When it was announced thatAlan Wake Remasteredwould be coming later this year, fans were excited. There had been little word on the series from Remedy Entertainment barring Wake’s appearance in the studio’s most recent workControl, so an official announcement was cause for celebration. There isn’t a set release date for the game yet,although rumor has itAlan Wake Remasteredreleases in October, and this might mean big things for Remedy’s future projects. Thus, gaming enthusiasts shouldn’t skip the remaster, despite many other titles releasing in the final months of the year.
There are many people who remember the originalAlan Wakefondly, and the remastered version gives them an excuse to revisit the game once more. Hopefully, the release brings new fans to the game as well, as with the success ofControlthere might be fans of Remedy who never had the chance to play the game that set upControl’suniverse because it was only available on Xbox 360 and PC.
RELATED:Alan Wake Remastered Seems Like a Shoo-In for the PlayStation Showcase 2021
The Mystery Surrounding Bright Falls
One of the major selling points forAlan Wakewhen it originally released was its cinematic story. Althoughmost AAA games now have great cinematography and compelling narratives,Alan Wake Remasteredwill likely still stand out because of how unconventional its story is.
Set in Bright Falls, a cozy town in the Pacific Northwest, the game followsfamous author Alan Wake and his wife Aliceas they begin their vacation. Alice pushes Alan to get some writing done, but ends up being kidnapped by a mysterious entity known as the Darkness. As Alan tries to rescue her, he begins to uncover the mystery surrounding the coastal town, all while being attacked by monsters straight out of a book supposedly written by him.
Although not a wholly original plot,Alan Wakeuses plenty of elements that aren’t often found in gaming. Its setting, story, and characters feel unique, and it’s structured like a season of a television show rather than a traditional game. What’s more,Alan Wakeis full of intrigue and mystery reminiscent ofthe works of Stephen King or David Lynch. Despite the way its narrative seems to be standard for many other works, it stands out among games.
RELATED:Alan Wake 2 Simply Makes a Lot of Sense
Alan Wake Remastered’s Enhanced Graphics
While some gaming enthusiasts appreciate the charm of older games, presentation has come a long way over the last few console generations. Theexponential growth in gaming’s graphical fidelitymeans older titles usually look their age because of the technology that they were created with. This issue turns a lot of modern gamers away from older titles that, while still holding up relatively well from a gameplay perspective, might not look very good.
Although it looked great at the time,Alan Wakecould use a fresh coat of paint. By giving the entire game the remaster treatment,Alan Wakewill hopefully look just as good as, if not better than, other major releases from this year.The announcement forAlan Wake Remasteredsays the game will be receiving a graphical overhaul to update the visuals and cinematics for modern audiences. What’s more, Alan Wake’s character model will be updated to be on par with other modern games. Hopefully, this means the game will be more appealing to a wider audience.
The Psychological Horror of Alan Wake
The updated graphics and textures coming toAlan Wake Remasteredwill help a lot of different things, but perhaps most importantly the game’s atmosphere. Despite some elements not holding up to modern standards,the originalAlan Wakefeatured a generally spooky atmosphereand some great forest environments. With updates to the game,Alan Wake Remasteredwill be able to focus more on the psychological horror aspects of the story than ever before.
Most people who have finished the game would likely argue thatAlan Wakenever gets scary, however it has the tense feeling that plenty of thriller films achieve because it focuses much more on Alan Wake’s psyche. Scary things happen to him, but he’s usually able to combat them with a flashlight and a revolver. This ends up making the game a lot more accessible to those who don’t have a stomach for horror, as it allows the tension to come from atmosphere and psychology over big scares.
Connecting Alan Wake to Control and Beyond
One of the main reasons thatfans should make sure to pick upAlan WakeRemasteredis because of the game’s connection to theControluniverse. The events that happened at Bright Falls are recontextualized throughoutControl,making it worth a play to simply expand the lore. It’s also likelyAlan Wake Remasteredmight add some additional content that ties it directly into the events ofControl,or that could include clues of what’s to come for both series.
There are some major questions regardingwhere Remedy is taking its franchises next, and hopefullyAlan Wake Remasteredwill provide some answers. Fans shouldn’t necessarily expect anything huge to be added, but there could be clues in the collectible documents scattered throughout the world or in environmental set pieces. There has been plenty of speculation regarding anAlan Wake 2orControl 2,so there’s likely to be some sort of evidence hidden within the remaster as to where the universe is headed next.
