REVIEW – What can be worst for a bestseller writer, then losing his creativity, and not being able to write anything over two years? Well, what about – apparently – both losing your mind and wife as well in the eerie little town of Bright Falls?

This is what happens to Alan Wake, the famous horror writer, the hero of the game created by the creators of Max Payne: Remedy Software. It was first announced in 2005, but the game wasn’t released until 2010, but the long wait paid off for the development team and us: Alan Wake was already an excellent survival horror in 2010.

Alone in the dark

The story begins somehow similar the first Silent Hill: after driving too fast, the main protagonist runs over with his car a complete stranger. Alan gets out from the car, and investigates his surroundings, while his “victim” (who appears to be some kind of an “undead”) gets up, and gives him a good chase with an axe in his hands. Alan almost gets killed, but of course, it’s only a nightmare – which is the recurring theme of the whole game.

One of the strongest points of the game is its top-notch narrative, which is reminiscent of the books of Stephen King and there is also some David Lynch movies and Lost flavours to it. For example, the town of Bright Falls is unmistakably similar to Twin Peaks, with typical places and folks, like an old local radio host, the mentally challenged coffee pub servant girl, who is a fanatic of Alan Wake, and the seemingly crazy old lady, who is worried about the lights all the time. Also, the tormented and sympathetic Alan Wake is a very likeable hero: he’s like a cross between James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2, and Gabriel Knight from the adventure games of the same name. The other characters are interesting as well: nobody is really wicked, or evil, since the town folks are only possessed by the supernatural force called the “Dark Presence.” The main evil behind all the events isn’t really shaped up, but Remedy has confirmed that Alan Wake is only the first season of a bigger story, opening the door for future sequels.

Those bloodthirsty “Taken” are more dangerous and harder to kill, than the zombies in other horror games (like Resident Evil for example): some of them can move super fast, and can massacre us in no time. Speaking of those monsters: the scare factor of the game is generally pretty good, even if it’s still a long way from Japanese horror classics like Silent Hill and Fatal Frame. Like a good beverage, which is better served cold, Alan Wake is better played alone, and in a dark room, with at least a 5.1 audio system.

And there must be light!

Light plays a very significant role in the basic gameplay and combat strategy as well. The Taken” cannot stand light, so Alan must always use either a flashlight or an environmental light source to slow them down, or completely stun them before killing them or getting away from them. If we are out of any kind of light source, it’s almost impossible to fight the Taken effectively, since they are so fast and brutal. Also – like in classic survival horror games – ammo is scarce, so we better aim precisely and it’s so much easier with the “lights on”.

Besides being a weapon, some light sources (street lamps) serves as checkpoints and healing points. We never find any health packs in this game since Alan is healed with the light of street lamps. Also, if we don’t get hit, our health bar slowly regenerates. The difficulty of the game is pretty accurate: “normal” isn’t too easy either, but the real challenge is the hard mode. If you play through hard mode, you can access the “nightmare”, which a nice option for masochists.

Original vs. Remastered

The 2021 Alan Wake Remastered is an updated version that brought several improvements and enhancements to the classic game. The Remastered version uses re-scanned textures and models, which are much more detailed and realistic than in the original game. The characters’ faces and animations have also improved, and the synchronization has become more accurate. The Remastered version runs at 60 frames/second, which provides a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience than the original 30 frames/second. The Remastered version uses DLSS technology, which increases the image quality and performance on PCs with Nvidia GeForce cards. In addition, several new settings options are available, such as film grain, field of view, or HUD on and off. The Remastered version removed the product placements that were found in the original game, such as the Energizer batteries that Alan used for his flashlight. However, the licensed music that was heard in the original game remained, which greatly contributes to the game’s atmosphere. The Remastered version utilizes the PS5 DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, which give a unique feeling to the game on this platform. This is the first time that Alan Wake is available on a Sony console.

The Remastered version is therefore not just a simple porting, but a real upgrade, which celebrates the original game’s 10th anniversary in a worthy way. The Remastered version is not only recommended for those who have not played the original game yet, but also for those who want to relive Alan Wake’s adventures with modern graphics and optimization.”

Old movie star, with a facelift

Since Alan Wake was so long in preparation, those five years weren’t kind to the engine of the game and it shows. The game is pretty enough, but it’s still looking more previous generation, then the current one. This is especially visible on the faces of the characters and even the main protagonist has some wooden features and a strange, vacant look in his eyes like a blind man.

The environments are quite nice, especially the eerie woods, but there are also some bland textures, and many buildings aren’t really special looking or interesting either. All in all the game looks OK, but the visuals are far from being the strongest point of the game. The audio is noticeably better, with good voice actors and an excellent soundtrack with some music from some famous movies.

Alan Wake is an excellent, moody survival horror, with top-notch plot and a memorable hero. The graphics are a little old – even with the remaster –  and the gameplay gets somehow repetitive towards the end, but it can be forgiven. It’s not the best Remedy can do (Max Payne was more of an accomplishment in its time), but still, damn close to it.

-Bad Sector-

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Remedy Software

Genres: horror TPS

Publication: May 14, 2010