If you've ever played Max Payne then you should have a pretty good idea of the mastery developers Remedy Entertainment have over atmosphere. The dark, film noir styled realm of Max Payne was expertly crafted and we can expect no less from Remedy's latest project Alan Wake. The game is a psychological action thriller set in the supposedly idyllic town of Bright Falls and it's slated for release in May this year.
The Remedy team have emphasized the focus on story in this outing, aiming to create an involving experience for the player. Free roaming elements are said to be present in the game but these are being minimised in favour of a well driven narrative. So just what is it all about?
Alan Wake is a best selling author who has lost his creative drive, unable to write a thing for over two years now. His Wife, Alice, decides to do something about this and she whisks him away to the small town of Bright Falls to help him reclaim his talent. Unfortunately things soon go afoul for Alan when Alice vanishes into thin air. This is only the beginning of Alan's troubles and soon he finds the world of Bright Falls is twisting into a realm of shadowy figures and bizarre occurrences. To make matters worse Alan begins to realise that events from his own thriller, a novel he has no memory of writing, are becoming reality.
Remedy haven't stopped at putting together a twist filled narrative for their game. Alan Wake is also breaking new ground and is modelled around the format of a television series. Inspired by series such as Lost and Twin Peaks, Alan Wake is designed to provide an episodic narrative. To be clear, this doesn't mean it is to be sold in small episodes as some other games are - the game represents a full season of a story complete with cliff hangers, climaxes, "to be continued" and all.
This interesting new style could be a fascinating development for the way in which games tell stories. It also leaves Alan Wake open for potential sequels in the form of new seasons. All of this means that Alan Wake could be a great experiment in game narrative but Remedy have also put a lot into the game play.
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