Alan Wake 2 Review: Full Game and The Final Draft (PS5)

Much like their protagonist in his fight back to reality, Remedy Entertainment have been fighting for the sequel to their 2010 thriller Alan Wake for over a decade, and in October 2023 Alan Wake 2 finally saw the light of day. During this period since release, Alan Wake 2 has won multiple awards across the Golden Joysticks, Horror Game Awards and the Game Awards. ‘The Final Draft’ mode then arrived on 11th December, successfully tying up loose ends while opening up new cases, and offering a Nightmare difficulty for those looking to suffer.

Alan Wake 2 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC through Epic Games from £49.99. New Game Plus, “The Final Draft”, is playable with a completed game save. In his most recent adventure, Alan Wake has joined the ranks of survivors in horror toybox Dead by Daylight, plotting to use the power of torch and save the day.

Story – Fact or Fiction? 

We return to Bright Falls in the FBI jacket of Saga Anderson, alongside her detective partner, Alex Casey. Alan is still trapped inside of the Dark Place, having spent his time over the last decade writing and rewriting his reality warping manuscript. Alan’s chapters are a continuation from Alan Wake, whereas Saga’s side of the story doubles as an introduction to the interconnected world Remedy have crafted. You are able to switch between Alan and Saga’s stories in certain locations, revealing interesting overlaps in narrative. Throughout the game, various references are made to other titles from the developers, multiple mentions of the FBC especially leaving me with a burning desire to return to Control.    

It is difficult to explore the story of Alan Wake 2 without stepping into spoiler territory. However, it is safe to say that the narrative is brilliantly constructed from start to finish, crammed with lore and embellished with well-written dialogue. The sarcastic quips and witty remarks work as a breath of fresh air away from the tension of harrowing reveals and looming danger. There are plenty of loving nods to Remedy’s homeland Finland too, the fictional town of Watery itself having been built by Finnish immigrants. The Finnish roots don’t stop there, continuing to spread into the Koskela brothers’ Coffee World theme park, a not-so-subtle reference to Finland’s copious coffee consumption. It was a refreshing change of pace to see a development team not only take such pride in their culture, but to share that with their players.

Coffee themed theme park Coffee World is a beautifully creepy setting which pays homage to Finland’s coffee consumption.

I have said many times that video games are an art form – I will die on this hill. If video games are art, then horror is the perfect muse, with many avenues to explore and interpretations to be found in the dark. Sam Lake and the talented team at Remedy Entertainment not only understand this, but embrace it, flawlessly blending music, live action segments, gameplay and using the intertwining narrative to tie everything together. Apparently not satisfied with the game many have hailed a masterpiece, Remedy added new game plus to Alan Wake 2. Beyond offering a new difficulty, which I did not give a try (gaming journalists amIright), The Final Draft’s main course is served in the ending moments, once again challenging what I thought I knew and leaving me hungry for what’s next. 

Gameplay – Spiral Into Madness

Combat follows suit from the original Alan Wake, using R1 to shine your absurdly powerful torch and break down the Taken’s darkness, finishing them off with a round of bullets. When not aiming, R2 can be used to push away enemies, and L1 with a shift of the analog stick allows you to dodge. Movement is slow and precise, as is healing, adding more tension to hectic combat. Unlike the first game, encounters are less frequent, resulting in a more threatening feeling when approached by an axe-yeeting maniac. This does nothing to reduce the stress of an enemy however, quick moving entities which, in the case of Alan, may or may not attack. Alan and Saga have access to different weapons, with more firearms to be found while exploring the world and collecting resources.   

Alan Wake 2 utilises a grid inventory, with weapons taking up multiple slots and forcing you to decide which other resources will benefit you most. First aid kits, ammo and other items can be stored for later use in a very roomy shoe-box inside safe rooms. One small mercy from the developers is that keys and other important pieces of equipment are kept in a separate pocket to your survival kit, leaving more room for resources. The inventory is opened with triangle and from here you can ‘quick slot’ items and assign them an input on the D-Pad. This allows for swifter access to handy items such as first aid kits. Quick slotting also makes it easier to switch between guns during conflict as opposed to relying on the painstaking reload times.

Cult stashes can be opened by solving nearby puzzles, and store useful resources to aid survival.

