Review: Alan Wake
Game: Alan Wake
Format: Xbox 360
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
It’s safe to say many have been waiting for Alan Wake… for a long time. With a hefty five year development, it promised to bring us a ‘riveting plot’ with ‘multilayered character interactions’. But have Remedy Entertainment, creators of Max Payne managed to pull their half a decade promises out of the bag? Enki from The Newb Review managed to step into the footsteps of Alan Wake, following him into Bright Falls to see what this game was all about…
It’s immediately apparent that this game has had multiple influences, all culminating in the feel of this title. Silent Hill, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and multiple references to various literary authors; Stephen King most frequently, gives you an idea of what to expect.
The concept of the game is certainly of interest. The idea of a small town in which darkness is given life, in which every shadow exudes danger, is one that a player immediately feels uneasy in. The opening of the Nightmare sequence that Wake describes is an immersive tutorial, feeling more like an interactive nightmare than getting to grips with the games mechanics.
Light and Dark contrast brilliantly giving the game great aesthetics
You soon learn that there is more to fear than the darkness itself. From the shadows, creatures called “The Taken” regularly stalk the author. These are townsfolk fallen foul of the evil in the town, shrouded in a swirling darkness that one must evaporate with the use of Wake’s flashlight before more conventional weapons can be used to rid them entirely.
Of course, the light aspect of the game draws comparisons to Alone in the Dark, yet this game makes the mechanic its own. Not only is the light used to take care of enemies, it is a literal haven, a save point and a welcome sight after running through seemingly endless dark forests. The feeling of seeing a working streetlamp in the distance has never evoked more relief in a survival horror before.
The use of both light and conventional weapons brings about an interesting duality to your conservation of items. Not only are you keeping an eye on ammunition, but the batteries and strength of the flashlight you carry. Later in the game these weapons merge in the form of the indispensable flare gun; in many ways the rocket launcher of this series, as well as flares and flash-bangs; life-savers in more than one situation.
The flashlight will be both a comfort and weapon in the darkness
This game is genuinely frightening at times, with even the most hardened of survival horror fans likely to get caught by at least one of the moments throughout the game. Darkness is a fear inherent in all humans at one stage in life at least, and this game certainly plays on that.
This is a game that begs you to play in the dark and the scares are interesting in that they come when you least expect it. The joy comes in that scares come when you least expect them. No matter how on guard you are, at one point or another, Alan Wake will catch you by surprise.
Alan Wake comes in six bite-sized episodes, typically lasting around 1-2 hours each depending on the level of exploration. This also works within the game itself. Similar to Left 4 Dead, each episode has its own goals, over-arching story and purpose. The regular checkpoints also make this game a joy to play in even ten minute segments; giving you the feeling of progress with even the shortest of sessions.
The moments in light are far and few between, but the beautiful scenery offer a brief respite
The story of Alan Wake is gripping. Sure, it isn’t the most original, especially for a huge horror film fan such as myself. But this is exactly what’s so endearing about the plot. The pages you find throughout the game do a brilliant job of foreshadowing what will occur next and the building anticipation of what you’ve just read works wonders.
The only problem in terms of story comes with the ending, that may be a little too ambiguous for some, a little too much food for thought for some.
This game played brilliantly, but moreover, I felt the same kind of emotional attachment usually reserved for a good movie or book. When found in a game this is something wonderful. As each episode came to a close I couldn’t wait to progress to the next section to find out what happens after each inevitable cliff-hanger.
This game is also a veritable treasure trove of references to those in the know. The first being the obvious A.Wake, more Stephen King references than you could shake a stick at, not to mention the FBI agent that revels in calling Wake every other author name under the sun.
