“It’s easier to iterate on a product than to bring something totally new.” Says Remedy’s Matias Myllyrinne. It must be true given the fact that Remedy’s last released game was Max Payne 2 back in 2003. Ever since the release of that game seven years ago Remedy has been working on Alan Wake; a project that has undergone so much change in its style and scope. Myllyrinne explained at DICE this past week that one of the hardships they have faced in the development was giving up their first idea of mixing a thriller type story with a sandbox type game– this decision was sacrificial to the time they spent for the first 6 months creating the game and the couple millions that it cost. The game is finally complete now and we are just months away from the full experience of Alan’s journey.
Remedy chose to focus on making this game a more compelling narrative title over the sandbox-style gameplay, and that gets me excited because I’m one to love a game with a great story to immerse myself. Author Alan Wake goes on a little R&R to help him get back into a creative mood for the new thriller he’s about to write. After the sudden disappearance of his wife upon beginning his vacation at Bright Falls, Wake goes through a series of supernatural occurrences prompting him to realize he’s reliving his latest thriller that he doesn’t even remember writing. Remedy has already stated that Alan Wake is just a “first season”, and that the story will unfold in an episodic format that will be akin to what you would see on television. Your flashlight in the game will play an integral role, in that it’s one of your primary weapons that you’ll use against the enemies known as The Taken. You are encouraged to strategize and use the light you find around you (as well as your own flashlight) to damage the enemies and make the environment a safer place for Alan. The game does have a controlled day and night cycle to add tension to the gameplay. While the player can meet with NPC’s during the day and do what you would usually do; you can count on the night to be more dangerous and Alan to be all alone. Be sure to check back for more on Alan Wake; the game ships in May of this year.
