GamesSurvival HorrorAlan Wake 2One year later, I faced my fears to finish Alan Wake 2 and it changed my perception of survival horrorWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesSurvival HorrorAlan Wake 2One year later, I faced my fears to finish Alan Wake 2 and it changed my perception of survival horrorWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Remedy)
I sit up straight as an arrow in my seat, inhaling a deep breath like I’m preparing to bolt forward to relative safety in reality. Steeling myself, I push Alan forward, beelining it past every shadow as they angrily yell “WAKE”. It’s not until some time later, when I stand in the now empty theater and watch a short live-action film play out on the screen inside the game, that I remember why I’m doing all of this in the first place.
Since this month marked one year since the release of Alan Wake 2, I set myself the goal of at last seeing it through to the end. I don’t handle horror all that well, and after a particularly unsettling section of the game, I took an extended break from the terrors lurking within the Dark Place and Bright Falls. But upon returning, I’ve come to find that making it through every scare as Alan and Saga is completely worth it when I’m continually met with yet more examples of Remedy’s creative flair for storytelling. No one is more surprised than me to find that making it through the survival horror has not only been personally rewarding in a very unexpected way, but it’s also been the most enjoyable experience I’ve had with the genre to date.
The Dark Place
(Image credit: Remedy)
The voice inside(Image credit: Remedy)Alan Wake 2 took me out of my comfort zone and provided catharsis and reassurance in the most unexpected way
The voice inside
(Image credit: Remedy)Alan Wake 2 took me out of my comfort zone and provided catharsis and reassurance in the most unexpected way
(Image credit: Remedy)
Alan Wake 2 took me out of my comfort zone and provided catharsis and reassurance in the most unexpected way
But even with the shift into survival horror territory, I was determined to reunite with the troubled writer and find out how his story continued over a decade later. Before I knew it, I was facing the terrors of the Dark Place, making my way through the eerie forestlands of Cauldron Lake, and even braving theunnerving attractions of Coffee World. While I was absolutely afraid a lot of the time, I was also proud of myself for getting past every jump-scare and frightening foe.
It was only once I reached the Valhalla Nursing Home in Saga’s shoes that I was really pushed past my limits. Even now, the thought of that haunting place and the encounter with Cynthia makes me actively shudder and want to run away and hide. My scaredy-cat heart couldn’t take anymore, and I took a long break from Alan Wake 2. Months and months passed, but it was never far from my mind.
Back to the light
(Image credit: Remedy)
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But if I was going to face my fears to finish Alan Wake 2, I was determined to go all in with it. Not only did I see it through to the end, but I also set out and successfully found every collectible. I spent a large chunk of time revisiting areas that had previously terrified me – including the dreaded care home – to find every lunch box, nursery rhyme, and cult stash. Earning the trophies for my efforts and seeing all of the collectibles laid out on Saga’s caseboard was an added serotonin boost, but the best reward was yet to come.
(Image credit: Remedy)
I’ll never forget my time with Remedy’s survival horror, or the way it helped me on a personal level.
I’ll never forget my time with Remedy’s survival horror, or the way it helped me on a personal level.
In spite of the scares, I unexpectedly found the experience of finishing Alan Wake 2 oddly comforting and encouraging. Just as I don’t want to be in a horror game, Saga and Alan want out of the horror story they find themselves in. In a strange way, their journey mirrors my own goal to get through it. As I push them to keep moving forward and find a solution both in and out of the Dark Place, I’m also pushing myself to overcome my fears. The fact that I also relate to both characters in unexpected ways also makes me become so attached and invested. I want to keep fighting to bring light back to their lives, and see the light at the end of the tunnel myself.
When I at last saw the credits roll, and roll, and roll, the sense of accomplishment was unparalleled. Getting throughevery jump-scareand unnerving location, and facing each hair-raising enemy was completely worth it, because I got to experience a journey that became so personally meaningful to me in more ways than one. From memorable live-action scenes to wonderfully weird action sequences, Alan Wake 2 pushed me into a genre I tend to avoid and opened me up to in the most surprising ways.
But the biggest shock was just how much I ended up enjoying the experience, despite my accelerated heart rate. I’ll never forget my time with Remedy’s survival horror, or the way it helped me on a personal level. If this experience has taught me anything, it’s that sometimes it really does pay to face your fears.
Here’s how Alan Wake 2’s Lake House DLC sold our very own features editor Andy Brown on Control 2 quicker than playing Control did.
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