Light is your only friend. [Alan Wake Review 2010]

Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment occupies a special place in my heart. And the point is not so much in the originality of projects and ideas, but in the ability of developers to get out of complex financial situations over and over again with real virtuosity. Whether it is the selection of persons for the characters Max Payne Among the relatives of the team or the stylization of the game under a graphic novel for the sake of saving on KAT scenes. And every time, despite any obstacles, Remedy manages to release a high -quality, stylish and addictive game, which, although it does not fall in love with wide masses, remains in the hearts of many players around the world.

AND Alan Wake It was no exception. From the very first minutes of the game, it becomes clear what the developers were inspired while working on the script. Spirit King And Lyncha So it flows through the monitor, setting up the player in the right way.

Bright Falls. Such an image has already become an icon of American pop culture-a small town in the American wilderness, in which everyone knows everyone, knows more than the main character himself. Here the player has to go through darkness in order to reach the truth.

Bright Falls captivates with small details and an incredible atmsof, when you can smell the newly prepared coffee through the monitor.

The tie of the game is quite trivial: an ordinary, but famous writer Alan Wake, suffering from a creative crisis, under the pressure of his wife – Alice, goes on vacation to inconspicuous Bright Falls, To gain strength there and overcome the raging existential crisis. However, at one point, something frighteningly strange begins to happen: Alice Gone, a Alan fell out of life for a whole week. He has no idea where his wife is, and in the district, in darkness, bloodthirsty creatures begin to appear, similar to people. And they will not stop until they kill everyone who can get to whom. The only weapon against this darkness is light.

Light is the only thing that you can believe.

The plot famously flirts with the topics of real and unreal, light and darkness. The player, like the main character, a good half of the narrative cannot surely judge whether what is happening around. And not only the events of the game work to create this effect, but also the pages of the manuscript, which, it would seem, simply play the role of a collection subject. However, collecting them, the player will not only begin to better understand what is happening around, but will also look into the future, the past and the present. This disorients, makes you doubt and reflect. The game forces the player to independently fold the puzzle of the narrative. Of course, sooner or later everything will be explained in sufficient detail, but important and interesting details are not revealed without immersion and internal analysis of what is happening. Thanks to this, the plot lures into itself without the ability to break out. During the passage, I had to force myself to tear myself away from the game.

Ilka Willy – The actor, who gave Alan Wachy the voice and appearance, in addition, also played the hero lively, for small interspersed hallucinations of Wate, which he sees on TV.

The fact that the world in which events takes place is also played as much as possible with our. Starting from constant references to works of art and filming real people without using graphics for various scenes on television, and ending with existing manufacturers of batteries in the game. All this makes the player believe in what is happening, believe in the game world itself.

Although the finale turned out to be somewhat crumpled, and the dynamics of the narrative in the middle sags strongly under the weight of gameplay segments, the plot of the game remains strong, intriguing and tightening, constantly tagging the player to move on. After all, the movement, like the light, in Alan Wake – This is life.

The game cleverly operates with the theme of antagonism of darkness and light. And if darkness is always a danger, then light is life and security. Thus, the developers very beautifully and organically entered the game of HILPONTIONS in the form of lampposts.

I can’t restrain my delight from how the most ordinary and trivial shooting gameplay turned into a real game for survival (especially on a nightmare), where any oversight is cruelly punishable. It would seem that everything is simple: in order to kill the enemy (most of which can only be attacked in melee), it is necessary to deprive him of protection, armor. To do this, you need to light it with a flashlight, which takes a certain period of time, and then simply respond to the monster with shots from a revolver, rifle or shotgun. However, it’s just only in theory. In practice, enemies constantly attack from different angles, at different distances, always strive to go to the player to the rear. Therefore, you have to spin around, correctly choose the sequence of destruction of goals and react to new threats in time.

Sometimes a player is intentionally locked in close and inconvenient locations in orientation, where a stop and the slightest inaccence mean death.

The fact that the enemy for death often requires two, or even three hits is also added into the fire, while the number of ammunition is very limited by the amount of ammunition. In addition, enemies are of different types: someone is fast, but easily killed, someone is slow, but very tenacious, someone knows how to attack at a distance, and someone combines several given characteristics.

In addition, ordinary objects can sometimes act as hostile, by the type of refrigerator or coil, which can fly from a completely unexpected direction at the most unnecessary moment. In order to get out of the fights, it is necessary to correctly alternate the choice of weapons, dodge in time, and at critical moments to use signal missiles or light -noise grenades that will almost always help, albeit for a short time, break out of the ticks of the enemies surrounding you.

