy, neon-lit New York — for 13 years.
Action is scaled back in favour of slower-paced detective work. You explore locations such as forests (as Anderson) and underground tunnels (as Wake), collecting evidence and talking to oddball locals. Then, like in a cop film, you put clues together on a wall by placing them under the correct line of investigation, like a big morbid jigsaw. This gives you new tasks and inquiries to follow.
In Wake’s case, intel you find is used in a story he’s writing to escape his alternate reality. Combining information on people and locations will change his physical surroundings and previously blocked areas unlock, allowing you to proceed through each level. Sound weird? Wait until you fight a naked monster man in the dark.
Advertisement
Piecing the plot together like this is compelling storytelling, but it never feels challenging as a puzzle. Often, I could simply keep clicking on different areas of the wall until I found the right place to put a clue. However, the writing is captivating and makes up for the lack of difficulty.
Combat is closer to a traditional survival horror game, like the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. You fight the Taken — humans possessed by a supernatural entity shrouded in shadows — by blasting them with a torch making them vulnerable, before shooting. Resources are scarce, so you’ll need to be precise with your aim. More than once I wasn’t, but there’s no shame in running in terror, right?
Alan Wake 2 is an acquired taste. Its pacing and mind-bending story may deter some people, but it has some of the best horror I’ve seen this year. Play with the lights off, just don’t expect this terrifying game to leave you once they’re back on.
Available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
