The much awaited release of the psychological action/adventure thriller Alan Wake has finally sucked us into the eye of the storm that Finnish game developers, Remedy Entertainment have been stirring up for quite some time. Oddly enough, their titles tend to be names of the protagonist we get to play as, also their last name happen to have a subtle correlation to the game’s story; such as Max Payne suffering excruciating amounts of ‘pain’ throughout the game and Alan Wake... well you’ll just have to play it to find out.

The game starts off with an introduction to Alan Wake; a bestselling crime and suspense novelist that is suffering from writer’s block. The story does not waste time building up and is told through several masterfully rendered cutscenes. The game takes place in Bright Falls where Alan and his wife, Alice, have gone for vacation. After interacting with some of the local residents, things start to go south when the sun goes down as Alice mysteriously disappears.

Remedy has incorporated a successful episodic system for narrating a story that is spread across a six episode miniseries. Each new episode starts with a small recap of the main events from the previous episode, creating the suspense and thrill similar to that of actual television series. As the story progresses, each episode becomes more difficult than the last, new characters are introduced and old faces return to further deepen the multilayered interaction.

Just when you think you have figured it out the game delivers new twists that at times leave you more confused. This adds to the suspense of drives you further into the story’s tantalizing grasp to push on and get to the end. Besides the primary objectives there are also several side objectives that serve as a welcoming distraction.

The controls are very responsive and make you feel as if you always have some sense of control. The only way someone would get frustrated is if they went all out John Rambo, a strategy clearly not fit for the genre. For the most part the camera does a good job, keeping your character on the left or the right side of the screen rather than dead centre; based on the direction you’re aiming at. Just watch out for those pesky goons trying to sneak up on you from your blind spots, and trust me, some do manage to.

Don’t be dismayed by the hair-raising atmosphere of the night where sinister sounds regularly resonate from, it’s only natural to use of the right stick to look around to see whether or not you’re an unsuspecting victim of an ambush that could come at any minute, from anywhere

The arsenal of weapons available in this game are not as vast as most third person titles, but they aren’t meant to be; you’re a writer from the city, the least you’ve done is bought a gun, perhaps even used it. Although conventional weapons such as hunting rifles and shot guns are present, your most used weapon will be the torchlight and revolver. This helps to stay true to the realism that Remedy has captured in the game, from the level of detail in the atmosphere of a small town to the fact you can’t sprint indefinitely. The game makes great use of lighting effects where your torchlight becomes a trusted weapon and flares turn destructive. Completing the game unlocks nightmare mode that offers some form of replayability.

Despite the fact that Remedy has ventured into a different genre from their previous successes, there are still some subtle similarities when it comes to the combat mechanics. The ability to dodge just in time results in a brief cinematic slow motion that somewhat resembles ‘bullet time’. In addition Alan hiding his hunting rifle or shotgun in his jacket is reminiscent of the armoury carried around in Max Payne’s coat.

Remedy Entertainment have outdone themselves, issues exist, as they do in any game, but are too trivial to even mention. The beautiful graphics, responsive controls and great story telling all add to provide a great atmosphere of suspense and horror, one that will have your heart beating a little faster due to the constantly occurring but irregular culminations of the game.

Genre: Psychological Action Thriller

Platform: Xbox 360 Exclusive

Developed by: Remedy Entertainment Ltd.

Published by: Microsoft Game Studios