Game of the Month #56 (September 2019) - Alan Wake

When the wife of the best-selling writer Alan Wake disappears on their vacation, his search turns up pages from a thriller he doesn't even remember writing. A dark presence stalks the small town of Bright Falls, Washington pushing Wake to the brink of sanity in his fight to unravel the mystery and save the woman he loves. With the body of an action game and the mind of a psychological thriller, Alan Wake is a pulse-pounding thrill ride.

I've already completed this game and I remember enjoying it. I voted for it due to having a repeat in my backlog so gonna play it again. Prob power through it as I've already seen most of it.

Just had my first session of this second playthrough of Alan Wake:

I'm heading through the lumberjack yard atm

It's basically what i remember an interesting game concept using light as a weapon in the game but still with some clunky controls and a bit too much narration.

I'm playing the game on easy mode withe commentary switched on. I might not be the fastest run i could do but the commentary is interesting at the least.

Just had my first session of this second playthrough of Alan Wake:

I'm heading through the lumberjack yard atm

It's basically what i remember an interesting game concept using light as a weapon in the game but still with some clunky controls and a bit too much narration.

I'm playing the game on easy mode withe commentary switched on. I might not be the fastest run i could do but the commentary is interesting at the least.

I just installed the game and looked at the options there. I was wondering about the narration. Is it like the main character narrating his own story, or is it some kind of unknown third person observer narrating the story as one would be reading a book? It will be my first time playing this game, should a play with narration considering a very rarely replay games once they're done, and this will most likely be my only time with this game?

I just installed the game and looked at the options there. I was wondering about the narration. Is it like the main character narrating his own story, or is it some kind of unknown third person observer narrating the story as one would be reading a book? It will be my first time playing this game, should a play with narration considering a very rarely replay games once they're done, and this will most likely be my only time with this game?

It's the player character. I'd recommend keeping it on the whole point of the game is your writer narrating your next story. Its overused but necessary for the story imo

I strongly recommend to not read any of the manuscript pages you find along your path as they can contain spoilers (not all but most), really don't know why they've added them like that. Good game though, solid shooting with a dodging mechanic that you will be needing to compensate for Alan's low stamina. You'll have enough ammo to kill just about anything, but it's also possible to run away without wasting a bullet and since Nightmare mode is not unlocked from the start, resource management won't be bothering you. The game also warns you of dangers ahead in most situations, I didn't mind that but it could ruin the suspense for some.

Just had my first session of this second playthrough of Alan Wake:

I'm heading through the lumberjack yard atm

It's basically what i remember an interesting game concept using light as a weapon in the game but still with some clunky controls and a bit too much narration.

I'm playing the game on easy mode withe commentary switched on. I might not be the fastest run i could do but the commentary is interesting at the least.

Should I, as a first-time player, disable commentary? I recently replayed Deus Ex with its on and it was spoilery.

Hello easy mode =)

Should I, as a first-time player, disable commentary? I recently replayed Deus Ex with its on and it was spoilery.

Yes. It's a commentary it's going to spoil

I voted for Alan Wake, because I already own the game (twice now, on Steam and Epic), but it's a game that has everything I don't like with it being a first-person shooter and a horror game. I'm going to give it a try later today and see if I like it/can play it. I need to step out of my comfort zone sometimes!

I voted for Alan Wake, because I already own the game (twice now, on Steam and Epic), but it's a game that has everything I don't like with it being a first-person shooter and a horror game. I'm going to give it a try later today and see if I like it/can play it. I need to step out of my comfort zone sometimes!

definitely playing this one during the day when the sun is out and I won't get scared of the dark!!

I voted for Alan Wake, because I already own the game (twice now, on Steam and Epic), but it's a game that has everything I don't like with it being a first-person shooter and a horror game. I'm going to give it a try later today and see if I like it/can play it. I need to step out of my comfort zone sometimes!

It´s not a first-person shooter and it was described by Remedy as a psychological thriller. The game is going to be scary especially for a scaredy-cat like me but hopefully not survival horror scary.

I will also give it a try. (During the day with a cuddle blanket and a cup of valerian tea)

It´s not a first-person shooter and it was described by Remedy as a psychological thriller. The game is going to be scary especially for a scaredy-cat like me but hopefully not survival horror scary.

I will also give it a try. (During the day with a cuddle blanket and a cup of valerian tea)

I read somewhere that the style of storytelling felt like an episodic TV show, somewhere between Stephen King and David Lynch style.

I was so tired today I actually fell asleep on the couch this afternoon, but I'll probably start the game tonight or tomorrow.

It´s not a first-person shooter and it was described by Remedy as a psychological thriller. The game is going to be scary especially for a scaredy-cat like me but hopefully not survival horror scary.

I will also give it a try. (During the day with a cuddle blanket and a cup of valerian tea)

Ohh. Well that is a relief. I was just going by the genres this game has listed on its page on HLTB.
I wont know until I try it (didn't have time today after all). There are some scary games that I'm fine playing and others... well, not so much.

I've started the game and completed the first episode in one sitting. It's fun so far. It's really well written in my opinion, and I like the episodic narrative, just like a good TV show. I'm not used to play stressful games, but it's good for a change and it's well done.

