Alan Wake Review

Announced at E3 of 2005 and in development for longer than that, Alan Wake is a game that has long been considered the Duke Nukem Forever of the Xbox 360.  Amazingly, E3 2009 revealed the new and improved look and feel of Alan Wake and now in May of 2010, the game has finally come into the light (see what I did there?).  Long development cycles have often led to disappointment and mediocrity as it is often a sign of troubled production.  One look at Too Human and it is easy to understand why a 6 year development cycle might cause some to worry. Well Alan Wake is finally upon us and I'm here to tell you that your concerns are about to be alleviated for Alan Wake is one of the most polished, refreshing experiences I have had in gaming in the past few years.

Alan Wake (XBOX 360)
Developer: Remedy
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Released: May 18, 2010

Alan Wake is a game that is not afraid to make it's influences known.  It is unabashedly as homage to Stephen King and the wacky stories that he is known for.  It is a game that tries very hard to make a point about good writing and is possibly even aimed at speaking more to video game story writers than the general audience.  The game tells the story of a critically acclaimed writer, Alan Wake, who suffers from a major case of writers block.  In an attempt to get his creative juices flowing, he travels to the quiet town of Bright Falls Washington with his wife Alice.  Soon after he arrives, his wife goes missing and he is forced to confront the manifestation of a dark entity.  Is it an a representation of his inner darkness?  Is it all a messed up dream?  Whatever it is, Alan Wake soon realizes that the source of his troubles all stem from a manuscript that he can't even remember writing.  As he searches for his wife, he discovers pages of the story that foreshadow events that the player will be faced with.  All of this unfolds before the player to create a rather interesting and sometimes bone chilling effect.

Alan Wake unfolds like any traditional third person adventure game and will draw many comparisons to the Silent Hill series because of it's gloomy and often overbearing atmosphere.  The setting of Bright Falls is full of detail and does a lot to make it feel like a real place.  In fact, I would go as far as to say that Bright Falls almost steals the show from Alan Wake as the main character.  As the story unfolds, the game switches between night and day with most of the action taking place at night.  During the day, players will spend their time getting to know the characters and searching for clues.  What struck me as one of the coolest details was how the team created such a sense of unease or tension during the daylight hours.  While everything seems normal, I found it difficult to shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.  When the sun sets, the tone and pacing of the game changes dramatically.  Instead of exploring, players will be on the edge of their seats as the strive to say to stay alive.  Poltergeists hunt you through the night and make it nearly impossible to known what is coming.

Above all else, I feel there is something to really be said about the structure and pacing that Remedy chose for Alan Wake.  The game is broken down into episodes much like a television series and each episode ends in a cliffhanger that makes it very difficult to put the controller down.  In addition to that, the game displays what I consider some of the best pacing in the industry.  Checkpoints are common and supplies are perfectly placed throughout each level.  The game is constantly switching between moments of intense action and moments of relaxation and beauty.  They also went as far as to throw in some surprisingly competent driving sequences that really remind a lot of a certain motorcycle sequence in Tomb Raider Underworld.  In the end, I consider this to be one of the games strongest factors.

While the atmosphere and story may draw many comparisons to Silent Hill, the game does stand out in one area, combat.  Instead of the clunky and unsatisfying combat of Silent Hill, players will be pleasantly surprised by how much fun they will have with the combat of Alan Wake.  Enemies are possessed by darkness and can therefore only be hurt in the light.  Much like many games before it, the flashlight is your best friend except this time, for a much different reason.  Rather than simply illuminating a path, players must destroy an enemies defensive barrier with the flashlight before destroying them with a few well placed bullets.  While there are only a handful of different guns in the game, there is enough variety added by secondary and environmental light sources to make the combat diverse and interesting throughout.  Only by making good use of flares and flash bang grenades will players survive.  The odds may often seem overwhelming but by learning to use primary and secondary weapons in tandem with the well designed dodge mechanic, no situation is too difficult.  All of this couples with an incredibly satisfying death animation that gives great feedback to the player to lets you know that it is safe to proceed.  While the combat doesn't change much throughout the course of the game, it definitely remains fun and never seems to outlive it's welcome.

I often found myself wondering what exactly caused the development of this game to take so long or what the game would have to show for it.  I was shocked by just how beautiful this game actually is.  The game has really come a long way since it's debut.  With the exception of a few awkward facial or character animations, the game is absolutely gorgeous with some of the best outdoor environments I have ever seen.  With much of the game taking place in the woods, a lot of time was spent making that setting detailed, realistic, and disorienting.  You know... kind of like the real woods.  Trees and foliage look amazingly realistic and the engine renders night time scenery better than any game I can remember.  I often found myself wanting to stop and take in the scenery only to be reminded to keep moving by a well placed axe to the side of my head.  The visuals are accented by superb lighting effects and sound design that bring all of it together for a sexy looking package.

The game is not without it's problems.  I take issue with the HUD because the mini map never goes away or even fades into the background which can be a bit distracting.  The camera is also a bit too sensitive making it difficult to look where you want to and the problem becomes infinitely worse during the few driving sequences that are sprinkled throughout.  While I can't complement the visuals enough, it does suffer from sporadic screen tearing especially when the action gets insane and giant objects are falling from the sky (literally).  Lastly, I think the game could have been broken down into a few extra episodes because several of the episodes are a bit long.

I hate to come off as a brown-noser but I was quite honestly blown away by the experience that Remedy delivered with Alan Wake.  It is a game that is difficult to find fault in and I am in absolute shock by how well Remedy delivered on their six year promise.  The game takes story telling to a new level and sets the bar for how great story and gameplay can co-exist.  It takes the pre-conceptions  about modern game design and storytelling and throws it out the window in exchange for something better.  Whether we have another opportunity to step into the shoes of Alan Wake or simply return to the mysterious town of Bright Falls, I can't wait to see what Remedy has in store for us next.

Score - 90 out of 100

Side Notes:

[1] - I didn't know where else to put this but it seems that one episode pays homage to a particularly memorable moment in last years Left 4 Dead 2. Rock on Remedy... rock on!

[2]- In the interest of full disclosure, I would like to point out that Remedy was kind enough to send us a review copy of Alan Wake. With that said, we would also like to thank Remedy for that.

-Nick