# *Alan Wake Remastered* Notes A mind-bending horror, thriller from Remedy. The author Alan Wake is on a vacation in Bright Falls with his wife when strange things start to occur. Fight off the darkness with a flashlight and a revolver. > [!warning] > Spoilers below! ![[Alan Wake Remastered Notes.pdf]] ### Stats - Started Playing: 10/23/2025 - Beat: 10/29/2025 - Beat DLC: 11/1/2025 - Total Playtime: 11~ Hours ### Legacy - It has a cultish following and didn’t get its proper sequel for 13 years, but other Remedy games tie in deeply with the “Remedy-verse.” ### Overall - A mind-bending horror, thriller from Remedy. The author Alan Wake is on a vacation in Bright Falls with his wife when strange things start to occur. Fight off the darkness with a flashlight and a revolver. Can Alan save his wife and escape? - Originally was a Xbox 360 exclusive from Remedy. This was a new IP after two Max Payne games and took six years to make. - The game features a delightful blend of real-life scenes and fourth-wall breaks like QR codes (at least in Remastered) and the superb *Night Springs* episodes. All these decisions lend themselves to the mashed up world and mind bending horror. ### Story - Alan’s nightmares become real? He goes on vacation to reset with his wife. - Mysterious things are happening. What is a dream and what is not? - Alan finds pages of a book he wrote, but he is the protagonist. It details events that have happened and things that *will* happen. - Night Springs - These are amazing to watch. - The guy that kidnapped Alice wants the prophetic pages of the manuscript. - The waitress Rose has been mind controlled and lured Alan to her trailer. Now he is on the run from a drunk FBI agent. - Alan may or may not be crazy? In a hospital? - Alan was abducted by the Dark Presence and wrote a new manuscript in a week, where the Dark Presence was included and grew in power. Cauldron Lake seems to take artist’s work and make them reality. But somehow, Alan realized this and wrote himself into the story. Thomas Zane is helping Alan, so he may not be the villain after all. - The Signal - Alan is trapped in the Dark Place. His memories are jumbled. Is he his own worst enemy? - The Writer - The Alan I play as is a figment of the real Alan’s trapped mind?! ### Gameplay - Why is Alan anchored on the right-hand side of the camera? Please tell me this is a setting. - We can aim the flashlight to hurt shadowy enemies, but we can’t aim the gun independently. Might be okay? Need a feel for it. - Yeah this is fine. - The “shine light on enemy until shield pops then shoot” mechanic reminds me a lot of Luigi’s Mansion. Similar rhythm. - So far, not feeling like I am struggling with ammo, batteries, etc. Wonder how it ramps. - Was this game release episodically? Structured that way, but I don’t think it was. - Always an interruption/detour. The slightest unnecessary padding. - Flares are interesting crowd control. - The manuscript is great design because it adds a supernatural layer, is super cheap (just typewriter font on paper and narrated), but gives players insight to other characters, events, emotions. It’s effective and efficient. Fun collectible too. - Stranger than Fiction and Alan Wake mash up - Reminds me of Link’s Awakening too. - The rock band stage horde battle was amazing. - All this driving in episode 6 ain’t it homies. - Honestly, the driving controls ain’t it. - Bosses are anti-climactic all around. Just bigger dudes or vehicles with larger health bars. Since I am usually full on batteries and ammo, it isn’t all that tough. - The Signal DLC plays up the “shine light on words” mechanic. Interesting pressure builder. Do you have time to pop a “BOOM!” or do you need to run or do crowd control? - The Writer DLC has a few platformer-ish bits that do not translate well. ### Music/Sound Design - That ramping synth when you are in the fog/shadow and enemies are gonna close in is so tension inducing. - There are whispers and breathing on the wind? Layered soundscape for horror. - The lines that the Taken say when they appear are really funny/strange, especially out of context. “Omega 3 fatty acids are good for your heart!” But the effects on the VO are scary and possessed. It’s a good mix of horror and humor, that actually makes it scarier. If it was just “I’m gonna kill you Alan!” it would be less impactful and memorable. ### Graphics/Performance - The camera is jerky. The brightness is flickery. Wonder if this is the remaster or the game. - Certainly 360 era and I kinda like the feeling it evokes. - Cutscenes have this jerky nature to em. Like 30 fps jerky ### World - Foggy, northwest US lake town with spooky vibes. Thick with atmosphere…and fog. - Kinda getting lost in the woods of the second episode. Not in a good way either.