Review: Alan Wake’s American Nightmare

Alan Wake, Stevivor.com’s 2010 Xbox Game of the Year, polarised the gaming world. While critics LOVED it, gamers felt a bit so-so about the self-proclaimed “psychological action thriller.” Poor sales figures lead fans to believe they’d seen the end of Alan’s exploits…until developer Remedy Games announced Alan Wake’s American Nightmare for Xbox Live Arcade. Not a true sequel, but continuing Alan’s story, American Nightmare was said to respect the Live Arcade’s roots by launching with a balls-to-the-wall “Fight till Dawn” action-mode alongside a short(ened) but sweet story mode. But, with this new direction for the franchise, original fans were left to wonder if this action-centric title would capture our hearts like the original.

American Nightmare is a vast departure from the original Alan Wake. Set two years after that first title, Alan has become a battle-hardened badass; nothing like the confused and terrified protagonist we followed in 2010. American Nightmare is very all about the action this time around, assumedly in an attempt to drive more fans to the franchise and assure the possibility of a full-retail Alan Wake 2. Comparing the covers and the title screens of both games really drives that home: Alan Wake barely features Alan at all, as he’s shrouded in mystery and shadow. American Nightmare has got Alan front-and-centre, nailgun in hand, ready to take on the evil Alan lookalike, Mr Scratch.

Remedy’s really tightened up the combat system for this quasi-sequel, and that’s because they really had to. With an emphasis on combat, everything has to – and does — feel far more fluid. You’re able to take on more bad guys at once, and a large variety of handguns, rifles, shotguns and of course, the nailgun, you feel as if you’ll come out on top no matter what. Truthfully, it’s almost a bit too easy – there are tons of guns and ammo lying about in the main story, so you’re never really at risk of feeling naked in combat. That being said, Alan still tires out after running for too long, and his dodge ability is more vital than ever before.

New enemies have also been added into the mix, and they are creative, menacing, and occasionally frustrating for the wrong reasons. The Splitter, for example, literally rips itself in half whenever you try to focus your flashlight on it. The problem I had with that particular enemy was that I could never find the sweet spot on the left trigger that triggered Alan’s aim function without boosting the light. If you apply just the teeniest bit of pressure, then BAM! Hello, multiple bad guys.

Old favourites like manuscripts, televisions and radios make a reappearance in American Nightmare, and each collectible group has its own function in the game. The televisions usually feature Mr Scratch being all creepy, filling you in on his activities between Alan Wake and American Nightmare. The radios cover what Alan’s wife Alice and best friend Barry Wheeler have been up to in the last two years.

The manuscripts serve two purposes; the first is just as it was in Alan Wake – they foreshadow the events that are about to take place in your playthrough (and more, but we don’t get into the main plot too much). They also cover the basics of the original Alan Wake if you’re new to the franchise (ps – shame on you). The second is to act as in-game currency; a certain number of pages unlock different chests in the main game and in the Arcade mode. The chests contain bigger and better weapons to use in Alan’s quests. To be honest, that second function cheapens the appeal of the manuscripts to me; I wanted to hunt them all down to get as much insight into the plot as I could, not to get a semi-automatic weapon.

The Arcade mode is great fun, especially since it has nothing to do with the main story mode. As its own entity, and in the grand tradition of “Horde” mode, you can spend hours and hours trying to better your previous score and survive ten minutes of wave after wave of Taken. You’re given score multipliers for eliminating Taken as quickly and efficiently as possible, and for avoiding damage in the process. With Live Arcade leaderboards egging you on, you’ll want to keep going back for more.

On the whole, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is a great title, and I can deal with this action-centric downloadable episode if it means we might get a full-retail release down the track. Remedy is managing the franchise very well; I only hope that if we do get to see Alan Wake 2, it’s a lovely marriage of the psychological terror of the first title and the frenzy of this release.