Alan Wake

This is an old-school survival horror a la early Resident Evil games, with some dated mechanics such as a main character who can't sprint for 2 seconds without running out of breath and has to bend over to catch his breath. The 2021 remastered version, which is currently sold only on Epic Games, has much improved texture and lighting, but retains the same dated gameplay. Gunfight is awkward, dodging is awkward, and even running is awkward: when you stop running, you make two more steps forward; so don't run too close to a cliff. All this is probably forgiven because (1) survival horror usually means you are severely handicapped in combat, and (2) this game is 10 years old, which is an eternity. Having said that, I just picked this game up again and still had fun. This game has gained a major revival due to the success of the 2019 game Control, which puts the story and premise of Alan Wake in an entirely new (and brilliantly conceived) light. It doesn't make Alan Wake a better game, though. Add one more star if you are a retro fan and don't mind the outdated elements.

Honestly, I wish this game either had either been more geared for the action it entails or been less focused on it. It focuses heavily on being assaulted and fighting back the monsters who ambush you when the controls (and sometimes your very supplies) just do not support doing so particularly well. Add to this the game's tendency to use any given space as a monster closet without any real concern about player location or ability to let the player know something just appeared behind them and that same combat is going to be more frustrating then satisfying. But at the same time, if you can stick with these issues there is something really cool here. And it's a shame that for some horror fans, its not going to be worth dealing with that frustration, as the atmosphere, story, and even the layout to make it feel like a mini-series leads up to something special buried within. It's just buried a little too deep.

Brilliant story and atmosphere, full of amazing details making it feel all very real. It keeps getting better and better as you are diving deeper into its darkness, and even the extra episodes surpassed my expectations. I personally prefer the original over the remastered version -- somehow darker, more immersing. Trying to play with gamepad felt very clumsy, but once i switched to keyboard and mouse it all fell into place (some controls take some getting used to -- for example it's awkward how the dodge and sprint are triggered with the same key, so if you simply want to run away from the enemies you'd start with the evade move). I think the game is intentionally designed to be slightly awkward, keeping you tensed and nervous -- after all, the protagonist is a writer, not a soldier. I'd say it's even too easy considering they didn't give him a hit/miss chance ratio.... This isn't a shooter game, and although it has action gameplay, the focus is totally elsewhere. If you are in it for the action, you are totally missing the point, and need to look for another title to play instead. To think I wouldn't had discovered this masterpiece had I not played Control.... Remedy became my favourite developer with these two titles. They are connected in a shared universe, so don't hesitate: if you loved Alan Wake go ahead and play Control, it has a whole expansion pack dedicated to Alan Wake.

This is game to play, if you like old horror games like Silent Hill 2. The athmosphere is very distrubing and keeps you on your toes. Story is also great, as all the additional stuff like Night Springs series and radio shows. Grafix are awesome. But only thing lacking is the gameplay on PC, as the controls have been made for XBOX console. You can use pad if you want, but it's little hard to play with mouse & keyboard, for example starfing left or right is hard to do if in hurry. But otherwise great game with great price!

GOG is knocking out of the park with the addition of such a recently available on windows game, for such a great price, AND DRM FREE as usual! I love you GOG, I am going to be able to enjoy this spiritual successor to Alone in the Dark at last!