Alan Wake

After reading so much about it... everything I'd hope it would be and more. Very engaging, great mechanics, challenging.

Amazing story one of the best story horror games ever produced, They sadly hardly ever make games like this anymore. Remedy has made some great games over the years.

It hooks you from the start, thanks to its gripping story and chilling atmosphere. The story unfolds like an addictive TV thriller, with each new chapter revealing more twists that make you want to keep playing just to see what happens next. The atmosphere in Alan Wake is something special. The town of Bright Falls, with its foggy forests, dimly lit streets, and abandoned buildings, feels alive with dread. The game does an amazing job of using light and darkness not only as gameplay mechanics but as symbols of the constant battle between sanity and madness.

However, while the story and atmosphere are top-tier, the gameplay can feel a bit repetitive at times. The constant back-and-forth between fighting off shadowy enemies with your flashlight and gun can become a bit monotonous, especially in the later chapters. While the mechanics of using light to fend off darkness are clever, the game starts to lean heavily on these combat encounters, which can slow down the pacing. The slow-burn tension and supernatural elements won't appeal to everyone, and the lack of variety in gameplay might frustrate players looking for something more action-oriented. But for fans of the genre, the gripping narrative and haunting atmosphere still make Alan Wake an unforgettable experience.

Honestly a 6/10
>Really great story and premise
>Combat gets annoying after the second encounter
>Combat encounters last too long and aren't super fun
>Good voice acting
Worth it if on sale

Finished Alan Wake.

I did two playthroughs. Normal mode when playing the first time. And nightmare mode when playing the second time to hunt the rest of the achievements and to try to make the story make more sense inside my head.

Let's start with the gameplay.
It's actually a part I love the most about this game. It's easy to learn and understand.
The combination between using lights to remove the enemy's barrier and using guns to kill them felt unique and satisfying. the shootings and aim feel accurate (except when shooting the pyramid cans. I don't know why I always missed a few times LMAO).

The downside of it is that facing against inanimate objects felt annoying most of the time. They're frustrating but packed quite a punch. the last section of the first special stage (the signal) was the most frustrating part of the game (for me).

I have nothing to say for the graphics. It looks good enough for me and the year it was released (2012).

Finally, the story.
It didn't make sense when I played it the first time. However I could understand most of the plot after I finished it the second time.

But it's still hard to fully understand how the story goes. Is this part a reality? Is it a dream? or a made-up inside Alan's head? Is Alan's sane or insane most of the time? How come novel writings could make evil darkness to manifest? *looking at thomas skeptically*

I thought the story is similar to Shutter Island movie, with a huge plot twist reveal at the end. But I was wrong. It's more of a supernatural survival horror story like silent hill.

Still quite enjoyable. But definitely not my fave from among story-driven games I've played because everything is ambiguous / left for interpretation.

I wished the game has an indicator on each stage for how many thermos/chests/signs etc that we have found (like in granblue fantasy relink and little nightmares). I missed just a few bits left but I refused to repeat all stages all over again for the third time.

All in all, I still enjoyed the game for its story, gameplay and getting the collectibles.
It's a 7/10 game for me.

Best story in a game I have ever played. Bit of repetitive game-play, but I was willing to overlook for the quality of the story.

This game has aged in a lot of ways, but is still exceptionally unique in its story and tone. Genuinely an awesome game when you get into it, and I am thrilled to death it's gotten a sequel after all these years! I truly believe, despite its flaws, that the game is worth experiencing, and I am glad for developers like Remedy who cultivate their own special house style.

Very fun and riveting, amazing story line, so many collectibles and very good beginning mechanics. For being first in the line of games, it is great for setting the base lore of the world as well!

50% squinting into the darkness. Energizer, please do better. 10/10 would wander into the cursed woods again.

Fantastic gaming experience.
One of those game truly with it's heart on the right place.

Amazing story + good enough action

More action less horror but a generally enjoyable experience from start to finish.

good game diffrent from other games fun mechanic where you have to shine the flashlight/(or just have light on them) on the enemy before being able to damage them

Really interesting story, but the combat is absolutely atrocious and inescapable. played the first two chapters but watched the rest in a cutscene compilation on youtube.

