00:00Alan Wake 2 is a strange, imaginative, and truly ambitious sequel that never fails to
00:05upend your expectations. While some of the bigger concepts presented by Remedy Entertainment
00:16lack refinement, a few rough edges don't detract from a consistently confident and
00:21original adventure. You won't find anything else quite like Alan Wake 2 this generation.
00:27It's been 13 years since Alan Wake left us stranded in the Pacific Northwest with more
00:31questions than answers, and Remedy returns with enough changes to accommodate the wait.
00:37It's got an ambitious creative concept, beautiful visual fidelity, and imaginative mission design.
00:42Some of the combat does lack variation, and there are inconsistent performance issues.
00:47But whenever I thought I had a handle on where Alan Wake 2 was leading me, it upended my
00:51expectations. It's an intelligent sequel to a cult classic, driven to new heights by
00:55the darker impulses necessitated by the horror story. It's also wonderfully silly and at
01:00times brilliantly imaginative. Remedy works well to seamlessly fold in the wider connected
01:05universe that Control ushered into reality, and the studio's use of blended cinematics,
01:10live-action film, and original music throughout is inspired.
01:14But what has struck me since the screen fade to black to note the conclusion of my 30-hour
01:18journey is just how wonderfully Remedy has pushed its narrative-driven adventure template
01:22forward. The pacing won't be for everyone, with narration and exploration weighted equally
01:27against action and story, but if you are willing to embrace the weird rhythms and idiosyncratic
01:32tendencies that underpin the entire experience, what you'll find in Alan Wake 2 is an adventure
01:37unlike any other. We give it 5 stars out of 5.
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