Alan Wake: The Writer DLC Review
Posted by Todd Vote on 11.01.2010
The second DLC for Alan Wake is here in the Writer. How does the Writer expand Alan’s story? Come in to find out.
Game: Alan Wake: The Writer
Genre: Suspense Horror
Players: 1
Developer: Remedy Studios
Publisher: Microsoft
Rated: T for Teen
As with any DLC, the biggest selling point is the bang for your buck. With Alan Wake’s The Signal, you got just that. It was a great extension of the original game that managed to introduce some new elements of the story. The Signal also introduced several new gameplay mechanics for the games to play with.
While The Writer doesn’t offer quite the innovation that The Signal had on offer. It still manages to deliver a satisfying end to the first season of Alan Wake’s story. Though it does so in a shorter, more direct way, it still manages to be effective. Don’t get me wrong, The Writer does offer some new features that are pretty cool to look at.
The Writer once again starts up right where The Signal leaves off. Alan is still confused as hell, and is trying to follow the guidance of what may be his imaginary friend Barry, as well as another writer named Thomas Zane., who may or may not be involved with keeping Alan in the Darkness, or may be trying to help him find his way out. Wake is still trying to escape the Darkness and regain his sanity.
The world of Alan Wake has started changing significantly, as Alan is now aware of what is happening, and has found out in the end of The Signal that the Darkness he is trapped is actually inside his own mind. Yes, Alan is trapped in his own psyche and he knows it. Because of this the Darkness no longer tries to offer him anything realistic in the terms of terrain that Alan must travel through. Instead, the Darkness offers broken paths, houses that spin upside down, boats that will float in the air instead of on water. Things this time around are quite a bit different, due to Alan’s revelation.
The DLC also seems to offer more Taken for you to go up against in certain areas than the previous DLC offered. There are areas where you will feel like you are about to be overwhelmed by the Taken, but Remedy feels your pain and offers some new creative ways for you to take them down. Exploding barrels anybody?
There are really only two complaints that I can offer up on this DLC, one is the relative shortness of the chapter. Compared to The Signal, The Writer just seems to be over as soon as things start to really get going. I know it is DLC, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be so long, but I was expecting something at least on par with what we were given in the last episode. I don’t feel that was to much to ask. For being as short as it is, The Writer is jam packed with enemies, and twists in the environment.
The other complaint I can levy about the DLC is the fact that this is supposed to be the last DLC for Alan Wake, yet once again the story is not given any type of real closure. Did Alan make it out of the Darkness? Is he still trapped in his own mind? That’s the thing, it is never really made clear. The story is very ambiguous throughout the entirety of the Alan Wake saga. While some may like things that are left to interpretation, I would have liked to have been given a bit more of what was actually going on. This is supposed to be the end of one journey, but you never really get the sense that things are over with The Writer.
The sound and atmosphere that make Alan Wake such a spooky experience are all still on full display here, and in some cases cranked up a bit, with the changing terrains and everything you will come up against. The final battle of The Writer is very well done, and probably the most satisfying of any part of Alan Wake previously. There are still plenty of other scares given how short the chapter seems to be.
The 411:
So, is The Writer worth your 560 points? The Writer is a spooky, fun playthrough, and while a bit on the short side, it packs a big punch. The unique twist on the terrains of the game adds a little something to it, and it comes equipped with a great finale. Personally I would have liked to seen a bit more of a clear cut direction on the story, but it doesn’t distract from things in game. If anything it may even add a bit of something. I mean, the design of any story is to get you thinking about it, right? Alan Wake does do that, and I suppose it could be said that the ambiguity of the whole thing tends to draw you in to Bright Falls even further. If you enjoyed Alan Wake, and The Signal, you will enjoy The Writer.
PROS:
+ Twisted terrains
+ Awesome finale
+ Packs a big punch in a small package
CONS:
- Over quickly
- I wanted a more clear cut ending to it all
Graphics
10.0
Everything looks amazing. The new twisted look of Bright Falls is a nice little gimmick.
Gameplay
7.5
By this point you are used to the way Alan Wake plays, they didn’t offer anything new this time around
Sound
9.0
One of the strong points of Alan Wake once again
Lasting Appeal
7.0
It has a fairly short play time. You may want to go through again to see if you can decipher the story
Fun Factor
8.0
I love the spooky atmosphere of this game, The Writer is no different.
