“I’m so close yet even closer to deleting this game”: How Well Has the Original Alan Wake Aged?

Remedy Entertainment was a well-known name in the gaming industry when they first started working on Alan Wake. In the late 2000s, the studios partnered up with Microsoft Game Studios and started developing a game after taking inspiration from Stephen King’s novels, Twin Peaks. Finally, in 2010, Alan Wake was released for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 to generally positive reviews.

The game will forever be one of the best action-adventure horror games of all time but it had some flaws. Most of the issues were fixed roughly 11 years later when players got a remastered version of the game, however, they did not remaster Alan Wake’s American Nightmare DLC. With the sequel, Remedy specifically focused on these flaws to make sure Alan Wake 2 turns out to be perfect.

The First Alan Wake Game Had A Few Flaws

The development of 2010’s Alan Wake began in the mid-2000s and initially, the game was planned to be an open-world video game for “the next generation of consoles and PCs.” After partnering up with Microsoft Game Studios, Remedy Entertainment struggled to combine the open-world survival gameplay and story, so the open-world approach was scrapped.

This shows that a lot of changes occurred during the production of Alan Wake but there were some elements that Remedy overlooked while working on the game. Gamers on social media have often pointed out that Alan Wake has a great story but some gameplay issues have ruined its reputation.

Alan Wake is a great story ruined by absolutely infuriating gameplay
byu/realdealreel9 inpatientgamers

Despite the flaws, Alan Wake was awarded the first spot in Time magazine’s list of the top 10 video games of 2010. It is often cited as one of Remedy’s best works to date.

The remastered version, which was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2021, maintained the core gameplay and narrative elements of the original game but improved the visuals for newer game systems.

Remedy Entertainment Learned From Its Mistakes

It took Remedy Entertainment 13 years to develop a sequel to Alan Wake but it was definitely worth the wait. Just like its predecessor, Alan Wake 2 doesn’t feature open-world gameplay but has received widespread acclaim for its compelling storyline, action-packed gameplay, and stunning visuals.

The weaknesses of Alan Wake are the strengths of Alan Wake 2 as Remedy specifically focused on those flaws as the gameplay mechanics of the sequel are much better than the first game.

Alan Wake 2, which is also one of the most expensive games to develop, was released for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on 27 October 2023 and received praise from critics and fans for its gameplay, story, graphics, and atmosphere.