Back at the Game Awards 2021, Control developer Remedy Entertainmentrevealedtheir next project, the long-awaited follow-up to the creepy 2010 action adventure Alan Wake.
Originally released as an Xbox 360 exclusive before making its way to other platforms over the years including aremastered version released in 2021, the first game told the story of the titular writer as he takes a vacation to the small town of Bright Falls with his wife. When his wife goes missing, Alan’s investigation uncovers some dark secrets about the town and himself as the words of a story he never wrote start coming to life around him. By the end of the game, Wake ends up sacrificing himself to the Dark Place to save his wife, remaining trapped in a horror of his own creation.
Remedy first teased the return of Alan Wake with a piece of DLC for Control calledAWE, as the Federal Bureau of Control were conducting their own investigation into the bizarre events that took place in Bright Falls. After the game’s announcement, fans finally saw theirfirst proper look at the gameat the PlayStation Showcase last month, which confirmed the presence of a second playable character, Saga Anderson, an FBI agent who travels to Bright Falls years after the first game to uncover a mystery behind a series of ritualistic murders. But it appears she may have been brought here by the still-trapped Alan Wake, who now attempts to use his writing prowess to craft a story that can finally help him escape.
Prior to showing off new gameplay at yesterday’s Summer Game Fest showcase, creative director Sam Lake (whose likeness is being used to portray Saga’s partner, Alex Casey) shared some details about how players would switch between the two ongoing stories and characters. While the full narrative is split evenly between both characters and there will be plenty of “connection points” that give players the opportunity to switch whose story you’re following, players can also opt to experience the majority of the game as only Alan or Saga, seemingly allowing plenty of freedom for how we get to experience these distinct but ultimately overlapping plotlines.
The gameplay clip below solely features Saga as she explores an abandoned cabin in the woods. With a brief taste at the evolved combat and the atmosphere that Remedy will be bringing to their first survival horror game, Alan Wake II is already showing plenty of promise as a tense thriller that builds upon what worked well in the original game. Alan Wake II will be launching as adigital-only releaseon October 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
