Of course, you can inch forward through the dense, dank woods and pretend you’re scared, but a sudden onslaught of enemies are a right bumper press away from becoming a firework display, dissipating into nothing as you casually drop a flash grenade into the throng of the horde. Annoyingly, the Taken (create-a-villain #101 – humans taken over by the Dark Presence) have a habit of spawning behind you, with the player being oblivious to their presence until they remove two thirds of your health. A dodge technique is in place, but is unresponsive and certainly offers no guarantee of evasion. Mapping it to the same button as sprint was not the best idea either, despite obvious best intentions.

Despite these niggles the combat is frequently satisfying, with several enjoyable – if disappointingly predictable – set pieces requiring some smart thinking, a quick trigger finger, spatial awareness, and leaving the lights on. You can see most coming from miles away, the vast majority being arena-type scenarios with a small battalion of arms conveniently propped next to the fully-functional searchlight which has been left in the middle of a forest. It’s here where you’re again reminded that Alan Wake is not taking itself as seriously as the player is sometimes tricked into believing. It feels as though the game is trying to juggle between claustrophobic white-knuckle horror and a more light-hearted, action heavy tone, but ultimately sacrifices have to be made. In the end, it is the uneasy foreboding, the feelings of dread and impending danger that end up becoming diluted, making way for pointing your torch at a steam train and hoping for the best (you’ll see what we mean when you get there).

Despite being the protagonist, Alan Wake is not the most likeable man in the world. He abandons his wife to go out partying, his writing skills are akin to a pre-teen’s, he’s unpleasant to his fans, and wears an elbow-patched blazer. So to really endear to the man’s plight – to rescue his wife from an unspeakable dark force at the bottom of a lake – can be frequently difficult. It is a demanding task to show empathy to a man with so many dislikeable characteristics, particularly one so integral to the story. Mission goals appear in bold writing in the corner of the heads-up display along with a distracting bright yellow marker, but such garish pointers do little to explain away his real goals, his real objective as a character, a narrative device to push an already barely comprehensible mish-mash of a plot.

The characters in general are a mixed assortment – the likeable DJ of the local radio station you encounter throughout the episodes in the form of radio broadcasts is pleasing, but jars uncomfortably next to Wake’s frankly insufferable agent and best friend, Barry Wheeler. Any interplay between agent and client is a toe-curlingly embarrassment, shattering any manifestations of tension or atmosphere that the game has generated for you at any point in time. The best character in the game by far is Bright Falls – a fantastically realised, achingly beautiful landscape rich in diverse geography, history and genuine substance. It unquestionably deserves to be mentioned amongst Liberty City, Albion and Rapture as being a truly memorable game space, and with the best worlds always leaving us craving more missions and side quests, we surely have not seen all that Bright Falls has to offer just yet. Indeed, as expected, DLC episodes are waiting in the wings – the first encore taking place in July.

Ridiculous as it may sound, after five years of waiting we can’t escape the feeling that, with Alan Wake, Remedy has unfinished business. Demanding a sequel seems inappropriate at this point, as the game is – without doubt – thoroughly entertaining. It is a work that has clearly been lovingly crafted and superbly executed by a talented developer. Despite its flaws, it has class in abundance, which fans of any type of genre will surely appreciate. We certainly hope to return to Bright Falls in the hope that the Alan Wake franchise can elevate itself from being a good game to a truly great one…sooner rather than later next time, Remedy, if you please.

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