[h3]Several missions that you replay several times. There's essentially no gameplay here.

Honestly, at first i didn't think the game looked interesting. Then a friend wanted me to play it said your a fan of horror game and stuff you may like it. So i picked it up on sale so he can watch me stream the whole thing. To my surprise, OH BOY, by the end of it. Lets just say i was amazed and really enjoyed it.
Pros.
1. Good written story. (Pun intended)
2. Great Gameplay/Concept
3. Music
4. Atmosphere
5. Main character was great.

Cons
1. The controls are meh
2. Combat is not amazing
3. Little jankey
4. Alan's stamina is horrendous
5. Alan keep shifting to the right side of the screen and it kept annoying me. I wanted to keep it on the left side of the screen and it wouldn't stay. Got a bit annoying.

Overall tho for a game from (2010) and with the content its pretty good. 7.5/10.

Great story (this and American Nightmare). Gameplay, atmosphere and soundtrack are great and still hold up after 12 years. The gameplay can get a bit stale towards the end but is still unique and fun enough to be enjoyable atleast for one playthrough.

I dont get it, I dont get the appeal of this game, the story, or the charachters. I like walking simulators but the hook for this one must have missed me, or i just dont get it.

Great fun as usual with every Remedy game. I always watch the mini shows in them,

I enjoyed the story and characters quite a lot. The gameplay was okay but i don't think i would have finished the game if it weren't for the rest of it. I am looking forward to playing the rest of the games made by remedy.

Alan Wake is a horror third person shooter where you are a famous author who travels to a small town of Bright Falls as you have to fight your way through the darkness by using a flashlight combined with a unique selection of weapons from shot guns to flare guns in order to save the love of your life from the darkness.
Graphics- Good
Soundtrack- Solid
Audience- Teenagers and Adults
Difficulty- The story is alright difficulty hard to maintain ammo
Story- Great story
Game time- Story is a good length
Price- Its not that expensive
7/10

Brilliant story telling really had me drawn in and not wanting to stop playing. Plus got to mention the use of the tv shows gotta love Remedy for that ^_^

Trigger play this game cause release Alan Wake 2.

Still satisfying playing Alan Wake 1, combat, fight, graphics, and sound are GOOD!
If you can comfromize with XBOX 360 / PS3 graphic, I guess you can enjoy Alan Wake 1.

Alan Wake is a game that I never would have given a shot if not for the extremely positive word of mouth I'd heard over the years, and at first, I played it more as an obligation to the cult classics than something I'd enjoy. After finishing it (and both included dlcs) I can say that this game deserved all of the praise it got, and continues to be a must-play for anyone that likes the weird, only somewhat explainable stories, lovingly crafted, but very strange worlds/characters and/or the atmosphere of a late-night walk through foggy (occasionally haunted) woods.

Firstly, most importantly, don’t play this game with keyboard and mouse, even though it’s a third person shooter. Precision does not matter, damage stays the same wherever you hit an enemy. I played the first two and a half chapters on keyboard, and from the terrible controls only, was ready to give up on the game. I got stuck on the environment a lot, the movement itself was very clunky and the experience was bad enough to distract me or completely pull me out of the incredible story that was slowly unfolding itself before my eyes. Thankfully, in a last ditch effort, I switched to gamepad and boom, I suddenly understood what everyone was on about.

While the gameplay is (even for someone not particularly experienced in third person shooters) repetitive and not all that complex, the game makes up for it with absolutely amazing music (that I continue to listen to even after finishing the game), a mind-bending, weird, but very thrilling story, a cast of colorful and bizarre side characters and a very special, even enthralling atmosphere that I don’t quite know how to describe, that it had me coming back for more. The only thing that ISN’T made up for is the car controls. Even though there are only a few car sections, I was very tempted to just… continue on foot (which you actually can, should you want to.)

