Released over a decade ago, Alan Wake was one of the gaming industry’s sensations of 2010 – and now it’s coming back for a remaster. Fans have been waiting for a continuation to Alan’s adventures for years now, and while a remaster of the first game isn’t quite what we had in mind, it is a good sign of things to come.
Announced by Remedy Games, Alan Wake Remastered is a complete 4K overhaul of the original game, including both DLC episodes to give a rounded out story. We imagine a remaster of the spin-off American Nightmare can’t been too far off, either. There is no concrete release date yet, but it’s coming this year.
Alan Wake was met with rave reviews and widespread praise upon release, with critics and players lauding the writing, the storyline, the setting and the atmosphere. Bright Falls, the archetypal quiet American town with a dark secret, has been considered a masterclass of worldbuilding and creates a living setting that feels legitimate.
While the game’s combat was criticized – you had to weaken shadowy enemies with your flashlight before killing them, and that flashlight seriously munched batteries – it wasn’t enough of a drawback to drag the game down.
Alan Wake accrued quite the fanbase, and the game was followed by DLC, a spin-off and supplemental media. Remedy’s most recent title, Control, was revealed to take place in the same shared universe and even got its own share of Alan Wake-themed DLC, with the company working on expanding this universe further.
The game concerns itself with the titular best-selling horror author dealing with the worst case of writer’s block, which he decides to alleviate by escaping the mundanity of every-day city life. Travelling to the quaint and totally not suspicious at all town of Bright Falls, he ends up involved in a real horror story himself.
Writer and creative director Sam Lake revealed the remaster with a letter published not on the official Remedy website or social media channels, but rather on the longest-running fan-operated Alan Wake community website. As far as reveals go, this is a supremely wholesome move.
Alan Wake Remastered, published by Epic Games Publishing, will be available on PC on the Epic Games Store (where it was leaked a while back), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4/Pro, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X. We don’t know when exactly, but fans don’t need to wait long – it launches this Autumn.
