Alan Wake 2: Impressions and Preview of the Highly Anticipated Sequel at Summer Game Fest 2023

It’s not easy to get caught up in the illusion of being in the cold and rainy forests of the Pacific Northwest when you’re actually in Los Angeles, one of the driest cities in the US. Add to that a dozen strangers sitting in a small room with headphones on, and it seems almost impossible.. Alan Wake 2 however, he is not just another average person.

Summer Game Fest offered the opportunity to watch a half-hour demo Alana Wake’a 2 and although it is a short time, I will try to describe what I saw. After thirteen years of waiting, the next few months should fly by like a whip. Let’s at least hope so.

Mind games

In the demo, we followed the story of a new playable character, Saga Anderson, who investigates the place where Robert Nightingale was murdered. As fans of the series can guess, it also hunts… Robert Nightingale. These goals may seem contradictory, but if only everything was so simple in the world Alana Wake’a…

Awakened as a monster, Nightingale leads Saga on an quest through a slowly darkening and rain-drenched forest. I perceive this primeval forest as a separate hero of the whole story. His mood and energy are directly reflected by the amount of light falling, gusts of wind, relentless downpour or strange animal noises.

The game will feature safe havens, i.e. locations that will give the player a chance to save the game or switch between Alan and Saga. There is no predetermined order in which you have to control a given character. You can complete three missions as Saga, then one as Alan, then another as Saga, and so on. Duality will be an important part of this story.

“Places in the mind” will play an important role in the investigations.

As a skilled FBI investigator, Saga can go to the so-called. “space in the mind” – if he needs space to think a little clearer. From the player’s perspective, it looks like a small cabin, where a board shows all the clues obtained and the connections made, marked with red yarn stretched between the pins. This is also where Saga can use certain skills, such as “profiling”, allowing her to realize certain things or make breakthroughs in the investigation by focusing on the profile of a particular character. We do not yet know how it will look in detail.

Alan is supposed to have a similar set of special mechanics. We didn’t know much specifics about this as the demo didn’t have any gameplay from Alan’s perspective, but the phrase “rewriting reality” was used. Please note that the mentioned “places in the mind” are not in the pause menu. Once we decide to go there, the game will still continue, so it’s probably best to wait until we reach a safe haven, or at least find that there are no monsters in the area.

Chekhov’s shotgun

In the latest trailer, you could see a shotgun on the wall of the cabin for a moment. And yes, you can use it. This particular shotgun is protected by a combination lock that requires a code. We will also get access to flash grenades, flares and probably not only them. Weapons can also be upgraded.

Alan Wake 2 it may be a sequel, but if you haven’t played the original, don’t worry. The saga is set to learn a lot as you investigate, which means it will be a great story-driven introduction for inexperienced players. Anyone who played the first installment or even the expansion Control: AWE, however, he will have much more knowledge and maybe he will catch some things faster. However, none of them will be necessary to enjoy the continuation of the game.

Cauldron Lake is graphically impressive. Just like the entire demo.

It seems that part two, like the original, will retain the episodic structure, as the demo was preceded by what appeared to be a chapter title. This particular mission focused on the tattooed heart featured in the latest trailer. This heart belongs to Robert Nightingale, and Saga uses it in a ritual to travel to Overlap, where this monster is hiding. The climactic battle ends on a major cliffhanger as Saga discovers Alan Wake on the shores of Cauldron Lake and explains to him that he has been missing for thirteen years. Alan Wake 2 visually knocks out, sounds even better and looks like it has an interesting plotworth getting to know. It will certainly attract the attention of long-time fans, and at the same time attract new ones.

Thanks to Remedy Entertainment, Epic Games, and the organizers of Summer Game Fest for the opportunity to get to know the game early. Alan Wake 2 will be released on October 17, 2023 in versions for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC (on the Epic Games Store platform).

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