Alan Wake 2 Hands-On Preview: Diving Into the Dark Place

I was already sold on Alan Wake 2 months ago. After getting a look at Remedy’s long-awaited sequel during Summer Game Fest, I was quickly drawn in by the game’s newfound emphasis on horror and detective-focused mechanics. Now, having gone hands-on with Alan Wake 2 for an extended period of time, my excitement has only amplified that much more and has led me to believe that this could be one of the best games in the entirety of 2023, which is saying a lot. 

In total, I was able to play roughly three hours of Alan Wake 2 earlier this month. My demo was split into two parts, with one mission being centered around Alan Wake’s journey within the Dark Place, while the other let me become more familiar with Saga Anderson, this sequel’s new co-protagonist. On both fronts, it feels like Remedy is doing a lot of experimentation while still creating an experience that feels cohesive on all levels. 

Saga’s mission was the one I experienced first, and more than anything, I came away loving the implementation of the Mind Place. The Mind Place is a new addition for Alan Wake 2 that essentially allows Saga to view clues and other documents that she comes across while sleuthing through the region of Bright Falls. This is something that has been shown off quite a bit in previous trailers for the game, but getting a look at how it functions on a moment-to-moment basis floored me more than I anticipated. There’s a staggering amount of depth to this system and the manner in which you can jump in and out of the Mind Place is seamless. 

The best thing about the Mind Place is that it keeps Alan Wake 2 hyper-engaging at almost all times. It reminded me a bit of Rockstar’s L.A. Noire in the sense that you have to be gathering information and putting that info to correct use before you can advance to the next story beat. Every conversation, item you discover, and area you explore can be used as a tool to help piece together where you need to be heading next. Coming into this demo, I feared that the Mind Place’s implementation could be cumbersome. Instead, it’s likely my favorite aspect of Alan Wake 2 that I’ve seen so far and makes me feel that much more compelled to solve every side mission that the game presents. 

On Alan Wake’s front, there is a bit of a similar mechanic to the Mind Place called the Writer’s Room. Given that he is a writer, Alan can visit this location and essentially rewrite the world around him to help him push forward. For instance, one section of my demo had me trying to navigate through a desolate hotel. Upon reaching a section that was blocked off inside the hotel, I was able to rewrite reality to present Alan with a key that then opened up new avenues for exploration. The original Alan Wake used some of these same gameplay ideas in much smaller ways and I love how Remedy has chosen to expand upon them in a much grander manner for this sequel. 

One thing about Alan Wake 2 that Remedy has chosen to really lean into is its survival-horror elements. Not only is the game now explicitly trying to frighten you with jump scares, horrifying monsters, and creepy locales, it’s also forcing you to be a bit more selective with the items you carry. Alan Wake 2’s inventory system is very similar to what’s been seen in modern Resident Evil games and allows you to expand your carrying capacity over time. These inventory expansions often have to be found by going off of the beaten path, though, which prompts more discovery and puzzle-solving. This survival-horror structure always seemed to naturally fit Alan Wake and what I’ve played so far has verified as much. 

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Alan Wake 2 is that it’s found a way to balance its horror with comedy. Anyone who has played the original Alan Wake knows that it featured quite a bit of levity, and that hasn’t been lost with the sequel. One area of Saga’s mission allowed me to roam through the remains of a theme park called Coffee World. This section wasn’t only dilapidated and creepy, but it was also consistently funny, given how goofy the idea of a coffee-themed amusement park would be. Even in the shift to being a survival-horror game, Alan Wake 2 isn’t losing a lot of its charm and inherent silliness. 

Remedy’s focus on live-action also helps to break up the pacing a bit and provide more comedic relief. If you played Control and enjoyed the live-action sequences that appeared on TV screens, those are back in Alan Wake 2 and feature a number of great callbacks to the larger universe that Remedy has been creating. Live-action cutscenes also merge with actual gameplay, at times, to create sequences that are equal parts jarring and fun. One cutscene in my demo saw Alan stumbling across a video of himself that quickly devolved into a fever dream. If you like how weird Remedy has been in the past, that’s still very much still shining through in a big way. 

As a last note, I just have to say how staggering Alan Wake 2 looks in motion. In a time where I feel like we have yet to truly see what current-gen hardware is capable of, Alan Wake 2 is one of the first games in quite some time that has left me greatly impressed with its visuals. Lighting, shadows, textures, and character models all look exceptional in Alan Wake 2 which only aided in pulling me in to its world. Despite the horror lying in wait around every corner, the sequel’s stellar graphics and art direction make this a world that I find myself wanting to spend as much time as possible within. 

Alan Wake 2 is a game I’ve personally been looking forward to for over a decade, but it also feels poised to be a game that survival-horror enthusiasts are going to thoroughly love. Not only has Remedy refined many of the core action elements seen in the first Alan Wake, but it’s introduced a number of new systems that add a layer of enjoyable complexity that I was not expecting. If you’re looking for a spooky game to play around Halloween, Alan Wake 2 needs to absolutely be on your radar as it’s shaping up to be a must-play single-player experience to close out this year. 

Alan Wake 2 is set to release next month on October 27th. When it is released, the game will be playable across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.