(Hey guys! Long time, no see! After quite a hiatus, I've returned to review again. Aren't you all excited? You may remember me as "Jason" but, due to some complications, I've taken on a more generalized, company-ish reviewing name. I'm sure you'll get used to the change. =P)
Welcome to Bright Falls...
You are Alan Wake, a rather renown author with a serious case of writer's block. With the recent success of your 'Alex Casey' novels, you've hit the metaphorical wall. Your best friend and manager Barry is on your case about getting a new book out soon. To top it all off, you find yourself constantly fighting with your nyctophobic wife Alice (a fancy way to say that she has a fear of the dark.) The two of you decide to get away from it all and take a vacation to the Stephen King-esque county of "Bright Falls", the type of small town where everyone knows everyone. Your wife is clearly supportive of your career, going so far to place a typewriter in the cabin you're residing in, though you aren't exactly happy about it - all you wanted was a break! After storming out of the house you hear a shrill scream: Alice's. You rush back to the house to find your wife drifting below the water in the lake your cabin rests in the center of. Without thinking you dive head-first into the water and... wake up in a car accident a week later? What just happened?
Meet Alan Wake: successful author, ladies' man and a surprisingly good shot.
Gameplay
Alan Wake is what I would consider a "third-person action adventure video-novel". To simply refer to it as a "third-person shooter" would do the game little justice, as it is much more than that. Alan Wake's ever evolving story is brought to you in the form of episodes, similar to that of a TV show (which the game sincerely feels like). At the beginning of every episode, a recap of events is displayed to refresh the player on prior events; at the end of the episodes, the game's logo is displayed and [appropriate] music begins to plays. This approach to entering different areas of the world works perfectly, as each episode ends on a cliff-hanger. At one point, I felt my jaw drop, silently praying I'd get to see what would happen to our lovable protagonist... only to realize the next episode would play in a matter of moments. The story is that gripping.
The enemies you face are all pretty similar. You're going up against "Taken", regular human beings that the Dark Presence - the overall baddie you're constantly going toe-to-toe with - has taken over. As such, they are engulfed in a black shroud of darkness, a phrase that makes me cringe from the sheer cliché. In this state, they are impervious to bullets. The only way around this is to burn the darkness off of them via your trusty flashlight which you have with you at all times. When you focus your flashlight's beam on the Taken, the reticule around them slowly shrinks until there is a small explosion of light. At this point you can feel free to unload your weapon of choice into them. They aren't particularly hard - even on the harder difficulties - but there's definitely tension when fighting them.
It's chilling to think that there are plenty of Taken waiting ahead of you in that seemingly endless forest.
Atmosphere and You
This tension comes from the game's atmosphere. Alan Wake's world focuses on the balance between the dark and the light, with the lack thereof the latter. Light is a rare commodity to the player, seeing as the Taken are damaged when they enter it. As such, pools of light serve as checkpoints, known as "Safe Havens". Too many Taken following you? Hop into the nearest street lamp or car's headlights and you'll be safe for the time being. This isn't as easy as it seems though, seeing as the Taken will constantly knock out power or cut off your route to the nearest source of light, forcing you to take long-winded routes and detours that lead you into harm's way. The world, at this point, is immensely dark. Your flashlight, which can be upgraded via better models you'll stumble upon, serves as your only guide throughout the night. Even with it by your side, the Taken appear without warning and will hunt you down relentlessly. They are considerably faster than you, though thankfully only carry melee weapons. There's a small variety of Taken - some faster than others; some taller and stronger than others - yet they all go down in the same "flashlight+bullets" process.
"TAKE THAT, FOUL DEMON! TASTE THE LIIIIIGHT!
Alan takes on the Taken with a small, yet powerful, arsenal of weaponry and tricks. Your main weapon is a weak revolver that you nearly always have with you. As a secondary weapon you have a choice between a double-barrel shotgun, a pump-action shotgun or a hunting rifle. (My favorite was the hunting rifle, the more powerful gun in the game. There was something oddly satisfying about popping a Taken that was 20 feet away and watching him dissolve into thin air.) In your third weapon slot you'll have a flare gun which serves as a small, portable rocket launcher: firing into a group of Taken slows the game down as you witness the imminent explosion, dissolving all enemies in the immediate area. Lastly, Alan carries two types of "grenades" with him: first, a flare, which creates breathing room and forces all Taken away from you for a few seconds; secondly, a flashbang which acts similar to the flare gun. I thought it was funny how a standard flashbang would bring any one of us to our knees, covering our eyes and ears, yet Alan shrugs it off. (I think he's insane.) Lastly, you have a quick dodge move that will slow the game down for a moment or two as Alan ducks under an attack and breaks into a sprint. I found this to be slightly unreliable, yet it worked in a pinch. I wouldn't resort to it if you have the means to take down your enemy, though.
