‘Alan Wake II’ Shines Amongst the Follow-Ups

Saga Anderson, an experienced FBI agent, is causing concern as she delves into the investigation of a series of ritualistic deaths in the vicinity of Cauldron Lake. Her fascination with the supernatural gore she encounters is becoming apparent. During a conversation with her partner about the cult activity they have witnessed, including dismembered body parts, necromancy, and murderous villagers roaming the forests, she remarks that the situation is becoming increasingly insane, but also thrilling.

A few scenes later, he pushes the heart through a portal to another realm and summons a witch to show him “the horror.”

So yes, I’m nervous about Saga’s fate in Alan Wake II – and that only makes me more excited for the game as a whole. I saw a 30-minute preview of Alan Wake II at Summer Game Fest in Chapter Two. By now, Saga has made peace with the paranormal darkness of the case she’s investigating; he’s already pulled a script page from a corpse’s chest cavity and followed its instructions to Cauldron Lake, the setting of the original game.

Alan Wake came out 13 years ago, and the sequel’s timeline has also advanced 13 years. Author Alan Wake has been missing all that time, and Saga is chasing the ghost of FBI agent Robert Nightingale, who was killed at the end of the first game. In the second chapter, Saga and her companions are deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. The preview showcases gorgeous lighting, character models and environments, as well as satisfying-looking shooting and flashlight gameplay.

Dialogue scenes between Saga and her partner are unhurried, the narrative is established and allowed to breathe, and there are moments where players can choose how to respond. The two agents are separated, and Saga must solve a series of simple puzzles, such as collecting a fuse or finding the right numbers to pick a lock, while the fear keeps growing in the background. The preview offers some serious early Resident Evil vibes – Alan Wake II is a survival horror experience, while the original was an action thriller.

As Saga tries to solve the mysteries around her, she can jump into the Mind Place (no, not the Mind Palace) to organize clues and connect the dots. His Mind Place looks like a ’90s conspiracy theorist’s living room, with photos and notes tied together with red ribbon on one wood-paneled wall. Here Saga can manipulate the evidence he finds by placing clues near each other to see if they are related, opening a path forward. If he gets stuck, he can go to the table in the middle of the room and talk to his subjects, asking them for answers based on the clues he’s gathered. this is called profiling. A saga can come to mind at any time.

There are a few jump scares in the preview where the screen quickly cuts to a screaming face or an enemy suddenly bursting through a doorway, but they are well placed and not too many. Saga feels capable and curious – maybe a little too curious for its own good, but we’ll have to see how that plays out in the full game. At the end of the preview, Alan suddenly appears in the woods with Saga, screaming about dark forces and confused by how long he’s been gone.

A big innovation in Alan Wake II is the ability to switch between Saga and Alan, playing as both characters throughout the game. The first chapter begins with Saga in the driver’s seat, and after that players can choose to play as her or Alan at the start of each new chapter. A spokesperson for Remedy said the developers are still fine-tuning the switching mechanics; they don’t necessarily want to give players the option to switch characters every five minutes for the sake of narrative flow, but they still want to offer real meaningful choices.

According to Remedy, Alan Wake II is a limited single-player experience and does not feature a bunch of side quests. There are a few quests to complete and secrets that parallel the main story, but this is primarily a linear, narrative game.

There were plenty of sequels at Summer Game Fest, and Alan Wake II stands out in this crowded field. The preview presented a clear vision: Alan Wake II retains the themes of the original game, but brings a new perspective to the main character, mechanics and genre. It feels like Remedy knows the story it’s trying to tell – even if Alan and Saga don’t.

Alan Wake II is set to arrive on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on October 17th.

Check out all the Summer Game Fest news here!