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Short version:
Pros:
+ Looks good
+ Satisfying gameplay
+ Cool, arcade-y feel
+ Survival/Score Attack maps
+ Decent set pieces
Cons:
- Very repetitive
- Nonsensical story
- Campaign makes you replay the same 3 levels THRICE
- Bad voice acting

“Long” version:
Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is a third-person shooter with a heavy focus on action. It is a spin-off to Alan Wake.
It was developed and published by Remedy Entertainment.
I really wanted to try this game – I played the original back in 2012 and I really enjoyed it, despite the repetitive combat (which I still liked). A spin-off solely focused on combat seemed to be right up my alley. Let us see what I thought of it.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2736313660
The story is nothing when compared to the original game – it is just an excuse to get you from one place to another and battle countless hordes of enemies along the way. Now, does the game need a story? No, not really. My main gripe is that it takes itself way too seriously and it is not self-aware at all, so there is no sense of fun while going through the campaign. The awful dialogue does not help either, but we will cover that later.
Gameplay is just like in the original Alan Wake, but you get a much larger emphasis on combat. Exploration gets dropped for the most part – you can still go out of your way to find collectibles and extra weapons and ammo, but you should be fine without doing so, as well.
The combat is more crowded in this one – you get more plentiful groups of enemies to deal with, more ammo and plenty of other resources. If you enjoyed the combat in the first game, you will also enjoy it here. If you got bored of it, however, you might want to skip this game.
There is a new enemy type that I really enjoyed but it is underutilized.
The weapons still feel impactful and they have a satisfying weight to them which lends a very guttural feel to the combat.
The game is not particularly hard – timing your dodges is very forgiving and keeping your combo going is rather easy to learn.
It gets a little bit more challenging during score attack maps, where you have to survive an endless horde of enemies until sunrise. I enjoyed this mode – it tests your skills and it is non-stop action, as it gets rid of all the story elements.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2736314159
Onto the graphics. While Alan Wake’s American Nightmare does not share Alan Wake’s gorgeous vistas and strong setting, it does have its own merits. I enjoyed the “americana” look of the maps and the light/shadow mechanic. On the other hand, you come across 3 characters during the campaign that feature terrible character models.
Now, let us talk about sound.
Alan’s voice acting is still fine, but the side characters have “70s p*rn” levels of delivery and dialogue. Really, it is… Quite something. Had the game taken itself less seriously, it could have worked; unfortunately, it does not, so the contrast feels very jarring. I was not a fan.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2736314423
You can finish the game in 10 – 12 hours if you go for all achievements (around 5 or 6 hours for the campaign). I think it is worth trying if you manage to get it on a sale, but beware: if you got bored by the combat in Alan Wake, you will most likely dislike this one.
Final score: 6.5 out of 10.
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