Before I started playing Alan Wake, I had no idea what kind of experience I was going to get. From the looks of the screen-shots, and videos that were previously released, it felt like it was going to be just another survival-horror game. Today, I managed to run through the first episode of Alan Wake, and my initial impression? It already gave me the chills by just watching the opening scene. Without spoiling the intro, Alan Wake reminds me of Silent Hill; dark & creepy. Fans who played Silent Hill will notice some similarities when you first play the game; after that, it’s a totally new experience.
One of the things I observed while playing Alan Wake is the use of the light and dark within the environment. In Bright Falls, Alan Wake will be relying on the power of light. With the light, Alan Wake regenerates his health whenever he gets injured by a dark figure. Thanks to the flashlight, Alan can brighten his enemies by pointing it at them and finishing them off with the revolver. The plot behind Alan Wake is very mysterious. Fans of psychological thrillers will easily be engrossed.
Alan Wake follows the story of him and his wife taking a nice, peaceful vacation in Bright Falls, Washington. Alan decided to take a vacation to get away from all his problems. Because of his notoriety of being a novelist it has made him some what of a star in Bright Falls. Everywhere he looks around, he is known for what he does. Their vacation in Bright Falls turns into a creepy and mysterious one as “dark” shadows appear. What could be the reason behind this? All will be revealed once you start playing Alan Wake.
The game is divided into several episodes. Think of this game as a TV series you would be watching. In the end of each episode, there’s a cliffhanger. The story is narrated by Alan and as you play through it, you will get to see changes from the gameplay, add it with more action, and fear that will engulf you as you figure out the mystery behind Bright Falls. There are no save points in the game as there’s an auto-save as you progress. The voices that I have heard so far are very good, the emotions and the atmosphere of Alan Wake will help build up the players’ emotions as they play through it.
Alan Wake’s graphics is superb. The environments and the lighting are phenomenal but when it comes to the character models, that’s the part where I can say that, it doesn’t live up my expectations. Alan Wake and the other characters look weird and the way they talk oddly are off-sync. The surroundings that Alan Wake will be exploring is very detailed and crisp. Remedy did a good job in making everything very detailed; especially the forests. You will get to see a lot of light and dark areas where it will build differing emotions as you play. Alan Wake will be venturing in towns and streets where he can explore and interact with objects or various townspeople. The game renders the graphics very well and it all looks very good. More will be detailed in our review soon.
So far, Alan Wake appears to be a surefire Game of the Year contender, although I’ll have to play through the rest of the game to see if this is true. Its dark and eerie atmosphere is annoying addictive. I’m sure some people will have some late nights playing this game. Since I’m only past the first episode of the game, I am excited to see what’s in store for me for the next episodes to come. Check back with us on May 5th for our exclusive coverage and review of Alan Wake.