Alan Wake Review [PC]
Almost two years on from the console release, Alan Wake arrives to the PC platform with considerable effect.
rating: 4.5 After seemingly being in development for years, 2010 saw the release of Alan Wake on the Xbox360. Released to high accolade and a good critical response, Remedy then took the time to bring the game to the PC, and now nearly two years later the game is finally released to that platform. With the game arriving on the PC Remedy has attempted to pull out all the stops to craft the game to take advantage of all the benefits of the hardware available on the PC. In the 21 months between the xbox360 release and the PC debut Remedy has added a lot to the game. Alan Wake has been fully enhanced for his Pacific Northwest experience on the trail of his missing wife. Story-wise, the PC version includes the two DLC episodes The Signal and The Writer as a part of the game allowing you to continue the story for free of charge. Graphically, the game is now played in higher resolution and higher fidelity, with lots of customisation settings to allow you to play the game has best as you can on the hardware available to you. This also includes support for different aspect ratios. The game utilises a multithreaded engine that takes advantage of quad core CPUs and there is full support for mouse and keyboard allowing for a configuration that best suits you or you can play using a Microsoft gamepad controller. It is clear to see as you play the game and fiddle around with all the available options that Remedy has put their best foot forward in bringing the game over to PC. In Alan Wake you play as titular character Alan Wake, a bestselling thriller novelist, as you investigate the mysterious events surrounding the disappearance of his wife while on vacation in the fictitious small town of Bright Falls. Having seen his last few books become bestsellers, as the game starts, Alan Wake is suffering from writers block, stretching back two years. This brings Alan and his wife to a small cabin on the lake in Bright Falls, a cabin that harbours a secret. Played from a third person perspective, Alan Wakes journey across the idyllic Pacific North-western town sees him up against a supernatural force that plays the central role in this particular mystery. As he investigates his wifes disappearance Alan Wake comes across the manuscript of a book he cant recall writing further deepening the mystery. Described as a psychological thriller, Alan Wake crafts a near perfect adventure punctuated with a grand story and effective and elegant gameplay. The storys content plays at a pace and structure that rivals films and TV shows of the same theme. There is a clear dichotomy between the story and the gameplay that allows the player to both be awed at a compelling and well structured narrative while at the same time seeing having effective and disciplined gameplay. From the beginning of the game and throughout the various events that transpire there is a clear sense of progression of the story. Always compelling and always engaging, Alan Wake plays with a clear directive finding his wife and unravelling this mystery, allowing the play to get involved in the story, something missing from a lot of games. The game opens to a dream sequence which also acts as a tutorial, however as this sequence plays out the emphasis on the story is the driving force, so becoming acquainted to the controls becomes a natural thing within the story of the game. Straight away you become accustomed to the core gameplay mechanics using both light and gunplay to vanquish the enemy, all the while setting a strict narrative to adhere too. The inhabitants of Bright Falls (human and animal) are succumbing to a darkness, a darkness that is turning these people into vicious, violent and murderous enemies that come after Alan Wake and those not yet turned. It becomes known that these enemies are called The Taken, humans possessed by a supernatural darkness that resides in Bright Falls. To combat these armed maniacs Alan Wake must use a combination of light and weapons to survive. Enemies are invulnerable to attack because of the darkness that protects them, so Alan Wake is equipped with a flashlight. By shining the light on the Taken, the darkness that protects them begins to fade until it completely disappears. At this point Alan Wake is able to effectively use a gun to take them down. Fighting the Taken thus becomes a more strategic endeavour - with the light acting as your aim and the ability to boost the amount of light output knowing when and which enemy to engage becomes paramount to your survival. In the vein of a survival horror game, the resources at your disposal are limited. Guns use ammo and lights use batteries. The flashlight has a recharge ability however constant use of the boost function depletes the batteries, meaning as with the gun you are forced to reload. As you progress through the game you will be met at times with multiple Taken. At these times you can stand and fight or flee, using a cinematic dodge move, that creates space between you and offers you to find a source of light to protect you and with ammo and batteries being scarce at times this is always a viable option. However, running through areas means at times you might miss collectibles. Hidden throughout areas of the game are supply chest that give you much needed supplies generally before an area where they will be most needed. Finding these chests requires you to use the torch to find invisible paint arrows that react to light. The mechanics involved in controlling Alan and taking on the Taken are very tight and responsive, with mouse and keyboard or control pad. There is a nice fluidity to the controls and effectively dispatching the enemy, while trying if you become overrun, is never hampered by the controls. Another gameplay aspect that effectively links to narrative of the game is the manuscript pages that are scattered throughout the game. These pages are from a manuscript that Alan Wake has written yet has no knowledge of writing. Collecting