Review: Alan Wake

I enjoy good books and a great TV shows…I like the opportunity to allow myself to escape reality, enter a world different from my own, and get lost in the story. While TV shows like The Wire, Dexter and True Blood have been able to do this and books by Cussler, King, Rowling, and Crichton have taken me away from reality while I was lost in their worlds, I had yet to find a Video Game do the same….Enter Alan Wake.

Made by the same people behind Max Payne and using yet another double entendre for the title character’s name: Alan Wake. Remedy uses a spooky atmosphere with well designed combat elements and a compelling story to keep the player captivated from the beginning to the end.

Alan Wake is a best selling author with a case of writer block and insomnia (A.Wake) who goes on vacation with his wife to the town of Bright Falls to relax and as he says “hopefully sleep”. Right from the beginning you see the beauty of the town along with its realism. The town looks old and “lived in” while the vistas are jaw dropping.


The story unfolds like a TV show/novel in episodic fashion with recaps at the beginning of each episode. This serves as a great formula as the game become more story driven and allowing more casual gamers to play through an episode take a break, pick it up again and still have an idea of what’s going on in the story.

It has been a long time since I have actually felt some fear and suspense while playing a game (I think the original Silent Hill) and the atmosphere, the mood, the overall feel of the game provide constant suspense, dread, and anticipation of what is going to happen next. While the landscape is littered with pieces of the manuscript foreshadowing events to come, they still end up a surprise.


The manuscript serve several purposes. Besides the foretelling of events they provide some back story to Wake and give you insight into the other characters you normally wouldn’t hear in game. This harkens back to the literary aspect of the game giving the player more and more in order for them to care about the characters…I say well done, because in the end, I do care…I want to find Wake’s wife, I feel for Rose, and I want to know what is going on with Wake.

One thing Alan Wake does is keeps the right things simple. In a game that is so heavy on story it doesn’t bog you down with weapons. You basically have what is in a small town; A revolver, flares, shotguns, hunting rifle, flashlight and lanterns. The only out of place object are the flash bangs which at first Wake finds in and around police cars then makes comments about them being out of place in other areas he finds them. Its just another way Remedy has maintained the authenticity of the town.

I cannot remember a game grabbing hold of me the way that Alan Wake has. It’s a story that will stick with you and find yourself thinking of even when not playing the game. The beauty of Bright Falls will make you wish you could vacation there and the fear it causes will have you sleeping with the lights on and a flashlight on your night stand