Main Video Game

This game focuses on a character called Alan Wake, a bestseller author who lost his inspiration and is suffering from writer's block. In attempt to find new inspiration Alan, and his wife Alice, go to a small town called Bright Falls. Arriving in Bright Falls they encounter a series of strange and bizarre events, the first of which sees Alice disappearing. The storyline is unfolded during the episodic type game play, where each episode brings another piece of the puzzle to the forefront.

To facilitate the flow of the story, each new episode starts with a quick recap of what happened during the previous episode. As Alan searches for his wife, he stumbles upon pages of a manuscript that he wrote himself, although he cannot remember when. These pages are an integral part of the story's development, and either reveals things that already happened, or will happen soon. The problem is that Alan does not know whether it already happened, or will happen soon. Finding and collecting these pages become a major part of the game as these contain instructions and warnings to guide the rest of the game. Bright Falls provides the perfect setting for this type of game play.

The contrast of light and dark is used effectively in this game to create atmosphere. Light and dark is also an integral part of the games structure, especially in combat situations. Making use of the flashlight and other light sources, Alan has to fight enemies called "the Taken" who are very sensitive to light. This play between light and dark creates a feeling that you are constantly in danger. Having only one type of enemy, the battles do not vary much but every battle feels well planned and most are memorable. The game was originally planned to be an open, sandbox-style game. The creators rather chose the path of a compelling storyline. This means that the game is more linear, but it never feels as if the player is forced down a fixed path.

The story is the real highlight of this game. The game has a real surprising and epic conclusion and this is a game that will be remembered for quite some time. I give this game a score of 90%.