All of the above adds excitement and voltage to almost every fight with the enemy. And in two plot add -ons, fights sometimes become so hardcore that at a nightmare level of complexity in many points you have to sit down for a long time and experimentally find a suitable tactic of battle.

Landscapes sometimes just take a breath!

However, not a combat one. Gameplay Alan Wake divided into two parts: fights and study of locations. And since we have already figured out the combat system, then it’s time to go to the environment.

Locations in Alan Wake cannot be called multi -level. Almost always you need to go in the only direction, with the ability to turn into a forest thicket, where it is very easy to run into the monster, being in a vulnerable position, and there is nothing much to do there. Although almost always you can find some small nook where you can find either the next manuscript page, or a collected thermos with coffee, or a cache with weapons. And in fact, exploring locations is quite interesting, if only because they are made, from the point of view of design, at the highest level. The atmosphere of many places simply rolls over and often the player encounters either with the desire to study some longer, or quickly retire with others, due to their injection stress.

And it works great in contrast. Night locations make you nervous and peer into the thicket of forests or gateway, where at any moment you can get an unexpected blow here and there. Thus, the player is in suspense and cannot calmly study the surroundings. In the afternoon, you can relaxed the district without beingware of the attack. In addition, periodically the player will give the player the opportunity to use the car as a transport, which is the usual way of moving in the light of the sun, but with its sucker becomes an ultimatum to destroy the obsessed, thanks to the powerful light of the headlights.

Pokatushki for cars in games are made quite well, although sometimes the cars are too cut on the bends.

The visual component cannot be said about the visual component. Cinematic production pleases with its style and works to create a feeling of watching a good series. The game, in general, looks good enough, sometimes surprisingly surprises with the scale and beauty of the backdrops. The textures look at the level, but still there are no stars from the sky. In general, all visual attractiveness is achieved not due to high quality graphics, but due to competent work with light and shadow. Thanks to this, night locations look incredibly atmospheric, because any source of light looks like a saving lighthouse in the raging sea.

However, there were no problems – animations brought down. It Nonukcasinosites.co.uk/casinos-not-on-gamstop/ was not that everything was completely terrible, but sometimes they manage to call a light laugh. For example, when Alan He jumps from a cliff or helicopter, he accepts such a funny and absurd pose that the situation ceases to be taken seriously. In addition, facial animations in KAT scenes also do not shine with beauty, demonstrating unnatural expressions of persons in the situations inappropriate for them. And although in the framework of the whole game these problems do not seem critical, they still manage to throw a spoon of tar.

Sometimes it is impossible to observe this with a serious face.

A separate point I would like to highlight sound accompaniment. Game sounds, like visual stylistics, are incredibly played on the atmosphere, regularly forcing the player to get nervous and strain even when there is no good reason for this. What can we say about the soundtrack … perfectly selected by the context of the composition that frames the finale of each episode. Here you are and the best hits of a familiar to many Max Payne 2 Finnish group Poets of the Fall, And David Bowie, And Nick Cave, And what is not. Music allows you to feel the realism of the created Remedy Mira. And the original soundtrack and even more so I could not hit the dirt in the dirt. And although combat compositions, in general, are not something particularly memorable, the music that sounds during the study of locations sometimes gets to goosebumps.

In conclusion, I would like to summarize some result. Alan Wake became for me something truly original. Incredibly lively and deep atmosphere, elaboration of the world and script made Alan Wake in which you want to return again and again. Not perfect, but terribly attractive game, which for many can be a real discovery. I persistently recommend that.

Alan Wake

The best comments

Okay, I propose not to argue about the eternal and to prove to each other that one subjective look is to the right of another. It’s better to focus on the facts, because it is not difficult and you can work with this:

1. No one said that Alan and his wife have love-carrots, this can be seen from his actions, and the status in their relationship already suggests that they obviously did not meet yesterday, and now they have not been loved by each other for this. The only question is that you personally do not suit you? Comparison with dramatic films in the cinema is not entirely appropriate, because we are still talking about the game of a year before last generation of consoles from 2010. Give an example of the game of the time where the relationship between his wife and husband was disclosed with dignity, only without Heavy rain;)

2. The Cross Crossing is an indirect narrative, an original approach (specifically on the release of Alan Vake), as well as Chellenge for those who bought the game not just for the “attraction”.

