Alan Wake

Alan Wake, the latest offering by Remedy, the same studio who brought you the hit-and-miss Max Payne series, asserts itself as a ‘psychological action thriller’ though it’s difficult to see exactly how the title differs from most other survival horror games.

Although bought for a meagre £20 as part of Game’s generous deal of the week I had high expectations for Alan Wake. You’d be forgiven for wondering exactly where the game has been for so long, especially as it was originally scheduled for release with the launch of the 360; it seems Mr. Wake and the nightmare world of Bright Falls have spent several years languishing in equally horrifying world of development hell.

Back in 2005 the game was touted as a sandbox horror in which the eponymous protagonist’s sleep deprivation creates a blur between reality and dream. In the present day the actual package is somewhat of a departure from the original vision. Although elements of the story have stayed consistent, Wake is still a horror author suffering from writer’s block; the game-play is unrecognisable to those who first anticipated the game. Out is the sandbox exploration and instead we are left with a highly polished, highly scripted, largely predictable meander through the trees of Bright Falls.

The story itself is brilliantly crafted, well paced and excitingly executed. Played out in a series of 6 episodes the game looks to owe more to television show Twin Peaks than Silent Hill. The story itself centres on Mr. Wake and his wife Alice’s trip to isolated hick-town Bright Falls. What seemed like the perfect get-away to help Alan cure his writer’s block quickly transforms into the vacation from hell. Almost as soon as Alan reaches the cabin things begin to go awry, an argument with the missus leads to him storming out only to find, moments later, that the ol’ ball and chain has gone and got herself kidnapped! A muddled sequence of events eventually leads to Alan waking up behind the wheel of a crashed car, missing a week of his life and discovering pages to a manuscript he doesn’t remember writing. Our hero isn’t a writer in the vein of Thompson, Burroughs or Kerouac so memory loss isn’t attributed to the demon drink but a demon conspiracy. The cantankerous author discovers himself at the centre of a tightly spun web of supernatural mystery.

Use the Light to defeat the darkness, fire gun to kill the monster, repeat...

It’s a delectable plot line: complex enough to hold the player’s interest but accomplished in a way that won’t leave your head spinning. A motley crew of supporting characters hits a variety of notes ranging from the creepy to the comical all backed by stunning surroundings and a very well chosen soundtrack.

In true TV fashion each episode starts with a short recap, ends with a cliff hanger and is played out by well chosen and atmospheric track: it’s a nice idea but other than this holds no merit. If anything the episodic format makes the game feel even more structured and automated:  be warned, when you take command of Alan prepare to forgo any sense of liberty or creative control. Alan Wake has a very distinct and unyielding direction of how the game progresses and you, the player, have no say in the matter. The linear nature of the story and limited player options mean a run through of Alan Wake is exactly that: nothing more than a run through. The intricacies of the plot, depth of the storyline and allure of the graphics are all for nought, spoilt by repetitive and rather flat game-play. The game itself is surprisingly basic: point the flashlight and fire the gun. Occasionally you may have to employ the dodge function. Easy stuff that gets very old very quickly. It’s merely by virtue of the compelling story that a player would have any compunction to finish the game (leaving no re-play value beyond the desire to scoop up a few loose gamer-points).

The dullness of the game-play eventually filters through to taint the rest of the game. The once dazzling scenery is forgotten after you run through the same forest episode after episode. The enemies are pretty much all the same; a very random mix of large and slow or small and fast. Boredom eclipses tension. There is no fear or trepidation about what sort of monster you may discover around the next corner, you already know: it’s exactly what was around the last corner and the corner before that.

Enjoy the outdoors life? If so then Alan Wake is for you: there is more forest than you can shake a stick at...

Adding to the player’s frustrations Wake seems a rather pathetic avatar. Frequently he is impeded by objects that could easily be circumvented should he deign to simply suck in his gut and squeeze past. It just seems rather lazy that the developers would allow the hero to be thwarted by objects that could be brushed aside by nothing more than a flick of the wrist. This is a supposedly desperate man, engaged in a frantic search to rescue his wife but who can’t bring himself to use his hands to climb over a four foot log that ‘blocks’ his way.

Admittedly this is a rather harsh review of a game that is no worse than many other average titles that currently fill the shelves. But I’m being harsh because I feel somewhat let down; the game promises an evolution in horror, a new genre: the ‘psychological action thriller’! In actuality it feels like a pale imitation of a thriller. It’s a step backwards from the heyday of Silent Hill and Resident Evil, when the suspense and intrigue was built into the very fabric of the game. Alan Wake seems more like an interactive mystery show: a story with a rather unembellished and repetitive game tagged on as a begrudged afterthought. Such a shame for a series that had so much promise, a deeper game-play could have provided a platform for an even deeper story, as it is Remedy have squandered the opportunity to redefine a genre that is in much need of revolution.

For all it’s posturing as ‘pulse-pounding thrill ride’ Alan Wake will, rather ironically, put you to sleep.

The Vital Statistics In A Word…

Playing Time: Short

Graphics: Lovely

Story: Deep

Game-Play: Dull

To Buy or Not to Buy: Get it on the cheap, trade it in afterwards!

Posted in: Reviews