Alan Wake, developed by the Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment (now a part of Sony), originally launched as an Xbox 360 exclusive 11 years ago. It was a title that, admittedly, often found itself in the growing backlog of many gamers. Now, 11 years later, we have a remastered version for both last- and current-generation consoles, including the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The question is: does it hold up today with its upgraded graphics?
Alan Wake presents a compelling and dark narrative centered around a Stephen King-esque protagonist, an author who seeks respite from writer’s block with a vacation alongside his wife. The idyllic small town setting quickly unravels, plunging Alan into a living nightmare. His wife is kidnapped, and pages from a book he hasn’t yet written appear as both warnings and guides to the unfolding events. Or perhaps, everything has already transpired?
The game’s atmosphere and storytelling evoke the feeling of Twin Peaks, which is a definite strength. The narrative is focused, engaging, and consistently suspenseful. The captivating story is the primary driving force that compels players to continue through Alan Wake.
Beyond the narrative, the core gameplay involves combat encounters. It is in these sequences where the game’s age becomes apparent. The battles tend to be monotonous, with limited mechanics. Players confront waves of shadowy figures that must be weakened with light before they can be effectively targeted with conventional weaponry. Alan Wake would have benefited from more innovation and variety in this area. The rigid structure feels somewhat surprising, especially given Remedy’s prior work on action titles such as Max Payne.
The quality of the remaster is somewhat uneven. The core game visuals are significantly improved, running smoothly at 60fps on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (the remaster is also available on PS4 and Xbox One). The current-generation consoles offer 4K resolution, 60 fps, and the PS5 incorporates haptic feedback through the DualSense controller. The inclusion of HDR would have been a welcome addition, considering the game’s reliance on horror elements, light effects, and contrasting darkness. However, the overall presentation remains visually and sonically compelling, despite some dated character models. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the cutscenes. They exhibit noticeable frame drops and rasterization artifacts, giving the impression that they were directly ported from a lower-resolution source. Revisiting these cutscenes would have been a reasonable expectation for a remaster. As it stands, their quality underscores the game’s age.
Despite dated game mechanics, level design elements, and the unaddressed cutscenes, Alan Wake retains an enduring appeal. The fascinating narrative, a blend of horror and detective fiction with intricate layers, is the primary draw. Alan Wake could readily translate into a compelling horror-thriller film, but its merits as a game are sufficient to warrant a recommendation on current-generation consoles. It is regrettable that the remaster, which had the potential to address the game’s shortcomings, falls short of being a truly comprehensive overhaul.
