Alan Wake 2

Superb. Despite a few annoying bugs that I hope will be fixed.

First note that this is a markedly different kind of game than the first Alan Wake, so much so that it's not guaranteed that fans would enjoy this, at least not in the same way. The underlying DNA is still here, but this sequel is much more an exploration than an action game. There are puzzles, extended walking-sim-like sequences, and cut scenes. Glorious cut scenes. Combat situations are fewer, but they are challenging and deliciously frightening. The pace is slower than it was before, and more deliberate. The atmosphere is thick and rich and persistent. The horror takes itself seriously, less tongue-in-cheek. Gameplay is also more diverse, with more than one character to play, each with unique game systems.

The save system is a combination of automatic save points at story moments as well as manual save locations. It's handled much better than in Control, where this scheme resulted in a lot of frustration for me. Here, there are just enough save opportunities to keep things moving while maintaining tension and anxiety. There are many calm segments, but also many that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

From the writing, to the characters, to the mind-bends and twists, there is so much to love here. But the true star of the show is the environments. They are intricate, detailed, and eerily familiar. The lighting especially is the most effective I have ever experienced in a video game. If you can play this in HDR with ray tracing dialed up, you are in for a visual treat that truly feels "next gen". Even the sound design is excellent and complimentary.

Note that you really want to play the first Alan Wake before this—and avoid the remastered version, as it is extremely buggy, especially on AMD CPUs. The story here is a true sequel. And you might also want to play Control, though I would actually recommend playing it after this game, if you haven't played it already, as a way to flesh out some of the mystery. That seems like the right order to me.

At the time of my play in early 2024, there was only one expansion: "The Final Draft". Disappointingly, it's not more gameplay, but rather a way to replay the whole game with a tiny bit more story revealed. Unless you really want to do it all over again, it's better to look up the content online. Hopefully the upcoming expansions will be more substantial and accessible.

I am smiling as I write this review. What an immersive and memorable experience!