Alan Wake 2 Review: The nightmare continues at Bright Falls

After 13 years of long wait, Alan Wake 2 is finally a reality in 2023. While the wait has been long, it proved to be worth it in every aspect. The narrative direction Remedy Entertainment took with the latest title finds similarity with Control, yet it is a welcome addition to make the game cinematic.

Alan Wake 2 is the continuation of the story foretold with the original game and American Nightmare. Incidentally, in a ploy to improve the narrative, the latest title even introduces a new character who is supposed to save the day.

The latest chapter of the psychological horror franchise has gone through various visual and gameplay improvements, and a lot has changed including the titular author. With that said, here’s our in-depth review of the newest game and what it has to offer to the players.

Alan Wake 2 Review: Dive into the Lake and the Darkness follows

Being an avid fan of games from Remedy Entertainment like Control and Quantum Break, we can confirm that Alan Wake 2 holds up its quality to the end. However, let us snap back to the original title before talking about the latest iteration.

After experiencing a captivating ending in the first game which kept me wondering for hours, I had the same expectations for Alan Wake 2 and it did not disappoint. Moreover, seeing Bright Falls again in a fresh new graphical look was nostalgic at first before the true horror set in, which is something I loved.

Additionally, the gameplay and HUD of the game remained the same as before giving players a sense of familiarity. Alan Wake 2 even managed to keep up its mysterious atmosphere without straying away from the original. Not to mention, the eerie feeling and occasional helplessness from the first game were also present in the latest chapter.

Environment and graphics: The eerie nightmare world of a Novelist

The first thing that has to be mentioned before the story and gameplay, is Alan Wake 2’s exquisitely crafted environments. When I first started the game, I was instantly captured by how eerie it felt to just move around the wilderness. The game even manages to keep up a visual that is not only gloomy and dark but sends a chill up one’s spine from time to time.

When exploring the forest in the first few episodes, I couldn’t help but feel scared of what I might find before me. The vegetation in the game was well done and managed to look natural and realistic. The level of detail is something that helps the game look more cinematic and gives it a spooky vibe. Moreover, the atmosphere and theme are complimented wonderfully by the brilliant sound design.

Coming out of the forest, the habitable environments look lively as the characters are more interactive. Bright Falls has also changed quite a bit as many years have passed since the first game.

On the other hand, when playing as Alan, I was taken to a city that closely resembles New York. The only thing that was different was that the place had almost no people, which naturally brought on an eerie and chilling atmosphere. However, even though it looked scary, the dazzling neon signs and billboards as well as the picture-perfect reflections were mesmerizing to look at.

However, all these things wouldn’t have been possible without the lighting system in the game. The balance between light and dark is crucial for the title, and it has achieved that goal with ease. When things are not so scary, the environment is well-lit, yet not enough to make someone feel safe entirely.

While in the dark, light works as the only ray of hope which gave me the sensation of a safe haven. Thus, the environment and lighting played a crucial role in bringing forth the true essence of fear in the game.

Gameplay overview: Let light lead you home

The place where Alan Wake 2 truly shines is in its gameplay which provides a peak survival horror experience. If you’ve played the original game, there is no such difference when it comes to gameplay at first. However, as you progress, you’ll find yourself surrounded by various other features that make the game extremely fun.

At first, you will take on the story of Saga Anderson, an FBI agent who just arrived to solve a series of ritualistic murders. While playing as her, players will be introduced to gameplay that is similar to the previous game. 

However, as Saga, you are introduced to the new mechanic of the Mind Place, which reminded me of the Sherlock TV show. If you don’t know about it, a Mind Palace/place is an archive inside a person’s mind, which they can use to access data and store memories. If explained in simpler terms, the mind place is a hard drive in the human mind that can be accessed anytime without fear of losing data.

This is a cool way to access missions and uncover the story by placing the right pieces of the puzzle. Moreover, it helped sell the fact that Saga is a detective who is serious about her job. In fact, like detective TV shows, you have their evidence board which can be accessed to get various clues and progress the story.

Similarly, a few things have changed when compared to the previous game, like the way a torch’s battery is used Before the torch could be used by holding a button, and would only run out when shone directly on an enemy. However, this time around, when players use the torch, a single bar runs out and the player has no control over saving a few seconds.

While the change seems simple, the effect it has is drastic. I found myself running out of batteries fast and made me conserve them as much as possible. But again, if I didn’t use them as much, the effects could be bad on my end. Thus the sense of losing resources over time picked on my survival instinct and in turn helped with immersion.

Incidentally, things got more interesting as I started playing as Alan Wake and was introduced to Lady of the Light. This gadget allowed me to change my surroundings in an instant which feels satisfactory. This feature is similar to the level in Control, where Jessie gets teleported to Ocean View Hotel, which is connected to Alan Wake. However, whether this was a foreshadowing of this feature, remains a mystery to me.

