Alan Wake Review- Warpzone Gaming
By Tom Price
It’s rare when a game’s story is worth talking about more than the actual game itself. But it seems that this year we’ve managed to get two such games already. Heavy Rain, back in February, and now on Alan Wake. First announced at E3 in 2005, Alan Wake has been a long time coming, and at least for me and most of the people I’ve talked to, it’s never been entirely clear what kind of game it is. But, five years after being announced, Remedy’s Alan Wake is finally here, so what kind of game is it exactly?
Well, it’s an action game, posing as a horror game. The majority of game time is spent scrambling around in a forest, fighting off the Taken, town’s people infected by the Darkness, an evil entity. The story goes like this. Alan Wake is a famous novelist who goes on vacation with his wife to the northern pacific town of Bright Falls. While there, his wife goes missing, and Alan discovers a manuscript that appears to be written by him, a manuscript which he doesn’t remember writing. And as it turns out, what’s written in the manuscript ends up coming true.
The story is by far the best part of the game. The idea of a having the pages to a story that you know is going to come true is played with in such interesting ways, and is really just the tip of the iceberg in the unraveling of facts and revelations that occur from the beginning to the end.
The game is composed of six episodes, which are paced similarly to a good TV show. Each one ends with a big twist or reveal. Each episode starts with, “Last time on Alan Wake” and a recap of the previous episodes. It’s a nice touch, if a little silly when you’re playing more than one episode at a time. Episodes aren’t that long that it’s hard to remember what you just did.Story aside, actually playing Alan Wake isn’t too shabby either. Running around a moody, night-time forest using a flashlight and a pistol to take down enemies remains entertaining throughout, if some chapters do drag on a bit too long (Episode 3). Despite the fun combat, I found myself more trying to rush past it to reach the next plot point. The combat might be good, but the story is great.
Alan Wake might be the perfect game for someone interested in horror games but without the nerve to make it through something like Silent Hill. With the exception of one or two moments in the beginning of the game, it was never really a frightening experience. But the mood the game sets, alone in a foggy forest or mountain town with just a flashlight and a gun with a few bullets, set up a great spooky atmosphere. The only thing that breaks it are the close-ups of the characters talking. Alan Wake is no Heavy Rain in this respect.
The game ends with a conclusion that gives closure to the story, but still leaves it open to more additions to the series, one of which is already on the way. Great graphics and a great story make a fine game, if the combat doesn’t rise as high as the other two.
Final Score: B+
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