The animation is over a decade old and you can tell, the voiceacting ranges from great to ehhhh, but betters over the course of the game and then does a pretty big jump to being amazing in the two dlcs as well. The environments are rather impressive, especially keeping the age of the game in mind. Also, keep in mind that Alan has the stamina of an 80 year old chain smoker, which can be quite a nuisance, but in the end, all of this just contributed to the incredible, very enjoyable experience that is «Alan Wake».

TLDR; «Alan Wake» is a cult classic that even after completion has me coming back to it. I will be replaying this game regularly, I will complete it in nightmare mode (ng+ hardest difficulty) and I am looking forward to play any other Remedy titles I can get my hands on. Get Alan Wake 2 on Steam!

I've decided to put a review on the 500+ games I've played on Steam and never reviewed. this is #3

One of the most original 3D adventure game I've played. I still remember it even though I played it quite a long time ago. The narration through the pages is amazing. A classic, and you can get it for stupidly cheap nowadays anyway. Take it, play it, and increase your cultural knowledge of great video games that were impactful when they came out.

In spite of its age, it holds up nicely. Good story and it supports well the gameplay, which is pretty good. It's not much of a horror, but you get some tension out of it.

You play Alan Wake, a writer trying to relax on vacation with his wife in a small town called "Bright Falls." She suddenly disappears after an argument and everything after that is a blur. Alan Wakes up from a car wreck with no memory of what happened.

I remember playing this game when I rented a copy from Blockbuster. I never fully got around to finishing it until 2018. I'm glad to have 100% of this game finally. It's such a great game.

I wish Alan Wake 2 were on Steam instead of Epic. I would've loved to show off all of the achievements for that game on here too.

I never knew I wanted to fight a combine harvester with nothing more than a flashlight and a revolver before.

Whilst the gameplay loop gets somewhat stale towards the last 1/3 of the main game, I found the story to be very compelling. Definitely worth your time - Here's hoping AW2 gets released from the clutches of EGS!

Story is ok but ending is not satisfying. combat mechanics are dull, protagonist is a jerk. Best characters are the old gods of asgard. After half way through it felt like a chore.

Review After 100% Achievements

Pros

Cons

Overall

Story is amazing, and atmosphere is very scary(for me). The most annoying thing in this game is slow motion. Gameplay is a little bit boring but still makes me feels enjoy.

Pretty interesting and weird(in a good way) game , I'd recommend it. The gameplay loop isn't the strongest and starts getting old but it's not bad. It's a story driven game but lags a bit in episode 2 and 3 before it starts picking up again in episode 4. I'd say it's about an 8.5/10.

Yeah, this is good.
Unfortunately, it's a game where the balance between the storytelling and charm doesn't match the gameplay. It's too repetitive and would have borderline worked better as a point n click adventure game. The charm saves it though.

It's a shame how the game is actually too easy and genuinely actively discourages exploration since the "hidden stashes" are actually very obvious
The off beaten paths during levels only serve to kill you - if you want to spend more time exploring while enemies keep coming

6.5/10

Alan Wake features a satisfying story, cool visuals and interesting combat ideas.

Unfortunately this gameplay quickly overstays its welcome and has very little variation leaving you ultimately skipping combat encounters by the later part of the game. With this said you'd my impressions would be negative however the game sticks the landing with the story, showing lynchian its inspiration on sleeve and stands out by actually explain it's plot in a satisfying way.

Play it! Now!
Even with it's age it holds up incredibly well, with an amazing story and immersive ambiance!

The first horror game I truly played, the story and game play are great and it runs great on my laptop. I would recommend playing with the Xbox controller, for the original experience.

This game is incredibly cinematic and masters the sense of space. The combat/levels can sometimes be a bit tedious simply because of lack of variety and some sections can drag on a bit too long (especially at the beginning), but the game as a whole is well worth your time. It gives sleepy small town with looming darkness that only a few people know about - a similar feeling to Stranger Things. Story's very engaging. 7/10.

Eng:
In its time, the game amazed players all over the world. It became a true benchmark of Remedy’s work. However, by today’s standards, the gameplay of Alan Wake feels noticeably outdated. The slow interactions with the environment are particularly glaring compared to modern games. Exiting a car while a horde of possessed is chasing you? Alan couldn’t care less. Picking up an item under the same pressure? Alan’s still unbothered.

