By Peeps
Grab a flashlight and some Duracell batteries, its time to chat about Alan Wake. Alan Wake is a title that has a few different gameplay elements, but has story as its main selling point. The almost nightmarish movie feel of Alan Wake is helped along by the different explanations of the scenes; they also create some open ended answers to a few in game scenes. There are a few things that take a little bit away from the movie-like feel, such as some of the achievement types and the voice acting. The use of a few certain author’s names, as well as a few pop culture references, give the story a little more of an identifiable feel. There is also some humor throughout, although morbid and bizarre at times, giving an interesting emotional “flip-flop” feel. There are some pages that can be collected in the game to give some motive explanation, although it does require more than one playthrough to get the ones found in Nightmare mode. The end of chapter music and sneak previews add to the episodic nature of the game’s level structure.
The gameplay itself has basic dodge, shoot, and run mechanics. The main characters jump movements can be a bit gawky at times causing certain platforming sessions to be harder than they need to be. The flashlight pressure aspect is pretty nifty, as it causes the player to be aware of how hard they press the button in order to conserve battery power. The combat is very straightforward, and reminds the player that the main character is an ordinary person; this keeps in tone the strange dream feel of the game. Some of the weapon-free moments can require the player to really get used to the various dodge and run aspects, as well as create more of a sense of panic. The Normal world mechanics are very similar to games such as Heavy Rain since most of the gameplay during these sessions is basic interaction and just “walk and talk”.
The graphics look great, although many areas and enemies have a repeat feeling to them. The cutscenes have great quality, however some of the mouth movements look awkward. There are some unique looking areas in the game with great attention to detail. The soundtrack is excellent and does a good job complementing current events or end of chapter sessions. The voice effects on the enemies is interesting, however some characters have voice acting that feels flat. There are a few strange graphic errors here and there, but none that were extremely problematic.
Overall Alan Wake is a game definitely worth a play if you like horror games, scary stories, or if you just want a good game to play for a day or two. With solid gameplay and open ended story it is definitely a must. Check it out.
