Is Alan Wake 2 Worth It? (2024)

If you look back 13 years ago, sequel plans for Alan Wake would've seemed like a far cry, especially with Remedy moving on to new projects like Quantum Break and Control. Little did we know then that Alan Wake would eventually be part of an extended universe, starting with Control's AWE DLC expansion and culminating in the 2023 standalone sequel game before us today.

As if you couldn't be more surprised by Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake 2 once again is something uniquely original and out of the box that one-ups the studio's past titles. However, Remedy may not be everyone's cup of tea, especially with the bold horror elements here, so if you're on the fence, perhaps this can change your mind.

Updated on June 16, 2024, by Dennis Moiseyev: Remedy's Sam Lake made a very special announcement at Summer Game Fest that Alan Wake 2's Night Springs DLC is out now and that the game will have a physical release with an accompanying Collector's Edition. As a result, we've updated those costs here and made sure that all the other information on Alan Wake 2 is accurate. Plus, we've added two new testimonials on Alan Wake 2 from more players on our staff.

Review

Unlike Alan Wake and Saga Anderson, you're not seeing things and not in some strange alternate dimension, Alan Wake 2 has indeed received a 5/5 star review at TheGamer from Jade King! And the game earns every star of it because, according to King, the title is a thrilling achievement in survival horror to the likes we haven't seen since Silent Hill 2.

Silent Hill 2 is a high bar to reach, and Jade King fully believes that Alan Wake 2 succeeds it and then some, even later going on to say that the survival horror genre needs to take lessons from this game. Alan Wake 2 is also a culmination of the paranatural reality-altering warped story beats and game design that only Remedy can pull off, calling it "a perfection of this craft".

What's most effective for Jade King in capturing the survival horror feel is the atmosphere of the Dark Place, never letting you feel safe even with a gun and flashlight, as well as all the mysterious townsfolk of Bright Falls roped into the story and the eerie murder cult elements.

Although you don't need to be too familiar with all the plot elements from Remedy's previous game, Control, it does help to get the Cliff Notes version before heading into Alan Wake 2. As King points out, Alan Wake 2 could pass for a sequel to Control just as much as it's meant to be a sequel to the first game. There are plenty of mentions regarding the Federal Bureau of Control early on, and key characters popping up throughout the story.

The combat design and scarce resources for batteries and ammo are other things that add to the terror and can "always keep you on edge," though it still shouldn't be enough to scare you off from exploring the rest of the environment, often finding solace in break rooms with their bright lights and save systems.

King also dives a bit into the Mind Place mechanic, a room based inside Saga's mind in which cases get solved whenever new clues are added to a detective board, and collectibles like media files can be viewed, as well as getting her character new upgrades. She calls this mechanic of solving cases to progress "absurdly satisfying."

Jade feels Remedy did an excellent job juggling both the horror worlds of the Dark Place and the surrounding locations of Bright Falls, creating a balance of hard-boiled detective thriller and Lynchian horror. "Remedy balances horror, camp, thriller, musical, and a list of genres so long it’s almost exhaustive, but each one is confident in its execution." It's a studio that continues to push creative boundaries, and Alan Wake 2 is "that ambition finally realized."

Time Expenditure

Alan Wake 2 is a generously lengthier experience than its 2010 predecessor, clocking in around 18.5 hours for the main story according to our How Long To Beat guide. The first Alan Wake was split up into TV-style episodes and had six total, along with some additional story DLC. Alan Wake 2 has 18 chapters split in half between Saga Anderson and Alan Wake, 19 if you count the prologue. Saga's are called 'Return' and Alan's 'Initiation.'

There are also tons of collectibles in the game, like lunchboxes, manuscript pages, maps, Cult of the Tree stashes, Koskela Brothers TV ads, Words of Power, and charms, to just name a few. You'll probably get sidetracked a lot for most of those, and that gets you to 24.5 hours.

If you're brave enough to bear with the dreadful environments and startling jump scares of Alan Wake 2 to the fullest extent possible, a completionist run will take you 30.5 hours. Good luck, fellow writer.

Cost

The following provides a breakdown of all the costs for Alan Wake 2's various editions and platforms:

Alan Wake 2 is as next-gen Triple-A as current games can get and is only available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. The character models, graphics, and visuals all look super realistic and gorgeous, hauntingly so.

