Played on X Box Series S | Original Release Date: 21 October 2021 | Review Date: 12 February 2025

OVERVIEW

Let me start with a disclaimer: I’m not a fan of ‘scary’ games - whatever that means. More specifically, I’m not usually a fan of resource management scary games. The mechanics of running around a game environment, searching for whatever you need to survive, while an enemy is barring down behind me has never really clicked with me. But there is something about how Alan Wake Remastered built all the gameplay mechanics into the story and world-building that made me want to play till the end.

STORY

Alan Wake Remaster’s story focuses on the titular main character Alan Wake who is struggling with writer’s block. Alan is a famous horror author, a la Stephen King, and finds himself under pressure to deliver another blockbuster novel after his most recent best-seller success. To help Alan get over his writer’s block his partner, Alice Wake, whisks him out of New York City to the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls, Washington. Alice convinces Alan to go on the trip because the mountain scenery and fresh air will help to calm his mind and allow him to tap into his creativity. Alan agrees, but on the condition that he doesn’t want to have to think about or do any writing. Alice has ulterior motives when Alan finds out that she’s arrange a few sessions of therapy for him with Bright Fall’s psychiatrist. Alice also sets up a writing room, with an old mechanical typewriter, at the lake cabin they are renting a surprise that causes a big argument between Alice and Alan and kick starts Alan’s living nightmare journey to find and save her, but what Alan discovers along the way is that he may be the author of the nightmare.

GAMEPLAY

Alan Wake Remaster’s gameplay is a mixed bag of set-piece exploration that progresses the story along a linear structure of getting from point A to point to fight off a bunch of nightmare manifestations along the way then reach the next story beat. The pacing of the gameplay and progression of the story build on each other in a, mostly, balanced fashion, but it get’s a little repetitive towards the end of the game.

From the very start you are thrown into a nightmare situation where Alan finds himself at the scene of a car wreck and he has no idea how he got there. It’s dark, the environment is forbidding and there is a sense of fear in the atmosphere. The game pulls Alan along his first path where it teaches you the elements of combat. The voice from out of nowhere calls Alan to go towards the light. The light in this instance, and throughout the game, is typically a street lamp that provides a small area of safety. As you make your way to the first illuminated oasis you are suddenly ambushed by a nightmare manifested from the shadows chasing after you, wielding an axe and screaming at you in a deep demon-like voice. It’s terrifying! This is when the intensity and fear factor of the game kick in. Alan has the ability to run in short bursts before he tires out and has to slow down. Alan can also dodge an attack from the shadow attackers, which will slow down time for a brief moment allowing you to counterattack or continue running for your life.

The use of light and shadow play a central role in the story of Alan Wake Remastered, which adds to the immersion and convergence of story and gameplay. It’s a strong aspect of the game which intensifies the terror and gameplay as you go through. Within this first section of the game you find your main weapon setup: a flashlight, powered by batteries that drain as you use it, and a revolver and ammo. Throughout the game you’ll get a wider range of guns and flares to attack and a stronger flashlight to slow enemies down, but the basic weapon setup remains the same throughout the game. To attack the enemies you slow them down by shining your flashlight on them and then open fire until they die. The challenge increases when you are surrounded by more than several enemies at and you find yourself running low on batteries for your flashlight or out of ammo for your guns. I would never classify myself as a ‘pro-gamer’, but I think I’m pretty good a learning a games combat systems. But I don’t feel I ever really cracked the best way to fight off enemies in Alan Wake Remastered.

I hesitate to blame the game designers, but the combat mechanics never really clicked with me and I often found myself getting really frustrated with imbalanced enemy numbers and the lack of resources to make it through certain sections. So much so, that I eventually started another save file and chose to play on easy mode. In the end, I was really happy I did so, because there were still really difficult sections of the game I struggled with I never would’ve seen if I didn’t play on easy. I told you, I don’t like managing scary stuff and resources, but the story of Alan Wake Remastered kept drawing me in and made me want to uncover the story along with the protagonist. Even though the game felt repetitive in some areas, there are some bonkers moments and set pieces that make this game totally amazing. Just when I thought I was going into a familiar fight I suddenly found myself laughing with joy and excitement based on what the game was asking me to do. I won’t spoil those moments for you in this review, but be rest assured the moments are over the top and totally fun!

