The most startling element to be found in Alan Wake is its atmosphere. The settings and situations are exceptionally eerie and there are moments of extreme tension peppered throughout the episodes. As groups of the Taken begin appearing from the mists and darkest corners of the surrounding forests, and flashlight batteries start failing, the only option is to turn and run for the nearest light source. As if to purposefully (and very successfully) induce panic, many of these light sources won’t activate until their generators are powered on through a basic mini game. The light then doubles as a checkpoint and saves your progress.
In its early development, Alan Wake was meant to be an open world game. This was removed and the six episodes are now linear. Players are essentially funnelled from one side of the terrain to the next. However, a brilliant sense of scale is achieved by the target destination being visible far off in the distance. The world feels massive and the colossal mountains and dense forests create a superb backdrop against which the action plays out.
Nothing in the game is done without reason, indicating that a lot of planning and design went into every aspect. Those characters that at first glance appear to be nothing more than scene fillers will all play an integral role at some point in the narrative. Furthermore, characters are numerous and diverse, and cover all variations from stereotypes to comic relief. And the comic relief is very welcome after tense moments; Alan’s agent, Barry Wheeler, is hysterical and delivers some of the funniest dialogue found throughout the game. What’s more, Alan will come across pages from the novel he wrote that detail the events he is now trapped in. Very often the pages are foreboding and provide hints as to what horrors lie in wait just around the next bend.
Graphically the game has some amazing tricks up its sleeve. Particle effects are particularly well done as enemies spark and burst with drops of light as the torch beam hits them. The thick mist swirls and chokes the light convincingly and the advanced volumetric effects make for serious claustrophobia. Combine all of this with some brilliant wind effects and excellent lighting, and you have an atmospheric masterpiece.
Sadly the game’s biggest setback is its far from satisfactory ending. Even if sequels are a foregone conclusion, most of the games that leave stories open do so in a way that wraps up the events that have just been played out. This closure is not, however, a quality often found in the genre of novels Alan Wake has set out to imitate. As such, there is an abundance of loose ends, unanswered questions and new ones posed as the credits start to roll. Fortunately a little note at the end makes it clear that Alan’s ordeal is far from over and that he will return in a future title. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another five years for it as the experience of playing through Alan Wake is undeniably enjoyable, tense and, above all, intriguing.
