In a quarter swarming with high-profile sequels like “Red Dead Redemption” and “Super Mario Galaxy 2”, it may have been easy to overlook an original game for something flashy, familiar and safe. To overlook “Alan Wake,” however, is a fool’s mistake that should be rectified immediately.
Released on May 18, “Alan Wake” is a single-player, third-person psychological thriller developed by Remedy Entertainment, the minds behind the “Max Payne” series. The game was in development for more than five years, and the extra layers of polish show.
“Alan Wake’s” strongest asset is the story. Without spoiling too much, the game follows protagonist Alan Wake, a best-selling horror novelist who hasn’t been able to write a word in more than two years. Attempting to alleviate his mental block, Wake travels with his wife, Alice, to the remote country town of Bright Falls. After settling into a rented cabin, a dark presence drags Alice’s flailing body to the depths of the town’s lake, leaving Wake to follow a breadcrumb trail of manuscript pages while fending off shadowy apparitions with a flashlight and a gun.
The manuscript pages are the driving force of the plot. Narrated by Alan Wake’s superb voice actor, Matthew Porretta (“Robin Hood: Men in Tights”), each page foreshadows – sometimes outright reveals – future events. It’s a testament to Remedy’s ability to set a scene when the event that unfurls feels fresh and invigorating, as if the player walked into it clueless and blindsided.
The sense of atmosphere that permeates the town of Bright Falls is top-notch, particularly the contrast between night and day.
In the enveloping darkness of the night, it’s the little touches - the swish of a throwing axe as it pierces the howling night air; the twisted, garbled speech of the nightmare-inflicted townspeople – that instill a genuine sense of anxiety and paranoia. In the daylight, the bright light and the autumnal colors lull the player into a false sense of security, a point not lost on Remedy.
Those who wish to explore are rewarded with some of the richest collectibles to date. TVs are scattered throughout various buildings that play episodes of the show “Night Springs,” a spoof on the classic “The Twilight Zone.” Radios can be found that broadcast a local, late-night talk show commenting on the events in Bright Falls.
Those seeking a challenge by beating the game on the hardest difficulty are rewarded with additional manuscript pages to pour over.
My only issue with the game are the wonky camera controls. Throughout the game, the camera hovers unattached behind the player’s back, unable to decide which shoulder it wants to look over. This isn’t a problem when using a flashlight because the beam of light acts as a targeting reticle. Without the flashlight, there’s no way of telling where the player is aiming.
The effect is disorienting and made collecting items and turning on radios an absolute pain.
I found myself sprinting through these sections, not out of fear, but out of annoyance. An option to attach the camera view to the shoulder would improve gameplay.
Other than completing the game on the hardest difficulty, “Alan Wake” is a relatively short game that offers very little replay value. If you’re looking for one of the year’s strongest contenders for the “BioShock” throne, and you have the money, go for it, but for those looking to stretch their $60 as far as it can go, rent the game instead.
The game has been recieved favorably by critics. It has a score of 83 on Metacritic com, with an average user score of 8.7. The game’s creators confirm sequels are in production.
Despite its flaws, “Alan Wake” is an experience that should not be missed. The game is available now for the Xbox 360.
