Thanks to a recent accidental leak, Alan Wake will arrive on screens October 17. The announcement came part in parcel from the PlayStation Showcase yesterday, bringing with it a new cinematic trailer and sneak peek into what we can expect from the story and gameplay.
Can you believe it’s been 13 years since the original game launched? Neither can I. Remedy’s unnerving storytelling and epic visuals set the game apart from the crowd back in 2010, and took gamers through a dark and twisted tale set amidst the backdrop of a quaint little town known as Bright Falls. It featured densely populated forests, charming vistas, dark tormented enemies, and lighting effects that played a central role in both ‘fight-with-light’ gameplay mechanics and stunning visual atmosphere.
An Inevitable Game
It was epic. So much so that it warranted a remaster back in 2021, reigniting interest in the series, and now we have a sequel. Remedy has taken an even darker approach, and switches the game’s stance from action-adventure-driven horror to full-blown survival horror this time around. Expect a slower, nerve-wrecking approach to gameplay, and the return of the ever-popular flashlight to help guide you through dimly-lit streets, primordial forests and rundown, dilapidated buildings.
The story continues 13 years after the original, and begins from an entirely different perspective thanks to a second playable character. An FBI agent named Saga Anderson enters the fore as she investigates murders and mysterious happenings in and around the town of Bright Falls. We also get a cameo appearance of series creative director, Sam Lake, who plays a grizzled FBI veteran and mentor to the secondary protagonist. Hmm, sounds (and looks) oddly familiar.
Our best-selling author, Alan Wake, on the other hand, is trapped in a nightmare beyond reality called the Dark Place, and the player’s journey will intertwine between these two dark, twisted and equally disturbing paths.
“Our team has hand-crafted several unique locations for players to explore,” says communications director, Thomas Puha. “Anderson’s story takes place in the Pacific Northwest, consisting of three hubs: the small town of Bright Falls, the stunning primordial forest surrounding the mysterious Cauldron Lake, and the run-down town of Watery. And finally, the Dark Place is a shifting, looping reality where Wake’s story takes place.”
Alan Wake 2 will launch exclusively on digital platforms, specifically the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and the Epic Games Store on PC. Remedy says the reason for this is a large number of players have shifted to digital-only platforms. Second, by not releasing a disc keeps costs down, allowing Remedy to price the game at £49.99 for consoles and £39.99 on PC.
Considering rising costs, that’s a major win in my book. See you October 17, I just might pre-order this one.
