Alan Wake 2 follows the story of two protagonists, Saga Anderson and Alan Wake himself. The tale is the latest in Remedy Entertainment’s connected universe which has confirmed everything from anomalies living among us to alternate dimensions. The game’s prequel, Alan Wake, dealt a lot with the idea of monsters hiding within the darkness of ourselves and the circumstances under which we are trapped. As a result, it was very much classified as a horror game with psychological elements, attracting even the most scared players. Does its sequel also do a good job of scaring players and if so, how scary is Alan Wake 2?
Is Alan Wake 2 Scary?
Alan Wake 2 is splattered with jump scares and twisted imagery that was just not possible during the development of the previous installment. Now that several other games have launched that help detail how the horrors of this world really work, Alan Wake 2 is much more a psychological thriller than it is a horror game.
There will definitely be moments where the grotesque definitely outweighs the thrill, but they don’t happen very often. More often than not, you’ll be fighting with shadowy beings and the mental reorganization of locations in accordance with the voices in your head. A few mental outbursts will happen that help give you a deeper glimpse into Alan’s mental state, though once you start expecting them, they become less terrifying.
The same goes for when you are playing as Saga, though her nightmares are less mental and more about the physical monsters set before her. Fortunately, like most horror stories, they have the means to defend themselves.
Alan Wake 2 is available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC via the Epic Games Store.
