"Alan Wake" Review (Xbox 360)

As per usual, in the month of October it is my goal to seek out and play games with a macabre or horror theme in honor of Halloween. This year, I finally got around to "Alan Wake." Having finished it, I can't say I have a clue what happened in the story. All I can say is that I enjoyed the gameplay and the creepy atmosphere quite a bit. "Wake" never blew my mind the way that developer Remedy's first game, a little number called "Max Payne," did... but there's no arguing with a solid, horror-themed shooter.

You, not surprisingly, fill the shoes of novelist Alan Wake. He and his wife are vacationing in a small but vibrant town called Bright Falls, hoping to get away from the hustle and the bustle of New York City. Wake almost immediately comes off like a pompous yuppy with nothing but contempt for his own fans, but he does kinda-sorta grow on you as the game goes on. In any case, soon his wife goes missing and it appears that one of Wake's horror novels is coming to life all around him. Townsfolk, and murders of crows, are being possessed by some kind of darkness, and only the presence of light -- and a few well-placed gunshots -- can stop them. It's all about as compelling as a vivid nightmare, but just like a nightmare it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense once you wake up and think about it. The game really believes its storyline and characters are far more interesting than they actually are, and Remedy even tosses in some self-satisfied references to "Max Payne" and the Norse mythology that permeated that game's backdrop. But "Payne," with its pulpy overtones, never took itself too seriously, while "Wake" by and large does. The dialog is eye-rollingly unconvincing, and some characters that are meant to add comic relief just grate on the nerves. (If you've played it, yes, I'm referring to Wake's agent and best friend Barry.) There's just a smugness to it all that makes it even less charming than it would otherwise be, like a self-satisfied M. Night flick that's nowhere near as accomplished as it wishes it was. But it is nice to play a game where you're not a cop, a soldier, or a badass Spartan covered in the ashes of his dead family. Nope. You're just... a writer. With issues, granted, but your job is to sit on your ass for a living.

Fortunately you never just sit on your ass during the actual game. As soon as his wife vanishes and the residents of Bright Falls brandish axes and meat cleavers and chainsaws in his general direction, Alan is forced to pick up a gun and fight back. But a gun by itself isn't enough, as these shadow-possessed psychos are protected by a shield of darkness that only a flashlight can break, leaving them vulnerable at last to traditional firearms. It's a nice spin on your typical shooter, and adds just the right amount of tension. This game doesn't make you feel like a badass -- it makes you feel like you're fighting tooth and nail for your survival, and that you always have at least five fewer bullets in your gun than you'd like. It doesn't play out like a traditional survival horror game with its linear, story-driven levels and action-focused gameplay, but it's certainly more tense than your typical shooter, which perfectly fits the tone and themes of the game. The possessed (or Taken as they're called) attack when you least expect them to, and with a feral ferocity that's startling.

Enemies do lack variety, however, which hamstrings the action slightly. Once you've faced both large and small shadow-possessed maniacs and flocks of ravens straight out of Hitchcock's "The Birds," you've seen pretty much all that the Darkness can throw at you. Well, short of demonically possessed trash cans, deer floats, and tractor wheels -- which all just come off as sort of silly and disposable. But damn they hurt when they come hurtling at your pretty boy novelist's face! At least a few key sequences featuring shadow-driven bulldozers and such add some much-needed variety.

"Wake" positively drips with atmosphere. Much of the game is spent traipsing through the forested hills that surround Bright Falls by dark of night, and the environments look believable, scenic, and appropriately eerie. Despite this, it's hard to get lost while playing the game, and you never feel an overwhelming sense of being obstructed by false walls either -- even though you are. This is a clear sign of good level design. Though you may tire of the rural roadways and shadowy woods before the end, it's never oppressive and feels appropriate to the story. Best (or worst) of all, there's always some rock or tree for an enemy to pop out from, keeping you always on your toes.

"Alan Wake" is a strange game. Its storyline and characters are only interesting until you deduce they're all headed down a one-way street straight to nowhere, and the gameplay is simple and can be, at times, a little on the repetitive side. But the rich atmosphere, the constant feeling of suspense, and the flashlight-as-weapon feature all make for a very enjoyable romp through the woods on a dark and stormy night. Recommended.

Final Score: 8.0