Hello readers, I've finally gotten the chance to finish Alan Wake (plus The Signal and The Writer DLC episodes)
Alan Wake
Ah, how much better this game got after I found a way around the spot I was stuck at. For those of you who don't know, Alan Wake is a game (or interactive TV series, depending how you look at it) where you play a writer named, well, Alan Wake. He's had two years of writers block. Alan and his wife Alice head off to an isolated fishing and hunting town to give Alan some much needed rest. However it's not too long before shit hits the fan and Alice is kidnapped by a horrible Darkness. Alan slowly learns how to fight it and in the process discovers he's only at the tip of the iceberg.
A lot of people have sold the story off as being very open to interpretation, but it's pretty straight forward. I won't spoil any plot points in this main review, but you really have to stretch a suspension of disbelief to believe most of the alternatives offered by the story.
The combat still is admittedly only a side offering but it definitely improves over the course of the game. Considering most of the mechanics could have been explained in the tutorial level, it feels a little drawn out. I know that the Portal method of teaching works for most games but I doubt Alan Wake needed to have an entire section just to teach me how to use flares.
Despite the slow progression of abilities, the combat does have variety. Flash bang grenades, flashlights, flares, a revolver, a shotgun, a flare gun, and a hunting rifle are all potential combat options, but you usually are jumping between whatever you've got so you can conserve ammo.
The boss fights are some of the better variety I've seen. Some introduce new enemy types, whereas others are well done scripted sequences. They often require some minor strategy, but usually boss combat is highly similar to the main gameplay -- you duck out of the way of incoming attacks, you flash things with your light, then you shoot them.
Now, about the two pieces of DLC that come for free on the PC version -- The Signal and The Writer. These will contain spoilers, so skip them if you don't want spoilers:
The Signal
Rushed. That's how this piece of DLC feels. Unlike the main game, gameplay reigns supreme in favor of deep storytelling. As Alan attempts to escape Cauldron Lake, he ends up fighting through an even more disjointed version of reality. There's not much to say besides the fact that this new DLC chapter seems intent on killing you, and actually is a bit less fun if your (like my) preference was the story rather than beating off the Taken. Play it so you understand what's going in on The Writer, but there's not any reason besides that to go back afterward.
The Writer
This feels a lot more like I think the developer wanted The Signal to feel like. The gameplay involves a lot more inventive twists on gameplay, including navigating several rooms randomly chained together as they spin like a wheel as Alan tries to navigate them. And if that isn't enough, there's a brief stealth section where you can instantly be mobbed if you aren't careful. After you've made it to the end, the game even does a twist on writers needing to be willing to "kill their darlings" that is just so well thought out (I even saw it coming and it still impressed me). But once it's all said and done, we're still left with the feeling we had at the end of Episode 6 -- what happens next?
Final rating, for the sake of ease -- 8/10. A great game, but not perfect.
The Signal -- 6.5/10 it really feels too rushed and unpolished.
The Writer 8/10 great final boss fight and platforming ideas.
