"Alan Wake 2 is Remedy's first survival horror game," says creator Sam Lake, and indeed, as new protagonist Saga Anderson creeps through an abandoned house in the woods, the atmosphere is filled with terror. It's a relief when the imposing, supernaturally depraved axe murderer breaks through the wall and attacks. As the saga continues to fire bullet after bullet into the figure, who advances as steadily as Jason Voorhees and shows little sign of concern, I see echoes of the recent "Resident Evil" remake in my mind's eye.
The previous film certainly had horror elements and plenty of atmosphere, but it was more of a creepy action adventure, and even though I was playing a timid crime writer, the combat was pretty fast and explosive as I roundly dodged hordes of enemies. The film's more steady pace and focus on a single incredibly tough enemy sells the shift to full-blown survival horror.
Over the course of the story, you will play both Saga and Alan. Saga investigates a ritual murder in Bright Falls, while Alan desperately tries to escape from the Dark Place, where he has been trapped since the end of the first film.The two stories are connected at various points, but according to Lake, you can freely switch between the two stories whenever you like, players can experience the events in a different order.
And those events seem to be even more wonderful and strange than the first. The trailer added to the end of today's demo video (also seen at the recent Sony event) showcases all kinds of surreal nastiness, much of which clearly follows the visual style of "Control" as well as the first "Alan Wake."
I'm a rabid Remedy fan, so I have every right to be excited, but even if you haven't played the original "Alan Wake," I think you should keep an eye on this one if you like horror, because Remedy's unique house style and recent survival horror hits If inspiration is combined, we can expect a truly intense adventure in this Halloween-inspired release.
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