(Full game playthrough, 16 videos, by ThisFunktional)
Written by Jesus Figueroa
@ThisFunktional
While ALAN WAKE was originally released in 2010, the story and game play are so well done that the game is still a high quality game to date (2025 as of the writing of this review).
Alan Wake is a story-driven action game in the psychological thriller genre, developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Game Studios, released for the Xbox 360 video game console in 2010 and Microsoft Windows in early 2012.
The plot follows bestselling thriller novel writer Alan Wake, as he uncovers the mystery behind his wife's disappearance while both are on vacation in the small town of Bright Falls in the U.S. state of Washington, where he experiences blackouts and visions of characters and ideas from his latest novel, which he cannot remember writing, coming to life.
The game itself consists of six episodes, and the fiction is continued by two special episodes, titled "The Signal" and "The Writer", that were made available as downloadable content (DLC) within the same year of the game's release.
As a horror game it has many elements which propel it into a top tier game. Where many video game stories tend to throw in nonsensical story elements to give a reason to throw jump scare after jump scare, ALAN WAKE plays like an episodic series which changes to adapt to the playing style.
There are entities which tend to appear from nowhere, but that is part of the story and each one of these serve a purpose. There are occasions where the game can be frustrating, as there are just basic weapons and limited ammunition, but that adds to the decision making and intensity of the game play.
The bosses are amplifications of the entities encountered throughout the levels/chapters/episodes and while the boss fights are not extreme, with the weapon and ammo limitations, the bosses are formidable and exciting to encounter.
Side quests are all part of the story as the quests are not meant to add more arcs to the story but rather they clarify or add on to the story which is already being told.
Visually, this game is dark but beautiful as Bright Falls has wonderful scenery full of nature and the game takes Wake through many mountain and forest areas.
Playable episodes of NIGHT SPRINGS, a fictional series in the Alan Wake universe, are eerie and add to the tone of the story.
PROS:
- Alan Wake is a brilliant character and having his creativity be the main element that both moves the story forward and creates the obstacles that are to be overcome is brilliant.
- The horror element is just one part to this game, the game also has moments of being an action game and some suspenseful moments that make it thrilling.
- The replay ability is incredible as there are parts of the story that can be missed the first time around and parts of the story that can only be unlocked in higher difficulties.
CONS:
- Since it is a dark atmosphere, and the game plays with light so well, there can be moments of confusion as to where to go or you may miss things because the area is just too dark.
ThisFunktional played this game after midnight most days, the added darkness while playing increased the horror element.
The game is well structured with great user interface making this game satisfying. There is no slow start and quick build up to this game, it starts off intense and continues with a steady incline leading to a gratifying conclusion. Over all this game is still one incredible playthrough earning a 9/10 rating from ThisFunktional.