Hey, guess what? The thing that created that hole in the wall? It wants you.
A "Video Novel"
As I stated above, the game is like a "video-novel". There are three specific ways that the game's story evolves over time: the day sequences, the obligatory cutscenes and the manuscript pages. Occasionally you will control Alan during the day, including in the present and in flashbacks. These sequences reveal crucial information about Alan Wake's backstory, as well as key story elements. The cutscenes are self-explanatory and serve similar purposes.
The manuscripts are a different "story"... (Ha! A pun!). Think of them similar to Bioshock's audio diaries: you can find them scattered about the world, pick them up and read them whenever you like. Without spoiling the story, the pages are from a story that Alan drafted, yet has no memory of writing. They hide a darker secret, however, as events that you've read in the manuscripts occur right before your eyes. Unlike the audio diaries in Bioshock, I felt like I was seriously missing key parts of Alan Wake's story if I missed any of the pages (some of which can only be found on the Nightmare difficulty, unlocked after beating the game once). They're short enough that I always found the time to read them, yet compelling enough that I'm contemplating replaying the game on Nightmare mode to unlock the missing pages.
Who wants to go in the scary cabin first? Anyone? You?
Final Verdict and Thoughts
BUY IT!
Alan Wake manages to do what many games have failed to do in the past: tell an in-depth, ever evolving story while juggling competent gameplay and puzzles at the same time. The game feels lengthy and the story alone will keep you coming back for more. The gunplay doesn't feel awkward in the slightest and you may even find yourself jumping out of your seat at some points, scared. Take caution, though: you're in for one crazy, thought-provoking ending if you manage to navigate through Bright Falls and end up alive.
Afterwards...
Feels good to be back.
So what did you guys think of my review? Comments and Criticism are greatly appreciated. (Did I miss anything?) You know I love you guys.
Also, to anyone who has completed the game... What did you all think about the ending? I have some theories which I won't disclose for those who haven't played this masterpiece yet. But still: were you confused? Do you think you know? Are you excited for the DLC coming out?
One FINAL thought, guys? You OWE it to yourself to at least try the game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strangely Compelling: A Look at...
Welcome to Bright Falls...
You are Alan Wake, a rather renown author with a serious case of writer's block. With the recent success of your 'Alex Casey' novels, you've hit the metaphorical wall. Your best friend and manager Barry is on your case about getting a new book out soon. To top it all off, you find yourself constantly fighting with your nyctophobic wife Alice (a fancy way to say that she has a fear of the dark.) The two of you decide to get away from it all and take a vacation to the Stephen King-esque county of "Bright Falls", the type of small town where everyone knows everyone. Your wife is clearly supportive of your career, going so far to place a typewriter in the cabin you're residing in, though you aren't exactly happy about it - all you wanted was a break! After storming out of the house you hear a shrill scream: Alice's. You rush back to the house to find your wife drifting below the water in the lake your cabin rests in the center of. Without thinking you dive head-first into the water and... wake up in a car accident a week later? What just happened?
Meet Alan Wake: successful author, ladies' man and a surprisingly good shot.
Gameplay
Alan Wake is what I would consider a "third-person action adventure video-novel". To simply refer to it as a "third-person shooter" would do the game little justice, as it is much more than that. Alan Wake's ever evolving story is brought to you in the form of episodes, similar to that of a TV show (which the game sincerely feels like). At the beginning of every episode, a recap of events is displayed to refresh the player on prior events; at the end of the episodes, the game's logo is displayed and [appropriate] music begins to plays. This approach to entering different areas of the world works perfectly, as each episode ends on a cliff-hanger. At one point, I felt my jaw drop, silently praying I'd get to see what would happen to our lovable protagonist... only to realize the next episode would play in a matter of moments. The story is that gripping.
The enemies you face are all pretty similar. You're going up against "Taken", regular human beings that the Dark Presence - the overall baddie you're constantly going toe-to-toe with - has taken over. As such, they are engulfed in a black shroud of darkness, a phrase that makes me cringe from the sheer cliché. In this state, they are impervious to bullets. The only way around this is to burn the darkness off of them via your trusty flashlight which you have with you at all times. When you focus your flashlight's beam on the Taken, the reticule around them slowly shrinks until there is a small explosion of light. At this point you can feel free to unload your weapon of choice into them. They aren't particularly hard - even on the harder difficulties - but there's definitely tension when fighting them.