Saga’s Intuition 

Saga’s inventory has an additional set of charm slots, offering different perks in combat when equipped. Charming nursery rhymes act as riddles for you to solve in order to collect the little trinkets, and they are among a handful of collectibles to be found throughout the main locations of Bright Falls, Cauldron Lake and Watery. Another collectible can be found by following a trail of cringey fanfiction stored inside of lunchboxes. These lunchboxes contain fragments of manuscript, which Saga can then use these to upgrade her weapon abilities. The final form of collectible to uncover in Saga’s reality are handy cult stashes which can be unlocked by solving the subtle clues nearby, finding keys hiding on the floor, or, perhaps the most horrifying aspect of Alan Wake 2, solving math problems. 

Progressing through the chapters of Saga’s story involves some detective work, picking up environmental clues like the dates of diary entries or discarded manuscript pages which link to the story. By clicking the right side of the touchpad, you are seamlessly transported to Saga’s ‘Mind Place’. Here the player will arrange the evidence acquired on the case board, and Saga will analyse it to form deductions. The slow, methodical process brings a sense of safety and comfort to the Mind Place, allowing the player to clarify plot elements and Saga to literally get her thoughts in order. She also has a unique way of profiling suspects which definitely wouldn’t hold up as evidence in court; staring at their portraits and having a psychic chat. 

Saga’s Mind Place allow her to profile other characters and discover their thoughts and secrets.

Alan’s Words 

Alan’s travels through the Dark Place are punctuated with complex puzzles, which work as a frustratingly accurate representation of the writing process. The world shifts around you, shaped by your descent into madness. Backtracking, redrafting, jumping between plots and ideas. Your own insecurities and self-doubt an omnipresent chorus lurking in the shadows, berating you while frantically trying to locate the room you were in five minutes previous. Although navigating the looping environments effectively creates a sense of confusion, there were a few instances where this became less of a satisfying puzzle and more of a laborious chore to complete before being rewarded with the next cutscene. 

Alan’s double of Saga’s Mind Place is his Writer’s Room, and again this is accessed through tapping the right side of the touchpad. The dimly lit room is furnished with the bare minimum, his old-fashioned typewriter taking the spotlight. Yet it is here in the Writer’s Room where you also have access to the plot board, which is key to solving the aforementioned looping environments. When Alan finds a source of inspiration in the Dark Place, for plot or setting, these are tracked on the plot board. The player is then able to manipulate reality by switching plot ideas, the only caveat being you need to be in the location you’re trying to change. 

Champion of Light

As he is navigating the Dark Place, Alan relies on his torch more than Saga. Other than stunning Taken, it is used to illuminate spirals of words painted onto the walls. Finding these pieces of graffiti unlocks upgrades stored in a draw in the Writer’s Room, providing benefits which will aid survival. Alan also has a second torch-like device called the Angel Lamp. The Angel Lamp is able to absorb light from one source and distribute it to another. Similar to the effect produced by changing plots, the lighting change alters details in the surroundings, making previously blocked areas accessible. Although this is a compelling mechanic, it risks becoming confusing in places which require you to use the Angel Lamp in very specific spots.

Alan’s Writer’s Room and Saga’s Mind Palace are where each protagonist can find refuge and progress the story.

Audio and Graphics – Masterclass of Horror 

It is no secret that Remedy have worked technological wizardry in the graphics department. The use of live-action scenes overlapping Alan Wake 2‘s stunning gameplay graphics feeds into the underlying meta narrative, as does the regular occurrence of Sam Lake’s face.  Alan and Saga’s animated selves both have live-action counterparts which interact in different realities. Remedy also find a nice balance of contrasts, the slimy walls of the Dark Place made grimmer in comparison to the orange sunsets of Cauldron Lake. The most impressive aspect though is how smooth Alan Wake 2 plays. Even with multiple transitions of scene, duplicates of characters and inclusion of live-action, the visuals remained fluid. 

Herald of Bangers

Remedy have been careful to limit their use of background music, effectively leaving areas in an often unnerving quiet. There are moments of tranquility among the tension though, and walking through the forest to the sound of silence is a welcome change from the growls of the Taken and whatever else launches an attack on your senses. Finally, there is the soundtrack. Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall feature as fictional band Old Gods of Asgard, performing jaw-dropping musical numbers and leaving me wondering why more horrors aren’t musicals. Bridging the gap between chapters is the Chapter Songs, composed in collaboration with some of Finland’s finest artists and producers specifically for Alan Wake 2. While every lyric links to the narrative and works to summarise events in musical form, each song is able to stand apart as an individual banger. 

Alan Wake 2 was reviewed on PS5.