Welcome to Bright Falls: Alan Wake
Alan Wake is not simply your regular PC game, but a masterpiece of different ingenuities put together with such great care and attention that even your most casual of gamers will not be able to resist its pull. You’d have more luck trying to escape the pull of a black hole.
The action of this EPIC tale is about the power of words, in this case that of Alan Wake, a bestselling author thanks to his novel regarding his greatest nightmares, and about the battle between good and evil. While visiting the all American town of Bright Falls with his wife, those nightmares come to life. Right off the bat, the name of the town says something about the game; prepare to enter a Poe-esque, Stephen King like atmosphere. It’s also noteworthy because pretty soon after the game starts, his wife (who has a great fear of the dark) disappears. Therefore the light in life falls and the game is spent in search of it, in search of a way to wake up from the nightmare.
As the player soon realizes, this is not your typical psychological action thriller/horror survival game. Alan’s main weapon against darkness, which seems to be right at his heels every step of the way, is… a flashlight. That’s right… a flashlight. Alan Wake does get a hold of a few guns along the way, but it’s really not exciting since there are a multitude of similar games involving just running and shooting to get to the next checkpoint. Even at the easiest difficulty, the game scares you greatly, but at the same time keeps you wanting more. This also has to do with the fact the game is split into chapters and each one maintains a high blood flow; it keeps your mind addicted, making you want to see what’s next. Furthermore, the game is accompanied by a brilliant soundtrack which matches every move, every action and every end of chapter.
Speaking of the brilliant sounds that company the storyline, I would like to mention a few personal favourites and I hope they will be to your satisfaction as well:
– Poets of the Fall: War, The Poet and the Muse, Children of Elder God, Balance Slays the Demon (even though it’s actually part of the tracklist, it’s still relevant)
– Poe: Haunted
– Nick Cave: Up Jumped the Devil
The songs are great on their own, but, along with the game, they send chills down your spine. Even I shivered a bit with how well they went together. Just you wait till you see when Poe’s Haunted, or Children of Elder God come up in the game. Your mind will be blown away and you’ll feel like you just got a huge shot of adrenaline.
There’s not much more to say except that I want to revisit a bit my mentioning of the game’s atmosphere. It really does give you the impression that Edgar A. Poe and Stephen King had a hand in creating this game’s considerably large explorable world. Alan Wake does not only go from point A to point B, aiming the flashlight at armies of darkness, which shatter when the light stays on them long enough. He goes through thick and rough landscapes, hearing the breeze through the trees, through lumber mills and screeching houses, through narrow cliff paths, followed by demon-like crows and picking up what seem to be pages of a novel that appear to describe what he’s just gone through or what will come to pass.
Thanks to all of these, the number of times you will want to play the game is not once, but twice or more since you can’t resist thinking “What if I went that way?” or “I want to find more of those pages” or even “I want to hear those songs again in that context” (because watching the
scenes with songs is absolutely NOT the same). The game really makes you feel like YOU are Alan Wake himself and that you are struggling to find your love, to break through the evil that is haunting you. You will no doubt be conscious quite early on of what needs to be done in order for the protagonist (again, one which is made to seem like it is actually you) to find a resolution. If not… well… you will be even more surprised and even more encouraged to take another shot at the game.
Alan Wake is a brilliantly crafted, equal to a really great book, movie or TV show. Enjoy!
by Vlad-Ovidiu Adam
Though I usually play puzzle games, I like the way you presented this game to us – you really are passionate about it and this thing matters the most
Thank you for sharing it with us! 🙂
I haven’t played the game (although I am curious now), but I love the soundtrack!
Thanks. Keep on playing your puzzle games. Keep your mind in tip top shape. Plus, I might not be aware, but you or other people might not have time for this sort of thing. Since I started working, I barely have time to go on playing for hours like I used to. The little time I have left makes me wanna do more useful and creative things. Lastly I wrote this because it’s a means to keep in touch with Elena.
Thank you, Vlad! As you said it above, I also don’t have enough time to play games as I used to; but I remember those blissful moments and their good effects, if we rule out addiction, of course – those games are not only good for the mind, but they also relieve tensions and stress.