Summary
- Alan Wake 2 fully embraces the survival horror genre, making it a perfect fit for the sequel's darker story and tone.
- The game draws inspiration from Resident Evil, adopting similar gameplay mechanics such as a third-person perspective and inventory management.
- Alan Wake 2 surpasses Resident Evil in terms of next-gen graphics, impressive set pieces, and challenging puzzles, setting a high bar for the next entry in the franchise.
The survival horror genre has had quite the storied history in the video game ecosphere. Widely considered to be pioneered by 1989's Sweet Home, the survival horror genre quickly became a staple of the 1990s video game landscape, with Alone in the Dark following soon after in 1992, and Resident Evil truly popularizing the genre in 1996. And while the survival horror genre has remained fairly popular for the last two decades, it's definitely seen a sizable resurgence in recent years, largely thanks to games like The Evil Within and the Resident Evil remakes. And now, Alan Wake 2 is the latest to fully embrace the survival horror genre.
The first Alan Wake was an action-thriller that while had plenty of horror elements, was first and foremost an action game that never really saw players run out of ammo or healing supplies. Alan Wake 2, however, goes all in on survival horror, and by all accounts that was the best decision the sequel could have ever made, feeling like the perfect fit for the sequel's darker story and tone. But with Alan Wake 2 being such a great example of a modern survival horror, it sets quite the high bar for the next Resident Evil remake.
Alan Wake 2 Wears its Resident Evil Inspirations on its Sleeve
While Alan Wake 2 is an incredibly innovative game in a good number of ways, Remedy isn't shy of citing its influences, and Resident Evil seems to be one of the game's biggest. Though just about every modern survival horror game technically owes much of its inherent design to the Resident Evil series, that's especially true for Alan Wake 2, which wears its RE inspirations on its sleeve.
The most obvious point of inspiration is in Alan Wake 2's general gameplay, which sees the game adopt a third-person, over-the-shoulder camera angle, almost identical to the recent Resident Evil remakes. Then there's a slight emphasis on inventory management, and a strong importance placed on conserving ammunition and consumables as much as possible, though that's just scratching the surface.
Alan Wake 2 Sets a High Bar for the Next Resident Evil
Alan Wake 2 is a Truly Next-Gen Horror Game
In the process of borrowing some of Resident Evil's best bits, Alan Wake 2 has surpassed its source of inspiration in a few big ways, and has thus set a very high bar for the next entry in Capcom's survival horror franchise. One of the biggest ways in which Alan Wake 2 has done this is by being a truly next-gen horror game, which is still fairly rare. While the recent Resident Evil 4 Remake had some great visuals, and ran very smoothly across platforms, it doesn't quite match the same level of fidelity that Alan Wake 2 delivers. Similarly, Alan Wake 2 delivers some truly impressive set pieces, most of which include some kind of mind-bending reality shift that completely changes the player's environment instantly, with no loading screen.
Alan Wake 2 Has Some Great Puzzles
Puzzles have always been a core part of Resident Evil's gameplay loop, and while Resident Evil 4 Remake had some solid puzzles of its own, they weren't really all that complex and required very little thought on the player's part. Alan Wake 2 definitely took inspiration from Resident Evil when it came to creating its own puzzles, but again, it's managed to surpass recent Resident Evil titles in this department by offering some pretty tough brainteasers.
Alan Wake 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- October 27, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
- Engine
- Northlight Engine
- Franchise
- Alan Wake
WHERE TO PLAY
A string of ritualistic murders threatens Bright Falls, a small-town community surrounded by Pacific Northwest wilderness. Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases arrives to investigate the murders. Anderson’s case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.
Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare beyond our world, writes a dark story in an attempt to shape the reality around him and escape his prison. With a dark horror hunting him, Wake is trying to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.
Anderson and Wake are two heroes on two desperate journeys in two separate realities, connected at heart in ways neither of them can understand: reflecting each other, echoing each other, and affecting the worlds around them.
Fueled by the horror story, supernatural darkness invades Bright Falls, corrupting the locals and threatening the loved ones of both Anderson and Wake. Light is their weapon—and their safe haven — against the darkness they face. Trapped in a sinister horror story where there are only victims and monsters, can they break out to be the heroes they need to be?
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Metascore
- 90
