Alan Wake 2 Reviews
Remedy's boldest experiment yet is a beautiful storm of surreal storytelling and genuinely frightening survival horror.
In its quest to be the most meta game ever made, Alan Wake 2 becomes a spectacle about writers and writing that badly needs an editor.
Alan Wake II is a superb survival-horror sequel that makes the cult-classic original seem like little more than a rough first draft by comparison.
"Whenever I thought I had a handle on where Alan Wake 2 was leading me it upended my expectations"
A peculiar sequel that at times seems to be purposefully undermining the best elements of the original, but it still gets just enough right to please both existing fans and potential newcomers.
For longtime Remedy fans and those who want to see what happens next for Alan Wake, the sequel is a success, but making it to the end includes unnecessary hurdles.
I already consider it a modern horror classic, one that opens up a veritable ocean of possibilities for Remedy’s future. If it takes another 13 years for a game of Alan Wake 2’s caliber to come along again, it will have been well worth the wait.
Remedy delivers its greatest game to date by turning a long-awaited sequel into a uniquely meta multimedia masterpiece.
Alan Wake 2 is hardly some flawless masterpiece. It sometimes overindulges in easy jump scares, and while its narrative highs are very high, the momentum also flags from time to time. But I’d argue that it’s a game in which even the flaws contribute to its texture as a fresh and original experience, not a focus-tested product but a work that has a vision and really goes for it. You don’t need to be a writer for the struggles that Alan Wake and Saga Anderson face here to resonate with you. You just need to be a person who has ever looked inside yourself and faced doubt, fear, some deep uncertainty about your own value or your ability to handle the challenges ahead. And then done it anyway.
After spending a week with Alan Wake 2 and finally seeing the credits, I can say that it’s one of my favorite titles in an extremely competitive year. Not only has it redefined what I believe video game narratives are capable of, but it also left me invigorated to see how Remedy will innovate once again.
Alan Wake II is the big surprise of the year, a title that gets fully into the fight of the GOTY 2023 and elevates the Survival-Horror genre to another level. A never-before-seen level where I can only pour praise on it. If you are afraid this game is not for you, but if it is not the case I recommend that you sit back and enjoy it. Thank you Remedy.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Just as it gives equal screen time to its two protagonists, Alan Wake 2 is a fine blend of equal parts narrative and survival horror. Both aspects are brought together in brilliant fashion to create a game that is going to mess with your head, scare the hell out of you and make you grin about it as you plunge forward once more, eager to see what's next.
Alan Wake 2 is a brilliant survival horror that combines the surrealism of Twin Peaks, the investigations of True Detective and the paranormal elements of the SCP Foundation, but it is also the new graphical ceiling of the generation. And above all, it's a Remedy game; and it is glorious.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Alan Wake 2 builds upon a foundation that I felt was effective, but missing something in the original. In narrative, atmosphere, and gameplay, this sequel captures the sense of a self-aware, fictional world that’s always contorting itself in real-time to move forward, and the result is a surreal horror/thriller masterpiece.
Alan Wake II presents us with a more mature and evolved Remedy, able to unite their universes and have fun while offering what is undoubtedly their best title to date.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Alan Wake 2 is the most authorial, visceral, and ambitious game ever made by Remedy Entertainment, which will delight fans of the series with a new adventure with dark tones that improves on the first chapter in many ways. The transformation into a survival horror game has also revitalized the gameplay through a disturbing atmosphere, transposed in the best possible way thanks to a well-told story and charismatic characters. Despite a general variety that is not always up to par, Alan Wake 2 has rightfully entered the club of the most exciting games in 2023.
Review in Italian | Read full review
In a superb blend of reality and fiction, Alan Wake 2 will earn its place as one of the best horror games out there.
Alan Wake 2 is a spectacular sequel that was more than worth the wait, with a story that simply has to be experienced to be believed.
Everything, down to the puzzles, feels appropriately placed. That's before even acknowledging the gorgeous cast of actors involved in the project and the truly compelling story that unfolds for Alan as well as Saga, who each gain an interesting presence in Bright Falls and the world beyond. It doesn't feel like the most satisfying combat, and it's rather easy to beat, but this is also exactly what I wanted and more from an Alan Wake sequel. It is also the best original horror game of 2023 by a wide margin, and a damn fine video game overall.