Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 is a 2023 survival-horror video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic Games Publishing. It continues Remedy's 2010 Alan Wake, but introduces FBI agent Saga Anderson as a second playable protagonist. The story begins in Bright Falls, Washington, where Anderson investigates ritualistic murders linked to the return of writer Alan Wake. Wake has spent thirteen years trapped in the Dark Place, an otherworldly dimension beneath Cauldron Lake whose shifting reality responds to art and imagination. His attempts to write an escape story directly affect events in the Pacific Northwest as the two investigations converge there. Remedy structures the campaign around two investigations. Anderson uses a mental Mind Place to arrange clues, profile suspects, and connect case-board evidence, while Wake enters a Writer's Room where he changes story elements to alter the Dark Place's locations. Players can move between the protagonists' narratives after chapters, although some plot progress is gated by their separate discoveries. Both characters rely on firearms, ammunition, healing items, and sources of light against Taken, enemies overtaken by darkness. Flashlights weaken their protective shadow before an attack can damage them. The game includes manuscript pages, television, live-action sequences and musical performances throughout. Alan Wake 2 was released on 27 October 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows via the Epic Games Store. Remedy chose a digital-only launch, citing the opportunity to keep the price lower than a typical full-price release and avoid producing a disc version. The game runs on Remedy's Northlight engine and blends third-person combat with exploration and puzzle solving. Its cast includes Ilkka Villi as Alan Wake's live-action likeness and Matthew Porretta as Wake's voice, continuing their roles from the first game. Melanie Liburd portrays Saga Anderson, and David Harewood also plays the FBI agent Alex Casey. At The Game Awards 2023, Alan Wake 2 won Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction. It received eight nominations there, including Game of the Year, and its victories reflected recognition for Remedy's ambitious sequel. The game connects to Remedy's fictional setting: FBI agent Alex Casey resembles the detective created in Wake's novels, while the Federal Bureau of Control and elements from Control appear throughout. A The Final Draft update arrived in December 2023, adding New Game Plus, a new narrative, new manuscript pages, and difficulty options. Two expansions, Night Springs and The Lake House, followed in 2024.