Another aspect of the game play is the situational storytelling that unfolds throughout. You discover, very early in the game, a sheet of paper which is from the book that Alan Wake is currently writing, but he has no idea how it got there. These pieces of paper not only serve to deepen the story of Alan Wake, but they also count toward your collectables within the game. The team at Remedy managed to make these pieces of storytelling relevant and worth seeking out. Every time I found a new sheet of paper, I wanted to read it and find out even more about Alan, Alice, Bright Falls and the other characters you encounter throughout the game. I’m not a collector in games, but I quickly found myself exploring every nook and cranny to find all I could. Just know that if you play on easy, like I did, you won’t be able to find all the sheets of paper and therefore will miss out on some additional detail in the games story. It’s here where Remedy really stands out as a game designer. They have crafted a mysterious world and ask the player to uncover its secrets which are deliberately woven into the fabric of the gameplay. It all comes together in satisfying game loop that pays off for those that put the time into getting to the end. Is it perfect, no, but it sure is entertaining. I haven’t even mentioned the episodes of a television series that you watch on random tv’s you find throughout Bright Falls. The creators pay respectful homage to The Twilight Zone, while putting their own spin on it to highlight the nightmare that Alan Wake is living in. Do you have to watch these mini moments of television to understand the story, no, but like the sheets of paper, you soon realize they add an additional layer of intrigue and insight to what the hell is happening in Bright Falls.

It’s worth noting a little bit about the characters of Bright Falls and Alan Wake Remastered. I think there is real care in crafting each of them and giving the cast of key players a satisfying character arch. They are all well acted and have great character designs. There could’ve been a temptation to add needless characters throughout the game, but the ‘less is more’ approach really works for me here. I especially like Alan’s agent Berry Wheeler, who starts off super annoying, but ends up being a likeable balance when compared to the stoic nature of Alan. I also like Pat Maine, the radio host who’s voice pops up whenever Alan get’s near a radio. Even though most of Pat’s contribution to the world of Bright Falls is through random radio encounters, he becomes a soothing and comforting friend between moments of action. It’s another example of how Remedy brings the world to life through non-linear story telling that enriches the players experience.

GRAPHICS

I never played the original game, so I’m not sure how to compare the graphics within the remastered, but the game looks pretty. The setting allows for some really atmospheric environments to be show cased and you can tell the designers wanted you to stop and enjoy there scenery from time to time. The graphics show there age, but still hold up today. Where I think they fall short is in the darker areas. I know the game is all about light and dark and what lurks in the shadows, but some of the areas were just so dark I kept having to turn up the brightness in the options. And the light and dark contrast was really apparent when you’d go through a long stretch of dark forest area and then suddenly find yourself in an abandoned trailer watching an episode of Bight Falls on the television. Maybe it’s because of the games age that the designers weren’t able to get this more balanced, but it did become problematic, for me at least, while playing the game.

MUSIC

The music and sound design really do a lot of heavy lifting in creating the atmosphere and tense moments. The overall game music was just fine, it didn’t get in the way of enjoying the moments throughout, but doesn’t really stand out either. But the soundscape during combat and the creepier areas was great. The sound designers really played with reality by distorting the voices of the characters and allowing them to come from all over. Some of them sounding like they’re from a dream or a nightmare. I also really enjoyed the sound effect that accompanies the use of the flashlight, very simple yet really effective.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Has Alan Wake Remastered turned me into a fan of scary resource management games? Maybe? But what I didn’t expect was getting interested in playing single-player experiences that find inventive ways to weave the story into the gameplay. Alan Wake Remastered is a game that is ‘aware’ of itself. It knows it’s craving its own path by telling the story the player is playing through the amnesiac Alan Wake. This troupe could feel tired and trite, but Remedy manages to keep it interesting and advances the genre of video game storytelling. However, the mechanics of the actual gameplay don’t match up to the ambitiously well-executed world-building and storytelling. There are great moments of action throughout, and some memorable and exciting set pieces, but the variety of enemies and ways to fight them keep the gameplay from truly being great. That shouldn’t deter you from playing Alan Wake Remastered, especially if you plan to get deep into the connection to the other games in the Remedy universe, Control and Alan Wake 2.

OUT OF SYNC GAMING REVIEW SCORE | 7 out of 10

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Alan Wake Remastered Review