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Short version:
Pros:
+ Movie/Book references
+ Gorgeous vistas and detailed, lived-in environments
+ Splendid atmosphere
+ Gripping storyline with interesting characters
+ Satisfying gameplay
+ Voice acting is great
Cons:
- Lip syncing is laughable
- Combat does not evolve after a while
- Driving controls could be better
“Long” version:
Alan Wake is an atmospheric third-person shooter “horror” game. You play as the aforementioned Alan Wake and you must uncover the secrets that plague the town of Bright Falls.
It was developed and published by Remedy Entertainment.
I played this a while ago but never really finished the DLC. I decided to come back to it a few months ago and 100% it. It was one of my first Steam games and I have always wanted to complete it. I have reviewed it years ago for a website and, as it turns out, it still holds up and the score remains the same, even after 7/8 years.
The storyline is great. You plunge into a very interesting mystery after a solid introduction and you must figure out what happened to your wife, Alice, after she went missing. There are many twists and turns, but I really enjoyed the overall take on a story that could be too predictable and shallow if mishandled. Luckily, even side characters get some development and the game does not really feel like it has levels; it has episodes instead, so it basically feels like a very thought-out TV series. Episodes feel long and engaging and they swiftly build up into an epic finale.
I will not delve into any particular plot-threads, as I want to avoid spoilers, but I can say that I found myself caring for characters I hated at first, I was invested and felt for them whenever something unfortunate happened and that I would also love for them to return in the now-announced sequel.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=366106681
With the story out of the way, let us talk gameplay.
While you do an awful lot of exploring, it is not the most demanding part of the game. It is very simple and you do not usually have to time jumps or make harrowing escapes. Alan is an average-Joe so he cannot leap great distances nor can he run great distances without running out of breath.
You can occasionally drive around small map sections. The controls are not sharp enough for it to be enjoyable, though. I found myself crashing into things way too many times; whenever I wanted to back up and try again, I would get frustrated and would most likely go on foot in the end.
What I enjoyed the most about exploring this world, however, were the landmarks and the amazing world building. I will explain more about it under the graphics section of my review.
You will go up against enemies called the Taken during combat sections. They are covered in a thick layer of shadows and you must get rid of it to make them susceptible to damage.
For this purpose, you carry a torch – you must shine your light on enemies in order to make their defenses drop faster; this, however, requires batteries and a very “fun” resource management dynamic is introduced (at least on harder difficulties).
After the enemies lose their defenses, you are free to shoot them. You do this with a plethora of guns – revolver, hunting rifle, shotgun, etc. You also get two more weapons which are a bit more “exotic”; the flare gun and the flashbang. These simultaneously damage and light up an area, disposing of most enemies in a single hit.
You can also dodge enemy attacks, triggering a super stylish slow-mo effect.
While I found the combat to be a lot of fun, I feel like most people will find it a bit “boring” after a while. You see, you quickly get introduced to all the weapons and game mechanics. Alan Wake’s idea of a challenge is to introduce enemies that take more bullets to kill or with a bigger shadow shield, but even that gets introduced quickly. After that the game just sends bigger waves of enemies that required little to no adaptation and it sort of grows stale.
Do not get me wrong, as I said, I liked it; I found the combat to be enjoyable, but it sure is repetitive.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=395556015
Graphics are up next.
This game is a looker. Even all these years later. It is not so much the graphics that are great (even though I still think they most definitely hold up), but the art direction and the overall atmosphere of it. Alan Wake is filled with gorgeous, moon-bathed vistas and sprawling forests. The warm and inviting town of Bright Falls feels lived-in and it is quite glorious to witness it getting “invaded” by the Taken.
Lip-syncing, however, is not good. While you can ignore it for the most part when characters are talking, more dramatic scenes that have characters emote (screaming, for example) can be ruined by the laughable animations.
The game features great voice acting. Some of it might sound cheesy at first but I do feel it fits the overall mood of the experience. Main characters are expertly voice-acted and most side-characters are fine. Enemies have a very creepy filter that makes them sound ethereal and menacing.
Guns sound impactful, which makes the combat more fun and dynamic.
There are plenty of references to horror movies and books – collectibles, name drops, story beats, etc. It is great and used sparingly.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=395555822
Even after all these years, I truly enjoyed Alan Wake. I feel like it falls a tiny-tiny bit short of being amazing – not because of its age, but because of some pacing issues when it comes to gameplay and some janky facial animations and vehicle controls. But that is about it when it comes to negatives; on the other hand, you get a great story with respectable character development, plot twists and an overall enjoyable combat system that features creative mechanics. There is also plenty of eye-candy with strong art-direction.
A classic.
Final score: 8.5 out of 10.
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