It's chilling to think that there are plenty of Taken waiting ahead of you in that seemingly endless forest.
Atmosphere and You
This tension comes from the game's atmosphere. Alan Wake's world focuses on the balance between the dark and the light, with the lack thereof the latter. Light is a rare commodity to the player, seeing as the Taken are damaged when they enter it. As such, pools of light serve as checkpoints, known as "Safe Havens". Too many Taken following you? Hop into the nearest street lamp or car's headlights and you'll be safe for the time being. This isn't as easy as it seems though, seeing as the Taken will constantly knock out power or cut off your route to the nearest source of light, forcing you to take long-winded routes and detours that lead you into harm's way. The world, at this point, is immensely dark. Your flashlight, which can be upgraded via better models you'll stumble upon, serves as your only guide throughout the night. Even with it by your side, the Taken appear without warning and will hunt you down relentlessly. They are considerably faster than you, though thankfully only carry melee weapons. There's a small variety of Taken - some faster than others; some taller and stronger than others - yet they all go down in the same "flashlight+bullets" process.
"TAKE THAT, FOUL DEMON! TASTE THE LIIIIIGHT!
Alan takes on the Taken with a small, yet powerful, arsenal of weaponry and tricks. Your main weapon is a weak revolver that you nearly always have with you. As a secondary weapon you have a choice between a double-barrel shotgun, a pump-action shotgun or a hunting rifle. (My favorite was the hunting rifle, the more powerful gun in the game. There was something oddly satisfying about popping a Taken that was 20 feet away and watching him dissolve into thin air.) In your third weapon slot you'll have a flare gun which serves as a small, portable rocket launcher: firing into a group of Taken slows the game down as you witness the imminent explosion, dissolving all enemies in the immediate area. Lastly, Alan carries two types of "grenades" with him: first, a flare, which creates breathing room and forces all Taken away from you for a few seconds; secondly, a flashbang which acts similar to the flare gun. I thought it was funny how a standard flashbang would bring any one of us to our knees, covering our eyes and ears, yet Alan shrugs it off. (I think he's insane.) Lastly, you have a quick dodge move that will slow the game down for a moment or two as Alan ducks under an attack and breaks into a sprint. I found this to be slightly unreliable, yet it worked in a pinch. I wouldn't resort to it if you have the means to take down your enemy, though.
Hey, guess what? The thing that created that hole in the wall? It wants you.
A "Video Novel"
As I stated above, the game is like a "video-novel". There are three specific ways that the game's story evolves over time: the day sequences, the obligatory cutscenes and the manuscript pages. Occasionally you will control Alan during the day, including in the present and in flashbacks. These sequences reveal crucial information about Alan Wake's backstory, as well as key story elements. The cutscenes are self-explanatory and serve similar purposes.
The manuscripts are a different "story"... (Ha! A pun!). Think of them similar to Bioshock's audio diaries: you can find them scattered about the world, pick them up and read them whenever you like. Without spoiling the story, the pages are from a story that Alan drafted, yet has no memory of writing. They hide a darker secret, however, as events that you've read in the manuscripts occur right before your eyes. Unlike the audio diaries in Bioshock, I felt like I was seriously missing key parts of Alan Wake's story if I missed any of the pages (some of which can only be found on the Nightmare difficulty, unlocked after beating the game once). They're short enough that I always found the time to read them, yet compelling enough that I'm contemplating replaying the game on Nightmare mode to unlock the missing pages.
Who wants to go in the scary cabin first? Anyone? You?
Final Verdict and Thoughts
BUY IT!
Alan Wake manages to do what many games have failed to do in the past: tell an in-depth, ever evolving story while juggling competent gameplay and puzzles at the same time. The game feels lengthy and the story alone will keep you coming back for more. The gunplay doesn't feel awkward in the slightest and you may even find yourself jumping out of your seat at some points, scared. Take caution, though: you're in for one crazy, thought-provoking ending if you manage to navigate through Bright Falls and end up alive.
Afterwards...
Feels good to be back.
So what did you guys think of my review? Comments and Criticism are greatly appreciated. (Did I miss anything?) You know I love you guys.
Also, to anyone who has completed the game... What did you all think about the ending? I have some theories which I won't disclose for those who haven't played this masterpiece yet. But still: were you confused? Do you think you know? Are you excited for the DLC coming out?
One FINAL thought, guys? You OWE it to yourself to at least try the game.