And that’s not even the worst part. After transitioning from one cutscene to another, there’s a chance that all the gear you so desperately conserved will just vanish. This is why I believe the gameplay has aged poorly. However, the story remains one of the best, even compared to modern games. It’s deep, philosophical, and thoroughly engaging. Watching the narrative unfold and empathizing with the characters was a genuinely interesting experience.

Overall, the game is worth playing, but keep in mind the dull gameplay. If you can overlook that, Alan Wake will absolutely captivate you.

Rus:
В своё время игра впечатлила множество геймеров по всему миру. Она стала настоящим эталоном творчества студии Remedy. Однако на сегодняшний день геймплей Alan Wake заметно устарел. Медленные взаимодействия с окружением сильно бросаются в глаза на фоне современных игр. Выходите из машины, когда за вами гонится толпа одержимых? Алану всё равно. Поднимаете предмет под таким же прессингом? Алану всё равно.

И это ещё не самое худшее. После перехода от одной катсцены к другой есть шанс, что всё ваше снаряжение, которое вы так бережно экономили, просто исчезнет. Именно поэтому я считаю, что с точки зрения игрового процесса Alan Wake безнадёжно устарела. Однако её сюжет до сих пор превосходит многие современные проекты. Он глубокий, философский и увлекательный, заставляет сопереживать героям и погружаться в повествование.

В целом, играть можно, но важно учитывать, что геймплей унылый. Если это для вас не критично, то игра вам, скорее всего, понравится.

the ending had me super confused for a second but this game actually rocks, the story is so good

Perfect for people who wants to play horror that isn't too scary but still bone-chilling and fun.

10/10

This is the first game iv'e played on my PC, with that, being the first game I've properly played with a mouse and keyboard. Highly recommend for people who want to practice their mouse and keyboard, I've picked it up very quickly with the mechanics of this game. Other than that, I'm now halfway through, and this game is fantastic. Story is compelling and the mechanics are fun. Definite recommend, although i don't need to as its already a known classic.

Not bad, very good horror feeling for mystical spiritual people :D

I like the game. It's fun. I really like the storytelling aspect of it.

TLDR: Creepy and tense paranormal shooter, that plays pretty well

I played the game Control last year and really had fun, so I thought I would check out one of Remedy's earlier games and give Alan Wake a try, and for the most part, I enjoyed it.

The game starts with the main character (of the game's name) heading on a vacation with his wife Sara to a remote forest town known as Bright Falls, where both hope, in their own ways, for Alan to reboot his writing career. They rent a cabin on Cauldron Lake and during a power outage, Sara disappears. Wake begins to discover something very, very wrong with the lake and surroundings.

Alan Wake is a fairly linear game, proceeding on a direct path through six chapters. The chapters do a brief recap via a "previously, on Alan Wake," mechanic, much like a television show. Each chapter takes Wake on a tour of some part of the forest, rural dwellings around the lake, and Bright Falls itself. Controls are fairly easy and minimal, with no inventory, skill, or map screens to manage. Though the interface is more streamlined than a lot of games, I think it works fine here.

With a few brief exceptions, Wake's journey occurs at night, which adds to the mystery and sense of dread, since the areas often feature minimal atmospheric lighting. Through most of the story, the player has their own light source (such as a flashlight). That light becomes critically important, since night is when the monsters come out. There is a "dark presence" associated with Cauldron Lake, which seizes locals and turns them against regular people. These "Taken" come in a couple of flavors, all shrouded in protective darkness.

Fortunately, light sources like the flashlight can burn away the darkness around the taken long enough to make them vulnerable to weapons, several types of which will become available. Wake can also make use of flares to hold the Taken at bay, and flare guns or flashbang grenades to take out groups of enemies at once. As one might expect in a survival horror game, these assets are very limited, and ammo for the revolver, shotgun, and rifle are not abundant early on, though I really only found myself counting bullets in a few places. The player can often reach the "safe haven" of a steady light source to despawn any nearby Taken, and this is more cost-effective than fighting it out.