Lady of the Light plays a crucial role in the story and gameplay. I don’t wish to disclose about it in detail to avoid spoilers. All I can say is, that when you find yourself stuck in the dark, don’t forget this handy tool.

Other than these things, the gameplay is quite straightforward and doesn’t require much exploration. However, if you’re looking for upgrade items, then it’s best to search every area you are visiting. Other than that, you’re set to enjoy the story the game has to provide.

Story and narrative: Writer has the freedom to choose the ending (no spoilers)

The story of Alan Wake 2 takes place thirteen years after the events in the first game. In this, the author writes a story with a new protagonist who comes to Bright Falls. However, the story turns into another nightmare due to the involvement of Scratch from American Nightmare.

The narrative is closely connected with the gameplay and players need to focus on it to get to the next point. I found myself intrigued by the story at every turn, and never did it feel like I was missing out on extra content or plotlines. Going through the story felt like breezing through a novel that has been immaculately visualized.

What I loved about the storytelling of Alan Wake 2 is the usage of overlay visuals over gameplay like in Control. Instead of just using audio or simple cutscenes to tell the story, the game seamlessly blends in live-action footage, which looks sick. After experimenting with this type of storytelling in Control, Remedy Entertainment has surely mastered it and showcased it in their latest game.

The story and narrative are well-complimented by manuscripts, which are interesting to listen to as they highlight major plot points. Moreover, there are additional narrative easter eggs featuring the Federal Bureau of Control. Being a fan of that game, I surely loved the references made to the other game.

There is one more thing worth mentioning about the narrative of Alan Wake 2 and that is its music. Just like the last game, the music binds seamlessly with the story. Moreover, Poets of the Fall is back again in this game, and if you’re a fan of the band like me, their involvement is sure to flutter your heart.

Lastly, the episodic nature of each chapter in the game is greatly appreciated as well. As I mentioned before, the experience of Alan Wake 2 is cinematic and it is supported by its narrative. Each chapter ends with songs and gives a sense of ending an episode of a web series. This innovation from Remedy is not surprising as they have always done something like this before.

Performance: Runs on potato or beef is needed?

To test how Alan Wake 2 and check its optimization I used my same old Nividia 2060 Super-power rig for the performance test. It is to be mentioned, that the developers suggested the usage of SSD instead of HDD and has its good reasons. Here is a detailed rundown of the system used for the performance test:

• CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 @3.6 Ghz
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 2060S 8GB
• Storage: 1TB HHD @7200 RPM
• RAM: XPG 16 GB DDR4 @3200Mhz
• Set Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p upscaled with DLSS)

Since my graphics card supports DLSS, I had no other option than to use it for running Alan Wake 2 well above 60 FPS. During my entire gameplay, I didn’t find many performance dips and it ran quite smoothly. However, I did find graphical issues with assets loading at low resolution for which my hard drive has to be blamed.

To test the fact the low-resolution texture is a result of a storage unit, I ended up adding an SSD. Upon doing that, it was thoroughly confirmed that it wasn’t an issue created by my graphics card or upscaling. If you don’t own an SSD, you’ll likely face the above-mentioned issues. However, this issue is quite minor and the story can be enjoyed if this is ignored.

I ran the game in medium graphics preset with V-Sync off and DLSS working. On using FSR2, the improvements weren’t massive, and I mostly preferred DLSS. However, if the game adds support for FSR3 later down the line, then I will recommend trying that for better performance. Other than that, the game is well-optimized and I didn’t face many issues with it.

Conclusion: Did Alan Wake 2 manage to live up to high expectations?

In my opinion, I’d say Alan Wake 2 did manage to live up to all the expectations over thirteen years. The story is intriguing with a great plot filled with heavy details on the lore which is connected to the Control universe. Additionally, the visual-overlay storytelling is something I loved throughout and made the story experience cinematic overall.

As for gameplay, it was quite fun while still managing to keep the dark atmosphere from the first game. Since it is a horror survivor title, it does fulfill its purpose and delivers a great experience. I loved the Lady of the Light feature as it is cool to use and satisfying in every aspect. Also, implementing the Mind Palace is a great way to mix narrative and gameplay.

Similarly, the performance of the game didn’t disappoint me as there isn’t much to complain about. As mentioned earlier, SSDs are recommended for running the game, and you might encounter issues when not using them. Nonetheless, if you match the recommended system requirements of the title, you’ll surely receive what has been prescribed by the developers.

Alan Wake 2 Review

With that, I conclude my in-depth review of Alan Wake 2, which has been released recently. With great gameplay and storytelling, the title is highly recommended as it fulfills its purpose in creative ways. Moreover, if you are into the survival horror genre and a fan of titles like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and more, then this is a must-try.