HomeFeaturesAlan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is just as much a detective story, as it is survival horrorMind yourself
Mind yourself
Image credit:Epic Games Publishing
Image credit:Epic Games Publishing
Behind an ominous door next to a pizza joint, I bore witness to 30 minutes ofAlan Wake 2in an extended presentationbased on the traileryou might have seen at the sumSummer Game Festshowcase. I didn’t get to see any of Alan himself, but I did get to see a slice of horror, investigation, and action as the other playable character Saga Anderson. And without a doubt, Remedy are making a big push for this to be a detective game alongside a survivalhorrorone. My first impressions? Yeah, strong.
Alan Wake 2 World Premiere Gameplay Footage | Summer Game Fest 2023Watch on YouTube
Alan Wake 2 World Premiere Gameplay Footage | Summer Game Fest 2023
After a tense walk through the woods, Saga entered her “Mind Place”, a cabin within her subconscious where she’s removed her FBI jacket to display her Christmas jumper in all of its glory. I assume this is to imply she is relaxed and safe in her mind. Anyway, the cabin is home to a case board which acts as a visual representation of the investigation. We see the classic detective-style board: lots of photos, lots of red lines criss-crossing between them, and words hurriedly scribbled. It’s here where Saga gathers some new threads and shuffles through them, snapping those that fit together in the right order to further the objective.
Image credit:IEpic Games Publishing
I will say I was a bit unsure as to how muchactualdetective work you’re able to perform outside of the demo mission’s linear confines. I heard during a quick Q&A with one of the devs that there’s a chance you’re able to miss certain pieces of evidence, so perhaps later on there’s greater freedom in piecing together a mystery - and if it’s as freeform as Frogwares’Sherlock Holmesgames then I’m sure our Alice Bee and Rebecca will be very pleased indeed. Either way, it seems like the Mind Place strikes a good balance between making you think about the evidence you’ve collected while not being too difficult.
As Saga reached the hut, it’s revealed that these are “Break Rooms” which offer you brief respite to save (at a Thermos flask, a nod to their usefulness, and also as previousAlan Wakecollectible) and actually swap between Saga or Alan if you’d like. The demo didn’t see us swap, but the devs say both Saga and Alan have their own set of missions you can tackle in any order once you’ve reached a certain point in the story. So, in theory you could do all of Saga’s, then tackle all of Alan’s, if you’d like. I asked whether Alan had his own take on the Mind Place and the dev was quick to smile and say in a roundabout way that he may or may not, nudge nudge wink wink.
What’s neat is that over the course of Saga tracking Nightingale, she slowly bridges the gap between her world and the “Dark Place”, Alan’s horrible abode. Environments strobe and overlap and fade into one another as she - long story short - gains entry to a paranormal tree. Just from a sort of aesthetics and sound standpoint, it’s got excellent punch.
Image credit:Epic Games Publishing
Then there’s the survival bit of the horror package, which is unavoidably quiteResident Evil 4. You’ve got the whole third-person, over the shoulder perspective as baddies lurch towards Saga in a disorderly queue to get a shank in, with traditionalinventory Tetrisin the top right corner. None of this is to detract from the fact it looked rad, with a wonderful crackle to shots and an urgency to dodges. Of course, it wouldn’t be Alan Wake withoutsome torch action, either. Throughout we see Saga shed the darkness from the cultists which staggered them, then blasting them while they were vulnerable. At one point she stepped into a bit of a swamp bathed in light from a gap in the canopy above, which granted her some brief respite from the baddies.
As I’ve walked around Summer Game Fest here in LA, the words “Alan Wake 2” have definitely wafted into my eardrums more than any other game. It’s on everyone’s lips and I can understand why! It strikes me as a survival horror with clever detective devices that I’m sure will only grow as the game progresses. And I’ve come to this conclusion without even seeing what Alan’s got to offer. Here’s hoping a torch, at the very least.
