Shit Reviewed: Alan Wake

So Alan Wake was released for the PC (sucks to own a Mac now, eh) in early February, and me, hearing the good word of the psychological-horror video game, downloaded it and began to play around 4AM.

 

Shit's creepy. And I like it. Because shit that isn't cheap, is good entertainment. And Alan Wake delivers good, scary shit.

So. You are put into the shoes of Alan Wake, a troubled writer who goes for a vacation to Bright Falls with his nyctophobic (fear of the dark, noobs) wife, Alice. Things look peaceful in the simple harmless old town, until night falls. That's when all the creepy shit happens and you're thrust into the dark to save your sanity.

The opening itself blends gameplay introduction and story quite well. If there were any faults here, I would blame the voice acting. Alan's voice actor did a good job as a loner kind of writer who suffers from writer's block, but the voice from the sky who helps him with how to work his way around the first level?

Meh.

The gameplay mechanics is simple but strong enough to carry the burden of the story. Be warned, you are not Leon S Kennedy nor Isaac Clarke in this video game. There will be no fully auto machine guns or Contact Beams in your inventory. No worries, though, for you are equipped with the basic revolver (and as your progress, a shotgun) and a flashlight. Though not as powerful as the BFG in Doom, these weapons would prove useful when you're encountering the weird-ass dark-infested minions of the game's antagonist.

"You don't say?" -- Alan Wake, when interviewed 

about his weapons of choice.

The game sports a likeable "dodge" move, which, if done correctly, rewards the player with a short cinematic and satisfaction of seeing Alan just dodge that swing from the bad guy with style. Combat focuses on blinding the enemy with your flashlight first, dispersing his "dark" armor before you can harm him. After you shred your enemy's armor, then feel free to wipe the floor with him by shooting in between his eyes. This sort of gameplay forces you into strategy because unlike mainstream video games, the enemies will attack you simultaneously and not take turns. During these moments must you dodge stylishly and burn your flashlight accurately at the enemies at the expense of your batteries in your inventory before you can shoot. Though it gets repetitive overtime.

"Burn, asshole, burn!" -- Alan Wake demonstrates
how the "flash-first-shoot-later" method works. 

Alan Wake's storyline can be commended as original and though the gameplay is a tad away from good, the creepy atmosphere and the interactivity of the game kept me coming from more. What I enjoyed most about the game is the in-game TV-show which can be found on any TV set in the game. The TV show is called Night Springs, an obvious parody of Twilight Zone with its classic black-and-white format and the bizarre stories in each episode. There are several TV sets in the game, and each set has its own episode. Keep an eye out for these, as well the collectible coffee thermos found scattered throughout levels.

Speaking of collectibles, there are manuscript pages that can be-- well, collected. And these pages sometime foretell the events that will happen in the game, though nothing major to spoil the fun, but enough to keep you on the edge. 

Alan Wake is nonetheless an enjoyable game, and I give it an 8.5/10. Graphics are solid, voice acting is bearable, gameplay is fun at first and tolerable in later events, but the crown jewel of the game is its original story. Remedy Entertainment took all these elements and created a game that is sure to be remembered in the horror genre. I certainly can't wait for the sequel. And no, not American Nightmare. Till next time!

"It's not a lake-- it's an ocean!" -- Alan Wake bids his

goodbye to the WRS team.