these manuscripts becomes an addictive experience as a wonderful story has being crafted. While not essential to completing the game you will find yourself searching for these pages as they are cleverly linked into the overall story of the game. The notion that a good book is hard to put down is carried through here as the manuscript serves to further the story, but more than that, it works as an insight to events within the game that are yet to happen. This creates a foreboding atmosphere that is both eerie and intense and knowing the events before they happen never takes away from the suspense that is created. As well as the manuscript, scattered throughout the playing environments you will comes across radios and TV sets. During your time as Alan Wake you will find yourself searching for these two items as they add to the overall atmosphere of the game. Both items add to the background and culture of this quaint and unassuming little town and also work at build the overall look and feel of the game. Littered throughout the game are allusions to different inspirations and references from other mediums and this can be seen most clearly here. In regard to the radios you are informed of seemingly innocuous pieces of information that is running concurrent to the main story, your secret arrival in town exposed or a man losing his dog. This innocence is then replaced with a creepy and weird ambience when you here the songs that the radio host plays. For example the story of the missing dog is followed by a song that accounts the journey of a man cut from his mothers womb. This duality of innocence and danger is mirrored by the aspects of light and dark, of good and evil, a direct theme running through the game. The TV sets on the other hand show much more of the inspirations found within the game. Night Springs is Bright Falls version of The Twilight Zone and each television that you come across features a different episode. As with The Twilight Zone, Night Springs features stories that are weird and strange. There is something compelling about these stories that will have you coming back for more. The attention to detail in all aspects of the content in the game is second to none. You are always enticed to continue the game and continue looking for and finding the little things as well as the bigger things that make up the game. In story and gameplay Alan Wake is a joy to play. It features solid a solid and compelling story as well as tight and intuitive controls. This is matched in presentation with the audio and visuals just as important to the game as the rest of the content. The compelling narrative that is told is further heightened by the narration that accompanies it. Told from Alan Wakes perspective, as if accounted to an audience, Alan provides a narration to the events that are unfolding. You become a privileged listener to his inner monologue as he attempts to understand and deconstruct his current situation. His narration which is throughout the whole game, offers a weight of importance to understand Alans character. Essential to this is the voice-over work. While listing to Alan Wake (as well as the other characters within the game) you become aware of the quality of the audio and speech provided. There is subtlety and nuance in the delivery, with clear and concise speech. On top of that the characters are distinct and unique, each offering a different personality. Outside of the voiceover work, the time and effort put into other audio elements is apparent. As you wonder the landscape the natural ambience is crisp and striking the clunking of a generator or the rushing of a stream. Overall, the audio creates an authentic feeling that lends itself well to the game, placing you firmly within each setting that you happen to come across. Graphically, the game is a joy to behold. With a wealth of options at you disposal to set the look of the game to best suit your machine enables you to effectively find a balance between performance and quality. When set to its limits the game has few equals. Every aspect of the game from character models, to environments are crisps, sharp and detailed. There is a lot to enjoy. Bright Falls as a destination spot would be an inviting and scenic spot to visit. The vista's that you see are amazingly modelled. As well as this is the dynamic lighting that takes place. When Bright Falls is light in the day time there is a vibrancy and comforting vibe, at night the detail is still there. The shades and use of light and darkness is distant and striking. The detail is never diminished. The moonlit sky at night lighting effects adds to the atmosphere. The flickering torch light casts shadows. The pop and explosion from the flare gun adds convincing smoke and shimmer effects. The only real criticism is the cinematics. a distant holder over from the Xbox version, the cinematics are slightly clunky and not as impressive when played against the in-game graphics. I found myself pulled out of the game every time I was presented with the cinematics. All in all, Remedy have crafted a compelling and story driven game that lends itself well to its genre. The emphasis on story and narrative is clearly paramount to the experience. The game is a solid package throughout and manages to surpass its medium. The games pacing and structure rivals that of other visual mediums. Your HUD is simple an effective allowing you to concentrate on the events that are taking place. Broken up into episodes a thrilling story is told. You are driven into Alan Wake's story with ease. The use of narration allows you to see and experience Alan's story from a better view point allowing you insight into a complex and rounded character. The content and the world that they have built is staggering. The controls are tight, the graphics amazing and the voice-over work and sound application is thrilling. Furthermore it is without a doubt a fun game to play and that is the crux of the matter, you will have fun playing the game and experiencing Alan's world. Alan Wake is available now for PC.