Alan Wake 2: Scarier Than the First Game
During my hands-on preview of Alan Wake 2, I quickly learned that the skills I honed in the original game were of little use here. Dying repeatedly in just a short span of three hours forced me to adapt, to meticulously aim for those crucial headshots, conserve my resources, and play around with the game’s mechanics to maneuver through its ever-changing, maze-like world.
This is Remedy at their most audacious — a culmination of their bravest concepts from past games, with a particular nod to 2019’s Control. In retrospect, after playing Alan Wake 2, Control feels like a precursor, a brilliant yet somewhat subdued prelude to this bolder, more enigmatic sequel.
Creative director Sam Lake remarked, “Control was an adventure in its own right. We had our reservations about its reception given its unconventional nature. However, its success was a testament to changing audience preferences. What might have been deemed too niche a decade ago is now being celebrated by the mainstream. Control reaffirmed our belief that we can craft experiences that resonate deeply with us and our audience alike.”