Alan Wake II: One for the ages

Gaming has the power to take you back to different times. At least that's the sort of power it has upon me. The driving force behind picking up Alan Wake II during the frenzy after its release was the creative director Sam Lake. It's the man who looks like Max Payne – the lead character of the legendary gaming franchise on which I must have spent at least a hundred hours of my life. 

And just as Max Payne kicked off with the premise of avenging the death of his wife and kids, 13 years after his own wife's disappearance, writer Alan Wake finds himself in a Dark Place, struggling to "write" an escape.

Released in late October this year as the sequel to its namesake, Alan Wake II is a single-player adventure with seamless transitions between psychological terror and survival horror. It also features a stunning world, immersive cinematics, downright morbid investigations and captivating musical surprises. Amidst a gaming year that has been blessed with few of the best games in recent years, Alan Wake II stands out with its intense brilliance, delivering both blood-pumping action and a compelling narrative.

'Alan Wake II' unfolds a 17-hour story, bridging two contrasting realities. Despite heightened complexity, the story surpasses the original. Starting off as FBI Agent Saga Anderson, investigating ritualistic slaughters, she adds a likeable dimension to Alan Wake's eerie universe, similar to 'Remedy Entertainment's other action-adventure game, 'Control.' 

The initial combat-free investigation establishes a realistic backdrop before the narrative takes a chilling turn, transforming serene landscapes into nightmarish terrains. The game introduces a unique caseboard system in Saga's metaphysical 'mind place,' allowing players to organise evidence and subplots effortlessly. This feature, reminiscent of True Detective's complexity, caters to those who crave narrative intricacy.

As Saga delves deeper into Bright Falls' mysteries, bizarre occurrences intensify the intrigue. The game's difficulty, adjustable to three settings, consistently maintains an uneasy atmosphere. Alan Wake's sudden reappearance on Cauldron Lake's shore adds a surreal twist, leading to a narrative that ingeniously intertwines Saga's quest and Alan's attempts to escape the enigmatic Dark Place dimension.

The contrasting settings of Bright Falls and Alan's nightmarish New York plaza showcase Remedy's artistic prowess. The neon-soaked cityscape, reminiscent of Taxi Driver and Mean Streets, provides an immersive and haunting experience. Alan's stages introduce environmental puzzles involving a paranormal table lamp, offering a fresh gameplay dimension. These puzzles, reminiscent of Control's mechanics, evolve in complexity, engaging players in strategic thinking.

In Alan's reality, plot elements are discovered through floating orbs, triggering scenes from his successful Alex Casey crime novel series. This innovative approach distorts reality, revealing parallels to the Bright Falls slayings.

The meta-mystery deepens as the Creative Director Sam Lake portrays both Alex Casey in Alan's world and FBI Special Agent Alex Casey in Saga's narrative. The game's meta complexity, similar to a jigsaw puzzle in a Rubik's Cube with sudokus, creates a captivating and unpredictable journey.

With more plots than a cemetery, Alan Wake II maintains the original's combat fundamentals, enhancing the execution significantly. The flashlight-fueled fighting is intensified with enemies' shadowy forms and glowing weak points for strategic targeting. The game's challenge is preserved, with scarce ammunition and batteries, keeping players on edge. While protagonists Saga and Alan gain unlimited sprint abilities, combat encounters remain unpredictable, featuring a variety of shadowy foes and frantic boss fights.

Despite enhanced combat, the individual skill trees of Saga and Alan feel uneven. Alan's extensive 'Words of Power' tree contrasts with Saga's limited firearm-specific upgrades. The latter's survival-horror stereotypes, like fuse boxes and combination locks, slightly detract from the overall experience. However, the game's bold narrative, impeccable art direction, and audio design make it a standout survival horror sequel.

'Alan Wake II's mind-boggling storyline unfolds against a backdrop of stunning visuals and rejuvenated light-based shooting mechanics. While Saga's story includes some cliches and skill-upgrade systems that may feel superfluous, the overall experience is endlessly fascinating, fear-inducing and consistently surprising. 

In the realm of survival horror, Alan Wake II emerges as a superb sequel, elevating the original to a mere rough draft in comparison.