The Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment has a reputation for releasing eccentric games. This includes Alan Wake, an episodic thriller that stars the fictional author of the same name. Although it features simplistic gameplay, the game earned itself quite the following thanks to its well-crafted, suspenseful atmosphere and strange story. The game was initially released in 2010, but it, fortunately, received a great remake in 2021 just in time for Halloween.
The story of Alan Wake is not over yet. During 2021's The Game Awards, it was revealed that Remedy will be releasing Alan Wake 2 in 2023. As Sam Lake explained, the game will be a fully-fledged survival horror game. With this change in direction, Alan Wake 2 will have the opportunity to try new gameplay styles to tell the story of Alan Wake freshly. It has been many years since the release of the first game, and during that time, the survival horror genre has evolved considerably. Hopefully, Alan Wake 2 learns a lot from established survival horror games while still retaining that special Remedy trippiness.
Alan Wake 2 Could Implement Stealth Gameplay
In Alan Wake, the famous writer Alan travels with his wife Alice to a creepy but quaint town called Bright Falls. There, they soon realize that all is not well, and it does not take long before Alan is thrust headfirst into a supernatural adventure. When the darkness, which seems to have a mind of its own, takes Alice, it is up to Alan to save her.
Alan knows his way around a gun, but firearms are not going to be maximally effective against the inhabitants of Bright Falls once the darkness has consumed them. To weaken them, Alan must first use a flashlight to shine a beam of light on his foes before his bullets can deliver that killer blow. Alan Wake is a game about fighting darkness with light, and this theme is woven into the gameplay’s fabric.
The idea of fighting darkness with light is certainly a compelling one. However, with Alan Wake 2, Remedy will have to switch things up. This could be done by allowing Alan to work with darkness as opposed to eliminating it. The idea of using darkness for stealth has been implemented wonderfully in several scary games. Stealth is heavily used in A Plague Tale: Innocence which throws players into a rat-infested 1300s France. Horror games such as Alien Isolation and Amnesia also implement stealth elements to great effect.
If done right, stealth gameplay in Alan Wake 2 could turn the upcoming survival horror game into a tension-filled nightmare. Should Alan find himself in dark forests once again, perhaps darkness could be an element he can find refuge in instead of avoiding it.
Alan Wake 2 Could Include a Robust Inventory System
Alan Wake has players wandering foggy forests that are equal parts terrifying and confusing. Half the horror lies in the anxiety of getting lost in the woods and just knowing that the next wrong turn could have a bunch of crazy townsfolk running Alan’s way. To protect himself, Alan makes use of batteries, flashlights, and guns. Used together, they allow for simple yet engaging gameplay.
In the sequel, Alan will surely be facing bigger and nastier foes. Hence, his previously trusty tools may not be sufficient any longer. This problem could be resolved through the inclusion of an in-depth inventory system. With an inventory to access, players would be able to store objects to craft into tools and keep resources that may help Alan survive his nightmare.
Horror franchises like Resident Evil have illustrated how inventories can make gameplay more fun while helping to increase the scare factor. The presence of an inventory encourages players to explore their environment more to gather resources, and it opens up the possibility of crafting useful weapons, health items, and ammunition. It also gives players something to pay attention to, because nobody wants to be facing an enemy only to discover that their inventory is empty.
Some bigger pockets on Alan Wake may bring a new layer of gameplay to Alan Wake 2. He will certainly need it because judging by the trailer, the game will have a much larger scope than its predecessor.
Alan Wake Should Pay Attention to Sound Design
Although it was one of the best remasters of the year, Alan Wake Remastered will not fool anyone into thinking it is a native of the current generation. However, its strong writing and solidly spooky atmosphere allow it to remain a game worth playing. Despite this, several elements could do with some modernizing.
Some of the best survival horror games in recent years have managed to be outstanding thanks to amazing sound design. It is hard to forget the fear induced by Mr. X's heavy footprints in the Resident Evil 2 remake, or the random creeks and whistling wind of Resident Evil 7. Good sound design can do wonders for building a scary atmosphere and inspiring one's imagination to run wild.
If, as the trailer suggests, Alan will be taking to the woods again, the sound design could become the game's biggest asset. A forest filled with creepy, atmospheric noises would heighten tension and have players constantly wondering what is around the next tree trunk. Alan Wake 2 is in an especially good position to make use of sound due to it being released on next-generation consoles which have far improved sound technology as compared to the gaming systems that were out during the first Alan Wake game.
There is still quite a while to wait until the release of Alan Wake 2. After the great work Remedy did with Control, one cannot help but expect the best for Alan Wake's sequel. With the right new elements thrown in, Alan's latest adventure could become Remedy's best work yet.
Alan Wake 2 is scheduled to release in 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
