Players’ prayers have been answered: Alan Wake is finally back. And this time the famous writer is entitled to even darker and more frightening adventures than back then.
He left us languishing, this Alan Wake, who had to wait more than ten years for his comeback on our consoles. Of course, a revised version of his first investigation was published in 2021, but the result – although very significant – was by no means substantial enough to satisfy fans.
In short, we’ve been waiting for it. Not only because its plots are as dark and morbid as possible, but also because they are full of references and allusions to the works of masters in the field, including Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King, Bret Easton, Ellis or even Neil Gaiman. And it all comes together organically to create rich, complex and satisfying stories.
Murderous cult
But who is Alan Wake? We met the horror novelist in 2010 when he was suffering from Blank Page Syndrome. Our hero was chased by his wife to Bright Falls – a fictional, remote suburb of Washington State – and ended up lost in the Dark Maw, a nightmarish parallel dimension hidden beneath the local lake.
Alan Wake, trapped in this dark and gloomy place for 13 years, sees his name resurface when a series of murders, likely committed by a local cult, attracts the attention of the FBI. Agent Saga Anderson, who has been sent to the crime scene, will find handwritten pages from Alan Wake scattered throughout the crime scenes. And the actions described in these lines will soon come to life around them.
The plot of Alan Wake 2 thus unfolds in two parallel universes; In one case, Saga Anderson attempts to conduct her investigation while learning to be wary of the gray areas where menacing and murderous creatures lurk. To this end, she can take refuge in a “mental palace” – a room set up in the back of her mind – to analyze the clues she has collected and create a profile of the various suspects encountered in order to draw various conclusions.
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New mechanics
In the second part, the player takes control of Alan Wake and navigates the corners of the Black Den in search of an exit to return to the very real world, far from the shadows. But the path will of course be full of pitfalls and dark faces that we will have to fight to move forward.
This new duality adds a good dose of novelty to this new chapter, offering the player different approaches to each character. In the skin of Saga Anderson we find manipulations and controls that are frankly similar to those of the first Alan Wake, both in the use of the flashlight and in the weapons and objects of the first.
But it’s only when we take control of the author that we notice the different mechanisms used for Alan Wake’s journey. It is now able to store light sources and deliver them to various key locations, changing the environment and opening up entirely new avenues. A great way to inject new energy into this sequel without straying too far from already established standards.
Even if the combat sequences are more fluid than before, in a way they remain the only small drawback that we can find in Alan Wake 2. But it’s fair, since this game, like its predecessor, places more emphasis on investigations and atmospheres. And on this level it excels in giving the player an oppressive, anxiety-inducing and suffocating feeling through its morbid images, its particularly macabre surroundings and its devilishly gripping plot.
So we won’t necessarily emerge from this “Alan Wake 2” unscathed. And that’s exactly what makes it such a resounding success.
Alan Wake 2 ★★★★☆
- Available for PS5, Xbox Series and PC.