Alan Wake 2 looks like a frighteningly good time

The writer is writing again

Remedy has been on a bit of a journey since the first Alan Wake. The team went from the Microsoft-published horror experience into the realms of Quantum Break and Control, and all the while, the writer has been waiting. With Alan Wake 2, it feels like Remedy is returning to the series with both new concepts and ideas built over the years since Wake’s first venture.

In a hands-off demo of Alan Wake 2 at Summer Game Fest 2023, I got to see an extended look at just how that adventure will play out. The first big note is that Alan Wake 2 will feature two protagonists, with different viewpoints and sets of missions. Alan Wake returns, but in the session we saw, we followed Saga Anderson—an FBI agent and profiler who’s looking into a series of ritualistic murders in Bright Falls.

Into the void

Our look at Saga’s section started with her and Alex Casey, a veteran agent, heading into the woods in search of a corpse that’s come back to life. Though it starts out slow, the dread already starts to seep in. The woods aren’t very inviting, and the further in they go, the more winding it all starts to feel.

A big part of Saga’s story is her ability to deduce and profile. At any point, Saga can enter her Mind Place, a safe haven for managing both her inventory and evidence. Using different clues found out in the world, Saga can corkboard her way through mysteries, unlocking new avenues for investigation. Profiling does something similar, as Saga dives deep into the psyche of different characters to find new leads.

It gives Saga’s side of Alan Wake 2 a True Detective vibe, as the duo splits up, searches around, and pieces through the increasingly dark, shadowy, rainy Bright Falls. The audio design really increases the tension, as every little bump feels like a quick ratcheting-up of tension.

Sprinkled throughout these areas are some fun references to Remedy’s history. A poster in a cabin advertises “Ahti and the Janitors,” a nod towards Control. And the thermos, an infamous collectible from the first Alan Wake, now serves a greater purpose: save point. Between gathering clues and solving puzzles like a missing fuse, there’s a lot to look into.

Hit the lights

The earlier parts of Saga’s story were a lot of that: tension and investigation. Then, as she gets closer to the more supernatural elements of the story, the action seeps in.

While I’ve played some amount of the first Alan Wake, it was all the way back when it first launched. But I do feel like this time around, it’s a little bit more survival horror. The horrors of the woods start to emerge and attack Saga, and our demo driver had to start maneuvering, using the flashlight to stun foes, and land shots with a set pool of ammo.

Light is still a weapon of choice, and it can be dispersed in a few ways. Saga’s flashlight is a handy option, but we also saw a floodlight act as a safety field while dealing with multiple entities. Everything was fast and hectic, in the way you’d want from a survival horror experience.

Through the looking glass

It all culminated in an otherworldly, dreamlike journey into the Overlap. While winding through looping areas and hazy, layering visions, she eventually finds her walking corpse. This kicks off a boss battle. The chase through the circular dreamworld is just as fast and nerve-wracking, as the hulking man relentlessly pursues Saga through the Overlap.

Our showcase of Alan Wake 2 ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. We saw more mysteries laid out, questions unanswered, and the writer himself make contact with Saga. There’s even a fun reference to how long it’s been since the first Alan Wake. Both characters will have their own sides of the story, which the player can swap back and forth on; I asked Remedy how often that would be possible and it sounds like that’s still being fine-tuned, but the plan seems set to let players follow the lines of the narrative that intrigue them.

We didn’t get a look at Alan’s side of the story, which Remedy says will be shown off ahead of Alan Wake 2‘s release date on October 17, 2023. But from the slice I’ve seen, Alan Wake 2 has become one of my most anticipated games of the year. It’s dark and intriguing, winding a supernatural horror tale around a moody detective story. And if it carries forward as well as it played out in our demo at SGF, it could really be one to watch for.