Oh no, this is not a masterpiece. Gameplay-wise, it is not very challenging. You don't get to defend yourself very often, and your adversaries are pretty easy to defeat or evade, even on hard mode. However, if you enjoy stalking through creepy areas and solving some riddles, which I do, this game does provide some thrilling entertainment. The graphics are impressive and well-staged, although the performance on PS5 is often problematic.
This game fancies itself as a story-driven, movie-esque experience. After solving a murder case for Captain Obvious, filled with flat characters, there is at least an interesting development at work that draws you into the game. But after you reached the point where it is abundantly clear what is at stake, the developers overextend their Twin Peaks-Stephen King hybrid, telling the same story over and over again, adding layers over layers, turning loops into loops until it becomes boring and confusing.
Alan Wake himself is a mediocre writer constantly alluding to "something" and "someone," the case board is totally annoying, Saga's magical meditation-profiling is cheap af, and the game tries too hard and for too long to keep you in suspense instead of letting the player actually do something. Some elements work perfectly fine, like the atmosphere, graphics, acting, and humor, while others don't work as well, such as the story, gameplay, and character-building. This game is not like a movie; this movie fails tyring to be a game.
This game fancies itself as a story-driven, movie-esque experience. After solving a murder case for Captain Obvious, filled with flat characters, there is at least an interesting development at work that draws you into the game. But after you reached the point where it is abundantly clear what is at stake, the developers overextend their Twin Peaks-Stephen King hybrid, telling the same story over and over again, adding layers over layers, turning loops into loops until it becomes boring and confusing.
Alan Wake himself is a mediocre writer constantly alluding to "something" and "someone," the case board is totally annoying, Saga's magical meditation-profiling is cheap af, and the game tries too hard and for too long to keep you in suspense instead of letting the player actually do something. Some elements work perfectly fine, like the atmosphere, graphics, acting, and humor, while others don't work as well, such as the story, gameplay, and character-building. This game is not like a movie; this movie fails tyring to be a game.