The thing is, this game actually features a lot of combat. Too much. Alan isn't durable and he's not an ace fighter either. The player has zero hand-to-hand capability. Enemies are very hard to outrun and you can be stunlocked if a few of them are hitting you at once. The blows of the Taken can be dodged, though the timing window is tight. There are multiple sequences where the player has to hold off multiple waves of foes and intense, persistent combat just isn't this game's strength. I actually got annoyed with the repetitive nature of jogging along a forest path, encountering a few Taken, handling them, proceeding another fifty feet, and repeat. There's not enough enemy variety and any bosses are just more durable versions of the regular goons. So the combat became something to endured, not anticipated.

On the other hand, the story is very enthralling. I'm not sure the paranormal and metaphysical concepts are all that original but the structure is well-developed and kept my attention. Visuals are decent enough. Dialogue is mostly well-written and consistent with the mood of the game. Excellent sound design and a low, slow musical score also help (though the music shifts to a more urgent, fast-paced beat when the enemies materialize to attack). In fact, the entire game has a very creepy ambiance. Enemies are sometimes seen moving nearby and televisions activate on their own, airing rather upsetting broadcasts. Scattered manuscript pages are recoverable along the journey and not only help build the tale but add to the anxiety and sense of dread and can give the player a hint of things about to happen.

Aside from pages, there are several forms of collectibles to be found. The good news is that once collected, all collectibles stay registered as "found" and do not have to be picked up on subsequent playthroughs or reloads.

Other than the ever-present fighting, my only real annoyance was the checkpoint save system. Checkpoints are often *very* close together, which means if you drop into a new area and miss something--like a manuscript page--you can't reload from a previous save and might have to repeat the whole chapter to see it again. I've never appreciated this kind of saving over letting the player save whenever they want, and the ability to have multiple saves. On the plus-side you can easily abuse the checkpoint system to refight a battle if you think you used too much ammo or want to farm kills for achievements, as long as you don't advance to far.

Alan Wake runs smoothly and loads quickly. I didn't have a single crash and no bugs that I could recall. No clipping or graphical glitches either.

There are two DLCs with this edition, each about the length of a main-game chapter. Both take place after the completion of the main game and while they introduce a new mechanic or two, neither packs quite the emotional punch as the main story, or advances it in a meaningful way. Like Control, both DLCs feature final sequences much more challenging than the regular campaign finale, so Remedy must really love this idea.

Steam achievements will challenge some players, as it requires playing on Nightmare difficulty (unlocked after finishing on Hard mode) and picking up Nightmare-specific collectibles. I barely staggered through on Normal, so I let those go.

Overall, Alan Wake is a well-tooled product. It lives up its billing as survival horror, with very good writing about paranormal events, and runs well. If you really get sucked into the story, as I did, you may be able to overlook the repetitive combat.

Pros
- Intense dread-filled atmosphere that's well-rendered
- Excellent writing, dialogue, and story

Cons
- Way too much combat
- Lousy checkpoint save system

Final Score: 7.5/10

nice story and its presentation, not so good controls (at some moments) and maybe crappy camera rotation in the car via gamepad. in short.

Extremely repetitive gameplay, you fight with the exact same enemy types for the entire duration of the game, the locations are repetitive, pretty much everything repeats itself one way or another. The reason why is not too hard to understand after you look at how this game was developed, the concept was completely different, it was supposed to be an open world game but they couldn't make it work and had to remake the game in a very short amount of time, and this is what we get. Pretty sad. It could have been a really fun game.

Great game, Great story, great characters, Great everything
Sadly the sequel is only on Epic though

A Cult-Classic Masterpiece By Remedy Entertainment. I played if before and thought to experience it all from the start after watching Alan Wake 2. Will be continuing on to Quantum Break and Control Next in line. 100% Recommended Game for Narrative-Driven Game Lovers. Looking Forward to Control 2 and the Max Payne Remakes.

Good dark story bit funny sometimes