www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCKDTAphHug

After Alan Wake 1, the road to the sequel was not an easy one. At one point Sam Lake even made a video explaining the reasons for this and why they were not going to make a sequel yet but another (equally interesting) game.

This was not that game.

In 2012 before the next big thing, Remedy made this “not a sequel” chapter. It was never meant to be " the sequel " but perhaps something to give the fans to have until the time is right, to make not just a sequel, but something new, something evolving and amazing that would take the story to new heights.

So, with that in mind it's probably easier to understand many of the faults in Alan Wake's American Nightmare.

The game released only two years after the original, has the same engine, the same mechanics mostly. And it has at least the core Alan Wake 1's combat experience. You have your weapon, your flashlight, and you fight the taken, those who were possessed by the darkness.

It is mostly the same experience from the previous game with a little tweak here and there. I will admit, it does improve that part of the game, just ever so slightly.

What it doesn't have in this case, it’s the interesting story from the first game.

The premise although it’s the same, it doesn’t progress too far from the first game. You are Alan Wake, but here you fight the darkness in the form of Alan’s evil double Mr. Scratch. You are thrown into this alternative reality from the start and you have to defeat Mr. Scratch and intervene before he takes over the world.

The story is bad, and so are the dialogues, which are cringy 100%. But you do have some of the good things from the first game. There's your Alan Wake's narrated pages to be found (with the same voice actor), giving you more insight into the lore. You can also see more of Alan Wake’s performance actor in some FMVs. Theres also a handful of TVs with some more short scenes laying around to be found, and a Radio Show with some special guests. There's Barry and the Old Gods of Asgard, as well as a couple of special songs for the occasion. As said, there are good things to be found here, and in the context of 2012 and the prospect of a new full-on sequel so dimmer and distant, I can imagine this was probably very well received and a nice thing to have at that time.

That was then, and this is now 2024 with a full-on sequel released in 2023 and also a couple of more games, Quantum Break and Control so the light in which you may play this game if you are playing it for the first time today (like I did) changes drastically.

The game's mechanics are a little improved, they feel a little tighter. As for the graphics after playing Alan wake 1 remaster from 2021 (which are better, especially on the character's faces and cutscenes) and then playing American's nightmare, (which isn't a remaster and it’s the original game from 2012) it does look worst. The story and the cringy dialogues which were not good to begin with sank the game experience ever so low.... but still, you have the same voice actors and some nice moments here and there, also some good music with the Olds Gods of Asgard, and some scenes with Mr. Scratch, the evil dark being who is introduced at the end of Alan Wake 1.

Playing this game in 2024 after playing the first Alan Wake, and knowing already Alan Wake 2 exists, I wouldn't recommend playing American Nightmare. It's not necessary for the main story (it’s even off the main canon or Remedy Universe since without any spoilers, this is basically a spin off, as it is clear once you finish the game.

But, if you are a fan of Alan Wake and want to play every game available to it, or just want to see some extra scenes with your favourite characters, yeah, it has some enjoyable moments. It is a Remedy game after all and it has some of the trademark moments from them, even here. Also, this is a short game after all, and can be finished (not counting the arcade mode) in just a few hours.

Now, after this stranger than stranger chapter in the Alan Wake's story I'm giving Alan a good night’s rest, or maybe a dark night's rest, hoping he manages to stay alive in the dark world until " the time " comes for me to meet up with him again in the full-on sequel (to be played soon).

But for now, I will be going "outta of time" to continue my journey into the Remedy verse, to meet with the guys from Monarch Solutions to see some colorful experiments in "Quantum Break".

Poets of the Fall/Old Gods of Asgard – Balance Slays the Demon © 2012 Insomniac Oy

This review ©2024 Aleena.

My twin is crashing out and I am the only one who can see this

Alan Wake but you fight more stuff. Kinda fun at first. Then I got killed during a cutscene and uninstalled.