3. If the bad plot is leveled for you with the elements of the attraction, then the new Resident Evil 3 Remake is better than the Resident Evil 3 Remake (sarcasm). Well, if you are too lazy to get acquainted with additional materials from the universe, then you just didn’t like the game itself and its plot, as a result, they could just write that the game did not go, instead of proved by everyone that the game is shit, for a watering can – a pompous graphomaniac.

4. This world has strict rules if you study additional materials, and also play Control, collecting the same notes, then you will have no questions.

5. Than the Max Payne script is better than the script Alan Vake? It’s just interesting what kind of artistic technique makes one story better than another, despite the fact that these are two different genres with completely different accents. Maybe we’ll also say that GTA V is better than RDR2, because RDR2 has too large a map, a slow pace and you can not press the whores on the carriage.

In conclusion, I want to say that I like your desire to build cinematic standards in something ordinary for the industry. But from the last thing that came out, I can only name The Last of US 2 and RDR2 by real movie games. In some places there is something similar in the games of David Cage, but everything else has not yet reached such heights. But you, of course, can give your examples in the comments. I will read with pleasure and answer in my free time.

Dachshunds, I threw a plus for a review, I did not know anything new, but it is written on the case.
But your comment was very surprised at the points:

You said that the motivation for “saving your wife” is a garbage because it is not registered. I’m wondering how it is not spelled out like that? It can be seen that Alan loves her wife and it is on her advice that they come together to Bright Falls. All further events have a logical justification, and the so-called graphomania is a feature of a watering can, because of which it is not forgotten and actively bought even after 10 years.

Barry, Sheriff, FBI agent are characters important for the plot, because they complement the puzzle of the background of the game. I’ll tell you more, half of the most important events was shown in additional materials that cover a long period of time before Alan’s arrival in Bright Falls. A wonderful blog from DI777 – StopGame was written on this topic not so long ago.ru/blogs/topic/104343

Regarding “Magic Manuscripts” – in the game this moment was normally explained, we will find out even more after the release of the final DLC for Control. Call something that you do not understand, shit is very easy. But to collect the material and comprehend the studied – requires effort. And I would not call myself a big fan of Lake’s work. But all his games passed several times and each time the sensations were akin to the same. I can only name Max Payne 3, but not a watering can do it, but Rockstara.

Another important point why mowing under Stephen King is bad? He is one of the outstanding authors of the last century. And I know not many games where such a thick atmosphere and the measured pace of the narrative. All your complaints about the watering can be more like a banal envy of his successes is noticeable without much difficulty and this once again says that it is easy to criticize the scriptwriter, but to give examples of a more successful scenario that was implemented in the format of the same game, which the players remember and value – this requires efforts.

(heavy sigh)
Disappointing me. I expected you to at least a little to protect your point of view, but in the end you are doing exactly the same thing for which you reproach me. I will show you now in the most detail where your words diverge from logic, and you already decide whether to answer this or not.

1. The line of dispute. I argued that the relationship between Alan and his wife is normally spelled out and logical motivation for the protagonist is laid down in them, but you decided to reproach the watering can for the fact that he is straightforward, give you an indirect narrative. Here I brought as an example of notes through which all this narrative is revealed + additional materials that went to the game itself (the same series, etc.e). But this turned out to be not enough for you – you decided to recall the films, to complain to the “structure of the dramatic work”.

2. I answered all your arguments, gave several examples that prove that this logic is not applicable specifically for this game. But the main idea was not this, but in the matters that I left for you. But all I see is a banal ignoring of these issues, you are firmly standing on the previously voiced arguments, which I have already sent several times to the kingdom of Aida. Well, okay, let’s say, you sacredly believe in the video that you sent the last message. I will see it a little later, I am sure that I won’t open anything new for myself, because I regularly study different materials about game design through DTF and XYZ channels.

3. Most of all I am surprised by another moment in your answers. Firstly, you arbitrarily switched to you, although it is too early to call us friends, damn it, I am not offended. As you like, so to speak. Secondly, these are these lines:

As a result, we get graphomania, which simply is, it does not affect anything, and the ending, which is empty and meaningless.

-Here you have already pronounced a sentence without a proper understanding of the Universe-so not one self-respecting reviewer does not make yourself, and your criticism is like a deep critic, which either claims something or some strange trolling in order to cause discussion.