On PC, the game is only available exclusively through the Epic Games Store due to the publishing license with Epic Games, and therefore can't be found on Steam.

If you pre-ordered the game, there are extra perks and cosmetics you'll receive as well, like an Ornate Revolver skin for Alan Wake, Saga's blue Oh Deer Diner Sweater, and a Survival Resources Pack in Saga's inventory with an Oh Deer coffee mug charm.

There's also aDigital Deluxe Edition for Alan Wake 2, which comes with a lot of cosmetic extras for protagonists, like Alan's Celebrity Suit outfit, Saga's Crimson Windbreaker and Oh Deer Diner Sweater, the Nordic Shotgun skin, the Parliament Shotgun skin, and a Lantern Charm for Saga. You also have the expansion pass for the Night Springs and The Lake House DLC.

While the game started as a digital-only release, there are now alsoPhysical Deluxe Edition copies of Alan Wake 2 you can order, which come with the 2021 remaster of the first game, a reversible cover featuring exclusive art, and all the cosmetic options and DLC expansions from the standard digital deluxe edition.

With the announcement of the physical copies also came an official Alan Wake 2 Collector's Edition box, which includes exciting items such as a replica of Alan's Angel Lamp that lights up, an over 160-page art book, an Oceanview Hotel Room 665 keychain, an enamel pin set, and, of course, the Physical Deluxe Edition copies of the game.

What Players Are Saying

A Narratively Brilliant And Frightening Experience I Can't Get Enough Of! - Dennis Moiseyev

With my love of horror, Stephen King, and the narrative-driven episodic design the game pioneered, Alan Wake was one of those games that defined my interest and passion for video game storytelling. 13 years later, I'm writing about the sequel to one of my favorite video game stories of all time, and Remedy Entertainment still somehow managed to surpass my expectations beyond words to create what could be one of the most technically impressive, immersive, and genuinely scary stories told in gaming.

Remedy continues to go for it with that experimental game design style that pushes narrative boundaries and mechanics in ways you never thought games could. From the way jumpscares appear to the mind-bending way the story moves, with cases getting solved in a True Detective-like style and a plot board mechanic where alternate scenes you find can be applied to the level design to change reality right before your very eyes, it's one of the most creative and original video games out there. I even delight in the bugs as part of the experience!

We Need More Games Like This - Dominic Allen

Alan Wake 2 is a game you just don’t get anymore. With its challenging rich story, it’s the kind of game you want to discuss with your friends after the fact. It’s so out there. In terms of survival horror, it’s a bit lacking, and not very scary. However, most come here for the story, and it’s a masterpiece that will be analyzed for years to come.

Weird, Wonderful, And Worth Playing - Ben Jessey

I thought the original Alan Wake was a solid yet unremarkable game. The same can not be said of the sequel, as it's very remarkable. It's much better in every department. In fact, it's much better than most games in every department.

The combat is satisfying, and the puzzles are unique. However, it's the strange and captivating story that's the real selling point. It's a narrative that keeps you guessing, and no matter how weird it gets, it's still fairly easy to understand.

A Must-Play - Matt Arnold

Alan Wake 2 is a masterclass in video game storytelling. It's full of the unexpected, and every risk taken by the developers pays off. In a time where it's easy to become jaded about big-budget games, Alan Wake 2 reminds us what the medium is capable of.

A Storytelling Gem But Not A Perfect Game - Christopher Padilla

Alan Wake 2 is something truly special: a dark, atmospheric tale that interrogates the nature of art and storytelling even as it plays with its elements. It’s also a sequel to a 13-year-old game with a cult following and somehow the wait was worth it. The game is a true successor to Alan Wake, expanding upon the themes of the original while adding new ones as well.

Now is it a perfect game? Strictly speaking, no. The gunplay is serviceable, the exploration doesn’t always feel rewarding, and the puzzles can sometimes be shallow, but this was true even for the original. However, more so than the original, Alan Wake 2’s qualities far overshadow its flaws and is a journey worth taking, doubly so if you’re a fan of the original or other Remedy-verse games.

Night Springs, its first DLC, was essentially a love letter to fans of the game and Remedy’s works as a whole. While it’s a fun romp, it ends far too soon and feels inconsequential to the universe as a whole. Hopefully, The Lake House is longer.