Edit: forgot to mention I choose the easy mode. Still managed to die 2-3 times in the first chapter. Easy will be fine for me then.

Completed it pretty recently and gave it an 8/10. From what I remember I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt it had a great atmosphere. Only thing I would have said is that it's not as scary as it could have been because of the giant, obvious slow-mo animation whenever an enemy pops out. Might play the extra episodes to refresh my memory.

Just finished the 4th episode with the best part of the game imo THE ROCK STAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah I'm still enjoying this game on a second playthrough but i am noticing a few patterns. The biggest one is that enemies usually spawn in groups of 3 at least on easy

Hoo-ee ... started the game today and played through the first episode.

Impressions so far are fairly positive - of course there are a few things that haven't aged well, like some stiff animations and some environmental layouts that I got stuck on in places. Aside from that though, I'm really enjoying it - even if it did spook me quite a bit (but I'm the weakest when it comes to the spooks). What I do enjoy is the combat, which frustrated me at first, but now I'm figuring out when certain weapons are more useful and using that to make life easier.

I also quite like the narrative and how it's being delivered. The combination of talking to people, voice over, and the pages, are a nice mix. Reminds me of how other Remedy games like Max Payne delivered their story - love being able to walk around while NPCs are talking to me. Plus, I really enjoy reading about something on a page that I found, then experiencing the exact thing I just read about... it's a nice touch and has me looking forward to how it could be developed further into the game.

Not looking forward to the increase in spooky-ness, which is no doubt inevitable. The story is compelling though, even if it's pretty much horror-trope-101 so far. I think I made the right choice to play on Easy, as I would hate to be thinking about resource management on top of where those voices are coming from...

So far - digging it! =)

I finished the first episode yesterday and so far the scariest thing I´ve seen has to be the face of Alice Wake. The game just oozes atmosphere and I like that a lot.
The gameplay is fine and gets the job done, it just plays second fiddle to the main star of the show which is the story. I´m very curious to find out what´s going on.

I finished the first episode yesterday and so far the scariest thing I´ve seen has to be the face of Alice Wake. The game just oozes atmosphere and I like that a lot.
The gameplay is fine and gets the job done, it just plays second fiddle to the main star of the show which is the story. I´m very curious to find out what´s going on.

I agree that the atmosphere is excellently done and I'm really keen to see where story is going to go - but damn, running through dark woods when supernatural things are out to get you because you're mental or something (no spoiler because I don't know either way) - that's a stressful and spooky time for scaredy-cat like me =)

Although, I'm enjoying the episodic nature of the game - I just finished the second episode and so far it's been a nice respite to put it down between episodes!

I completed Episode 2 last night. I agree with everybody here. The atmosphere in the game is really well done. The game doesn't scare me but it's stressful. I also like that the game is decided into episodes.

I'm happy that I chose to play on Easy. I haven't run out of bullets or batteries yet, but came really close on a few occasions. I did run out of bullets once and in the context of this game, when that happens, i can tell you that panic sets in quickly. I can't imagine what it would be like on higher difficulty.

Finished the second episode earlier today. Easy difficulty all the way, the last thing I want from this game is a challenge.

I like how the game warns you about impending danger with the manuscripts that you can find.
I saved my flares and hunting rifle for the "boss" that I knew was coming and had a much better time then if I had run into him unprepared.

The only criticism I have is that the driving controls are abysmal and I hope I won´t have to drive very often. But the alternative would have been running from a horde of enemies and Alan really needs to hit the gym once this is over.

Also I would prefer if the game stopped taking my guns away after every chapter. I need my shotgun to go to the bathroom. This is the only time a jump scare really got me.
Bathrooms are scary.

Finished the second episode earlier today. Easy difficulty all the way, the last thing I want from this game is a challenge.

I like how the game warns you about impending danger with the manuscripts that you can find.
I saved my flares and hunting rifle for the "boss" that I knew was coming and had a much better time then if I had run into him unprepared.

The only criticism I have is that the driving controls are abysmal and I hope I won´t have to drive very often. But the alternative would have been running from a horde of enemies and Alan really needs to hit the gym once this is over.

Also I would prefer if the game stopped taking my guns away after every chapter. I need my shotgun to go to the bathroom. This is the only time a jump scare really got me.
Bathrooms are scary.

I need my shotgun to go to the bathroom. This is the only time a jump scare really got me.
Bathrooms are scary.

Happened to me as well. Probably at the exact same spot... Well played Remedy, well played...

Finished episode three and four and while I didn´t like three as much as the other ones, it just had too many chase sequences for my liking and I also managed to get lost on my way to the coal mine, the next episode made up for it by having the best set piece ever created in a video game.

I love Barry and the Anderson brothers. The characters in this game are great and if Alan could stop making dumb decisions for just one second then I would like him a lot more.

Also don´t want to hear the words " I lost my gun in the crash" ever again. Also no more fighting farming equipment and other possessed objects. That wasn´t even fun the first time.

I need my shotgun to go to the bathroom. This is the only time a jump scare really got me.
Bathrooms are scary.

Happened to me as well. Probably at the exact same spot... Well played Remedy, well played...

yep - got me too lol

and I saved my big guns for 'that' guy as well - he was a push-over =)