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Summer Game Fest has come and gone, but not before giving us a new look at Alan Wake 2. Remedy Entertainment’s creative director Sam Lake joined host Geoff Keighley onstage to discuss the anticipated sequel. He also brought with him a look at some raw gameplay footage. While the footage is short, it does shine a light (get it?) on how the sequel improves on the original. Specifically, it shows a more fluid and less frustrating combat system for this trip to Bright Falls.
Remembering The Original
Before we get into the sequel, let me take you back 13 years to when the original Alan Wake was released for Xbox 360. The psychological horror game follows a bestselling author, Alan Wake, as he attempts to solve his wife’s disappearance while on vacation. However, things begin to go awry when events from Wake’s latest thriller novel begin happening to him. Even more, the author cannot remember writing the novel at all.
What follows is an atmospheric and spooky dive into the town of Bright Falls, Washington. Wake is soon attacked by beings of darkness, and the only way to stop them is by shining a flashlight on them before blowing them away with a revolver. While the game is wonderfully written and plays out like a television miniseries, complete with episodes, it is in this combat system that things begin to go awry for the player.
Frustrating Fights of Alan Wake
While Alan Wake received generally favorable reviews, the biggest negative was the combat system. Trying to aim the flashlight at enemies as they sprint towards you or hurl projectiles with incredible accuracy is nothing short of tedious. Unfortunately, this strategy does not change throughout the game. Whether it is a larger “boss” enemy or your run-of-the-mill lackey, it is the same process of aim, shine, fire.
Meanwhile, other aspects of combat like sprinting are not much better. Several “scenes” in the game involve the player running from something that is as-of-yet unkillable. However, Mr. Wake needs to spend more time at the gym as his stamina is depleted very quickly. Even dodging away from enemies felt clunky and like a chore to do. Thankfully, the games wonderful story and spooky atmosphere overshadow the frustrating combat, but just barely.
A New Detective, Same Old Horrors
Fast-forward to 2023, and we now have a look at how the sequel is handling combat. To catch you up, Alan Wake 2 will split its focus between a trapped Alan Wake and an FBI agent named Saga Anderson. Anderson is in Bright Falls investigating a string of murders when she suddenly finds herself trapped in a horror story written by Wake.
This week’s Summer Game Fest brought a new look at the gameplay for Alan Wake 2 from Remedy Entertainment. While the raw footage was rather short, clocking in at about two minutes and 45 seconds, it did offer a taste of what we can expect from Detective Anderson. The footage shows Anderson walking through a creepy forest at night, armed with a flashlight and pistol. The sound of the rain and the creatures lurking within the forest create an excellent horror atmosphere.
Soon, Anderson’s attention is brought to noise within an abandoned general store. As she investigates, a large deer bursts from one of the back rooms, startling both detective and player. However, she has no time to catch her breath as a hulking entity wearing a stag mask bursts through the wall aiming to kill Saga. This kicks off the game’s first taste of combat.
New And Improved Combat In Alan Wake 2
As with its predecessor, the goal is to shine a light on the enemy and then shoot it. However, while the original felt clunky in its movements from flashlight to gun, the footage shows the protagonist flashing the light with ease. It feels like a fluid motion and not a step-by-step process. This keeps the pace of the intense and surprise combat going smoothly. The player easily dodges around and uses the flashlight to illuminate both enemy and surroundings.
This gives them the opportunity to move this dangerous combat from the enclosed store to the outside area. Heading outside gives the player more space to dodge attacks and prepare to fight. In the original, the player had to keep the light on the enemy for quite some time. Now, the player can get a quick shine on the enemy while also having enough time to move and dodge. Plus, the light seems to work a bit differently on enemies this time around. It appears to create a weak spot on the enemy, almost like a wound. Then the player can aim for that spot to deal some real damage. Keeping the pressure on that spot helps the player take down this massive enemy in no time.
There is more fluidity in the player movements and combat this time around. Watching the gameplay felt a little like watching the gameplay of The Last of Us Part 2 or Resident Evil 4 Remake. It never felt like a choppy process like Alan Wake sometimes did. Instead, Anderson was able to utilize her surroundings and level the playing field on this massive bad guy.
Unfortunately, that is all Remedy and Summer Game Fest were willing to share. Thankfully, we don’t have too long to wait to see what Bright Falls has in store for us. Alan Wake 2 releases on October 17.