I, as a player, on the drum for this all. They just tell me: they have love-carrots, but I, as a player, do not feel it.

You do not feel, because this is not a romantic drama, but a fantastic thriller. Alan’s wife is McGaffin, the reason for the whole trip that is not particularly important, but at the same time serves as a normal motivation. I didn’t just ask me to send an example where the relations between the spouses would be revealed better, because none of the screenwriters of the video game is particularly steaming about this. No, of course you can recall the face of Kratos from the new God of War, when he buries his wife, or a wonderful monologue of rethinking from the Serena indie toy, but this was not the center of the story in these games.

In games it is important to narrate through action, because the format of the game is this: interactivity and action. Non -use of this game potential and ignoring this format feature, by shut up by trilliones of graphomaniac notes – a clear feature of the game problem.

Okay, collection of notes, battle with shadows, studying the world through the environment – than not a narrative through action? No, ideally, something like a series of Dark Souls, but we don’t have fantasy about dragons and knights here.

Well, the crown third:

The line of dispute I understand very well and look forward to arguments, and not common words. At the same time, I don’t have to paint everything in detail, I protect the script of Alan Vaika, and not try to pour it with slop, just because the game of 2010 is not involved in 200%, and Alan’s wife does not try to convey her feelings without words.

Although … maybe he is trying, I played for a long time, it needs to be re -trial to say for sure. Nevertheless, your arguments cannot be called significant, they have no specifics and an answer to the question – why should the game be just like that? And to refer to someone else’s channel or attitude to games, moving to you-this somehow does not really raise confidence in your arguments.

Here is another matter. He said that you can’t answer everything, but answered almost everything;)

Again, I can now still roll several paragraphs that will justify all these conventions in the Lake script, but if you proceed from the thesis “because I am bored. I am already an adult boy “, then any arguments are breaking up about the cliff. There are too many in this scenario “And if”.

And if Alan were gay, and if instead of a flashlight he simply waved dilda, scaring off the shadows, and if the lake was not the end point. And if you think that this is not the genre where there should be different endings depending on our choice. And if you perceive the American nightmare not as a separate game, but as a carved content that was originally entertainment, which from the DLC turned into a separate game, for the sake of making money.

And if all this was originally conceived as multi -sized, and if you do not compare the game of 2010 from the movie, and the relationship of his wife and husband with the relationship of Gordon Freeman and his talkative companion, who just as straightforwardly tells about the events in City 17 and does not grow over herself throughout the episodes. And rarely in which game an adult is changing by the end of the game. I would also understand if you cited the example of Elizabeth from Bioshok Infinit, at least there is real chemistry between the daughter and the father from the beginning to the end of the final DLC.

If you discard all these moments, then yes, I can’t argue – the script of Alan is mediocre, and the watering can simply does not know the measure in letting dust in the eyes, well, he can not in drama. If not for all these little things, it turns out uncomfortable, yes?)

But it was nice to participate in such an interesting dialogue. We still cross the Stop. Game. Ru

Good review, but rather belated given that the game has already been said about the game and is written. Perhaps this is the main reason for the “minuses”. Put the “plus” for motivation.
And yet – the phrase “Light is your only friend” is not correct.

Thank you for a good review! My hands did not reach this wonderful game for several years, once again, convinced of the supervision and hardening of the product, I still decided to purchase and the first to visit Alan.

By the way, there, a month ago, professional Russian voice acting came to him (although maybe you indicated it)

But the game could be completely different =]
https: // www.YouTube.COM/Watch?v = ijaxpwqtqmw
But, as usual, these fins have gone in a long -term construction for 5 years = x

Ilkka Willy gave the hero only appearance, a voice went to Alan from Matthew Porrett
As for the game, it is magnificent in everything except some technical flaws, as it was originally exclusive boxes 360
The plot draws and intrigues, it is well and bookly written, all the characters are perfectly spelled out, you believe them, you empathize. Landscapes are still amazing.
One of the best games that I had ever passed.

Maybe: “Light is your best friend/ally”?

I read the review, but more comments were delivered. I have enough play for the floor, control of a crooked sho pussy, on a PC. The beginning is not bad, and then it becomes boring. I liked the last SOMA.

Yes, regarding delay, I completely agree, but who knows, there may be people who have not played, but who after this review will show interest in the game and join, so to speak, in the classic.

Sinful, but I don’t know how the right option will sound then.

The game looks quite good now. I went through the first time this spring and was very pleasantly surprised.