Alan Wake took its time, but compared to many cheaper Xbox 360 games without the same gestation process the quality is telling. For all you know about the game’s mechanics though, it’s not until you look it in the eye first hand that you appreciate what makes it quite so exciting. This is simply a game you have to rent.
Alan Wake has been in a holding pattern for a few years. It was first announce alongside the brand new Xbox 360, and in the intervening time has changed somewhat. What started out as an open world experience taking cues from the likes of Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead is now paired down to a more directed experience. It was originally more of a thriller game with a lot less action, but gunplay and combat now form a big part of the game.
But rather than these changes being indicative of a developer unsure of the right way forward, they are more testament to Remedy’s commitment to the thriller genre. Whereas other cheaper Xbox 360 games are happy to take shortcuts on development, here the focus has remained consistent throughout. From the moment you buy or rent the game it’s immediately evident how much care and attention has gone into this.
Alan Wake was quite a surprise to me. By the time I had played it I pretty much knew what to expect. The basic mechanic of using light to dispel the shadowy ghouls possessing the townsfolk before finishing them off with some lead was novel and worked well. The slow unfolding of the plot, and its echo in the novel pages you find throughout was well executed and kept me moving on apace.
These things I had expected, what I hadn’t anticipated was just how wonderfully unsettling it would be. This was a world that felt like it had substance. Not just the voice acting and visuals – they were solid enough – but the setting as a whole, Bright Falls, has an imposing presence that made me shudder on more than one occasion.
Maybe I’m unusual in having such high expectations for the games I rent. Others, I know, would reserve this for books and films. But Alan Wake vindicates my outlook somewhat. It’s not only great fun, but it also provides something much more substantial to ponder.
The unfolding thriller works because you can believe in the world. When you first encounter more supernatural happenings it’s all the more shocking. This is pivotal to any thriller story, and here it works a treat.
Like reading a good novel, I found my time playing Alan Wake a real escape. I’d look forward to playing the game in the evening as I plodded away at my day job. I relished this so much that I soon found myself at the conclusion. In fact this is probably my only criticism of the game, for all its quality it is a little short.
After finishing it, I decided to rent it again to play through a second time. It certainly warranted this second rental, but again what I hadn’t expected was that it was harder this time through. The game, I discovered, adjusts its difficultly to match your performance. Playing a second time, it soon realised I was by now a much better shot – so more ferocious monsters were sent my way.
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