Highlights

  • Alan Wake 2 adopts the recent trend of time loop games, positioning itself as one of the best examples of the genre in the modern age.
  • Time loops have become a prominent trend in gaming, with games like Undertale and Deathloop leading the charge. Alan Wake 2 is another great time loop game, pushing the boundaries of the unique genre even further.
  • The long-awaited sequel reveals that there is more to the time loop concept than initially thought, teasing a potential sequel that could further explore and innovate within this genre.

The gaming industry has seen a ton of trends come and go over the last few decades. Much like the movie industry where certain genres of movies are popular for a while and then fade into obscurity only to return again decades later, the video game industry follows a similar trend, with particular genres remaining in the zeitgeist for a while before they're swapped out for the latest, hottest trend. Alan Wake 2 isn't afraid of adopting a few of these recent trends.

One of the biggest video game trends that Alan Wake 2 adopts is the recent resurgence of the survival horror genre. Though it's stayed fairly popular since its introduction in the 1990s, survival horror has definitely seen a golden age in recent years thanks to games like the Resident Evil remakes, and Alan Wake 2 makes it very clear that it's leaning all the way into those inspirations, and by all accounts, it might even be remembered as one of the best survival horror games in the modern age. But there's one other big, recent video game trend that Alan Wake 2 adopts, and again, it's probably one of the genre's best examples in recent memory.

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Time Loops Have Become Gaming's Most Prominent Recent Trend

Time Loops Have Been a Concept in Gaming for a While

The general concept of a time loop game sees players repeat the same story over and over again, achieving different results every time. While the vast majority of games want players to continue playing long after the credits roll, there are few that bake this replayability into the game's very DNA, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask was one of the very first. Widely considered to be one of the best games in the franchise, Zelda: Majora's Mask's main conceit sees Link trying to stop the end of the world by repeating the same three days over and over again, stuck in a loop until he can save the day. Though it isn't some fans' favorite gameplay loop in the series, it is still pretty novel, and one of the first instances of a time loop in mainstream games.

Time Loops Are Really Starting to Grow in Popularity

In the last few years, time loops have become more popular than ever. One of the most prominent games leading the charge in this golden age of gaming time loops was Undertale, where the player's save and load mechanics are explained to be in-game abilities that see them enter a time loop. Things have only continued to ramp up exponentially in the last few years, with games like Deathloop, Loop Hero, 12 Minutes, Returnal, and The Forgotten City all releasing within fairly quick succession of one another.

Alan Wake 2 Is Another Great Time Loop Game

Alan Wake 2 Spiral

Alan Wake 2 is the latest in a long line of recent time loop games, and it may just be one of the very best. Without spoiling too much about the intricacies of Alan Wake 2's plot, one of the main narratives in the long-awaited sequel follows Alan Wake in the Dark Place. For the last 13 years, Alan Wake has been trapped in this alternate, nightmare dimension, and for all those years, he's been trapped inside a time loop, waking up with no memories of what came previously.

Players first take control of Alan at the start of one of these loops, but very quickly, Alan starts to work out that things aren't quite what they seem. Without spoiling the ending of Alan Wake 2 directly, it's revealed that there's a lot more to this supposed time loop than any of the game's characters or fans first thought, and in its final moments, Alan Wake 2 flips this time loop concept on its head, teasing a sequel that could really push the boundaries for this unique genre even further.