
It also throws a few wrenches into the combat with weapons like the flare gun that can bail you out of a pinch. Managing ammo for guns and batteries for your flashlight usually isn’t hard to do as both resources are relatively plentiful, but you’re still rarely comfortable with your stock of either. The simplicity of wearing down the many shadowy figures that pursue Alan with light, then blowing them away with your weapon of choice still instantly clicks into place as a fun-but-harrowing experience, but it’s still held back a bit by somewhat wonky dodging and tree branches obscuring your vision a bit more than they should. How it plays is most likely where you’ll notice the game’s age. It still communicates the exact same vibe it did 11 years ago with enigmatic mystery and pitch perfect uneasiness. By today’s standards, some may argue that some of the voices are a bit stilted, including the protagonist himself, but considering the tone of this game, and how it regularly aims to make the audience uncomfortable in small subtle ways, I’d say the story and characters hold up perfectly.
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Much like the many excellent works it’s inspired by, the story here is expertly told and full of strange happenings that beckon your mind to get to the bottom of. Perhaps it’s the complete dedication to – and clear-eyed adoration for – those ideas that lets them live in the body of this game in such an organic way, but regardless, and most importantly, Alan Wake is very much a trip into darkness worth taking whether you get the references or not. Yet, none of this is done in a way that feels excessive, despite those influences practically oozing out of the game’s pores. The bizarre town itself being so developed to the point of feeling like its own character certainly elicits similar feelings to the supernatural adventure through Twin Peaks, and the individual characters’ more sinister sides and horror overtones of the general story incite similar vibes that you’d get from a novel. Of all the games that harken back to those sorts of inspirations, Alan Wake is still among the best, though. The fact that Remedy has openly invoked Twin Peaks, Hitchcock films, and The Shining as inspirations for Alan Wake over the years should surprise nobody, as the game regularly pays homage to these and other influences in the thriller and horror genres across all mediums. "Of all the games that harken back to those sorts of inspirations, Alan Wake is still among the best." On top of that, it seems that Alan’s most recent unfinished manuscript is the catalyst for it all as events he hasn’t even finished drafting up are coming to life right before his eyes in Bright Falls. Before the couple has unpacked their car, Alice is taken by a mysterious darkness that seems to envelop the whole town while also spawning delirious, corrupted versions of the townsfolk who, inexplicably, want Alan dead. As soon as they get to their cabin though, the charming picturesque Bright Falls quickly becomes anything but. The story begins when his wife, Alice, has whisked him away from his problems to a quaint little town Bright Falls, tucked away in the wooded hills of Washington. Until now, when Alan Wake finds himself in the midst of intense writer’s block and on the brink of an identity crisis. He also has his share of character flaws that drag him down personally despite that inner darkness elevating him professionally. Wake is a successful author, known for his works in horror and thrillers. Except now the game has been touched up dramatically and makes good use of much more powerful hardware.

Now, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 owners can finally play the game on their respective platforms.


It’s one of the few games that transcended its platform back in 2010, and still finds its way into many “best horror game” and “hidden gem” lists to this day. Even among the vast swath of gamers who never owned an Xbox 360 and missed the game entirely, there are plenty who are aware of the game and are intrigued by what they’ve heard. Alan Wake, like most creations from the reliably excellent Remedy Entertainment, needs no introduction to many gamers.
