The term cult classic gets thrown around a lot but Remedy Entertainment‘s Alan Wake is a game worthy of that title. Originally released on the Xbox 360 in 2010, Alan Wake got off to a slow start as it was released the same week as Rockstar‘s Red Dead Redemption but right from the beginning, there were die-hard fans, taken by the Twin Peaks-inspired psychological thriller. 13 years later, Remedy have answered those fans’ prayers and returned to make Alan Wake 2 (or Alan Wake II) on the back of the incredible success of Control and are slowly building their own gaming universe.
Set 13 years after the events of Alan Wake, FBI Agent Saga Andersen is sent to Bright Falls to investigate a string of ritualistic murders. She soon finds herself tangled in a supernatural horror story written by Alan Wake, who is trying to write his own way out of The Dark Place. Players will play through each of their stories and try to uncover all the mysteries behind these events.
13 years has been well worth the wait according to the Koalaty Critics. All were amazed by the narrative that Sam Lake and the team at Remedy have crafted, filled with ambition and wild choices that aim to move the medium forward. Alan Wake 2 is also a visual marvel with many critics mentioning they would be fooled when the game with shifts between FMV scenes and rendered cut scenes. There were only minor criticisms of the game, like the combat not being great when there are a lot of enemies and some mechanics not being as good as the rest. The Critics also mentioned that there are a lot of references to the first game and that players may be missing out if they haven’t played it and Control.
Alan Wake 2 is available now on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
KOALATY CRITICS – AUSTRALIAN CRITICS
Here’s what Australian critics are saying about the game.
The Beta Network – 9/10 (Anthony Culinas)
“If you thought the original story was absolutely wild, you haven’t seen anything yet. I won’t jump on the spoiler train, but the story captures that intriguingly weird and brooding ambience brilliantly, while also adding several outrageous scenes that will keep the audience glued to the screen. They’re that good, even if the writing can seem a little hoity-toity at times.”
Checkpoint Gaming – 9.5/10 (Luke Mitchell)
“Alan Wake 2, as a sequel we never thought would happen, feels like the studio has let loose. It feels completely untethered and unbound from board rooms and executive meetings about sales and marketing, uncompromising in its peculiar vision. A super strange journey across multimedia hellscapes with plot twists set to ripple across the Remedy universe, Alan Wake 2 is deranged in the best possible way and one of the most riveting horror experiences ever devised.”
GamesHub – 5/5 (Leah J. Williams)
“There’s a moment where the game finally clicks. Where all the answers to its questions swirl down the drain hole in tandem, and the mysteries at the heart of the game unravel. It’s glorious. For all the weirdness and wonder Remedy lays down, when the beating heart of Alan Wake 2 is revealed, the shock and catharsis are unmatched.”
Kotaku AU – No Score (James O’Connor)
“As I played Alan Wake II, a specific thought kept popping into my head: “Most teams are not allowed to do this”. This is an extraordinarily high-budgeted, super esoteric, fairly challenging game full of metatextual oddities. It’s extremely satisfying in the way it refuses to satisfy, and I am not sure that I liked the ending, but I respect the hell out of it. There is very little compromise in vision here, and even if the vision isn’t perfect, it’s at least singular and coherent. .”
Player2 – A+ (Matt Hewson)
“I feel like with this generation we have been waiting for a game to show us what “next-gen” truly means and for me, Alan Wake 2 is it. The detail in the characters is second to none, the lighting is astounding and the world they have created is so fleshed out, so alive that there are instances where I took a few moments to tell if it was in engine footage or FMV. This is a technical treat that has me lusting after a video card upgrade to see just how good it can get. “
Press Start – 9.5/10 (Brodie Gibbons)
“As much as I loved the first game, I felt at points it was a bit of a monster closet. Not only is the sequel’s atmosphere and palpable tension earned, but it reminds me more of Control in a functional sense. Its maps are more open-plan, giving a greater sense of uncertainty and reward to exploration.”
Stevivor – 10/10 (Steve Wright)
“Full of loops and rituals, the story told by Remedy’s Sam Lake is multi-layered; it delves into self-doubt, the artistic process, connections with family and friends, duty to community (and one’s self) and so, so much more. On its own, it’s ridiculously enjoyable; to fans of Remedy’s work, it’s both the holy grail and a fantastic tease of what’s to come.”
WellPlayed – 9.5/10 (Adam Ryan)
“The Dark Place is an ever-shifting dreamscape that fuses fiction with reality, resulting in unsettling, impossible environments that put Alan, and the player, on edge. The only time my heart rate was given some reprieve was during one scripted scene, where things got a little too hectic and I couldn’t quite find where I was going, but the moment was fleeting and my pulse was pounding again soon after.”
Koalaty Critics
Aggregator Score
