How Scary Is Alan Wake 2?

Alan Wake 2 is now out. Many potential fans are holding on to their wallets wondering if it might be too scary, whereas others are wondering if it is scary enough.

The quick answer is that Alan Wake 2 can be scary and even horrifying. Still, let’s dive a little deeper to give you a proper spook assessment, shall we?

“Scary” can be subjective

Each of us gets our scare fix from different things. What others find absolutely terrifying might strike you — a hardened gamer or otherwise — as mild or possibly straight-up laughable. We don’t even need to be talking about different people. The same movies or games that scared the bejeezus out of you when you were a little pumpkin likely won’t have the same effect on the person you are now.

A great example of subjectivity in horror would be The Exorcist, a movie that many call the scariest of all time. However someone from a non-Christian or Catholic background may barely be affected by it. Our beliefs and our lived experiences can radically change our perception of horror, even when it comes to classics like William Friedkin’s film.

“Scary” can be very objective

The good thing about Alan Wake 2, however, is that it’s pretty scary regardless of who you are. That’s because it creates its own universe and lets Alan Wake, aka you, experience it firsthand. Then, it hits you with jumpscares that strike the most primal of your senses and make you wonder if your actual survival might be at stake — even if just for a fraction of a second.

Is Alan Wake 2 scarier than Alan Wake?

So now that I’ve told you why Alan Wake 2 is scary, is it scarier than its predecessor? I’m happy to say that it’s much scarier than the Alan Wake.

The original game surrounded players with a great atmosphere, but it severely lacked environmental and enemy variety. A spooky forest loses its appeal when you know it isn’t taking you to an even scarier place. Even “worse” is knowing that the only thing out there to kill you is another wave of the same group of possessed lumberjacks. Scary just isn’t compatible with boring.

Alan Wake 2 not only looks much better, as you’d expect, but it also gives players a better variety of places to get spooked in. Tired of all that forest air? No problem! There are a lot of very claustrophobic places to visit now!

Alan Wake 2 also gives us some much more interesting enemies. Yeah, did you know that we now have to face off against all kinds of cult-like weirdos and even enemies that look like real monsters?

And it’s not just trying not to die that’s scary here. Even death itself, something that should at least bring us some relief, is completely unrelenting. I invite you to cautiously check out Alan Wake 2‘s Game Over screen animation, as it’s one of the most powerful I’ve ever seen in a game.

Is Alan Wake 2 scary if I’m not playing it?

It’s completely OK if you want to experience horror but not to a degree that will put your heart at risk. A great idea to get your fix without going overboard is by watching a friend or a streamer play it.

My first contact with Alan Wake 2 was via watching someone else play it, and I believe it still managed to retain as much scare factor as it needed to provide a neat horror experience.

You can now see if you can handle Alan Wake 2 on PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.