Alan Wake is full of imagery to be interpreted, much like the episodes of Twin Peaks it so lovingly re-appropriates elements from. It offers a new level of replayability, not one based solely on trying to gain those missed achievements, but on understanding the game on a new level. Five minutes into replaying the opening, I was already inwardly cheering as I spotted Night Springs on a sign. Speaking of which…
The darkness can seem deserted and quiet... that all soon disappears
Night Springs is a reason to buy this game on its own. Alan Wake is littered with radios and TV’s with which Wake can interact, also offering a welcome respite to the terror of the night. The most interesting of these asides by far is the episodes of Night Springs. Sure, listening to the town’s night radio station is great, but the pseudo-Twilight Zone black and white shorts are stunning. Each mini-tale is not only brilliant viewing in the heat of the moment, but increasingly relates to Wake’s story.
All this without mentioning the music. Ah, the music. Each piece of music is used with great aplomb in the course of the story, especially the song intrinsically tied to the story of Wake himself. Also, Poets of the Fall’s track “War” is especially moving when it appears, a real-life song placed in the games world with such skill, I was nearly speechless. Not to mention the Rock stage showdown… I’ll say no more.
Flares are not only a life-saver, but look stunning against the darkness
Of course, there are always downsides, and I feel I am nit-picking a little with this since I did enjoy the game so immensely. One has to be the facial animations. You would have thought that after half a decade’s development it would be a little smoother. Still, there seems to be a patch in the works for this so it might not be an issue for too much longer.
Another issue might be the feeling that, throughout the course of the story you actually feel more in touch with all the other characters in the story than Wake and his Wife. Barry, his agent, steals the lime-light, almost making you want him to be a constant companion for his hilarious asides.
Review Round Up
Graphics: 3/5 The graphics of Alan Wake are stylish if a little outdated. The difference between the lighter gameplay and the more Film Noir-esque cutscenes can be a little jarring at first, but they each work in their own respect. The character animations are slightly off, too. That said, as previously noted, the facial animations might be getting a patch overhaul, rendering that a null point.
Sound: 5/5 I cannot stress how much I personally fell in love with the soundtrack to this game. Each track is so brilliantly slotted into the story that it becomes a part of the experience. I understand that it might not be to everyone’s cup of tea, but I honestly feel it adds to the aesthetics of the game.
Story: 4/5 A huge crux of the title. One that, especially from a horror fan, works really well. Again, it might not be world-shatteringly original, but I genuinely think the story is gripping enough to warrant many a replay.
Gameplay: 4/5 The gameplay for me is as uncomplicated as you could wish it to be. Despite the various weapons on offer, the duality of weapons and flashlight, flow very well. The dodge mechanic might take a while to master, but once you understand the timing the cinematic angles you are rewarded with are well worth it.
Longevity: 3.5/5 I’ve never been one for replayability but even I can understand this game has quite a bit. Of course, the main story will be the same, with the only thing changeable being the difficulty. Yet, for some, the references they missed the first time will be more than enough for at least another play through or two.
Overall: 4.5 batteries out of 5. I’ve nailed the reason for me liking this title so much down to one of two reasons. One, as stated, I’m a huge horror fan and as such am a little more forgiving of generic tropes. Two, I didn’t follow this for five years like a lot of people. Whether it is one of these reasons or I’m completely off the mark, I can safely say without reservation that this game, to me, is stunning. It is more than worth the purchase and I’ll be playing it through again just to see all the extra references I missed. One thing’s for sure, after playing Alan Wake, I’m not sure I’ll look at the darkness the same again for a very long time…
[starreview tpl=16]
Pretty much agreed with you on every point. I was most impressed by the way they managed to craft such brilliant cliffhangers. Oh and the massive environments – you can tell this used to be an open world game, that’s for sure.
That’s true, the driving segments especially seem to hint at a game that would have been much more open and free-roaming.
I loved the last big driving section to get to the lake, such a contrast to the darkness of the rest of the game.
While it is a very linear game, I felt like the linearity (real word?) was not contrived. Any one that has ever been wandering in woods would know that, really, you want to be sticking as close to the beaten path as possible. There’s all kinda of dangers out there.
I also like how, as well as the fear of the dark, this game is also about the terror of the natural world. The woods are your enemy just as much as the taken.