Alan Wake is a game that makes me feel bi-polar. One minute I’m having a blast singing praises like I got chocolate cake, and the next my eyes are rolling into the back of my cranium begging for it to be over so I can just get on with the story (and my life).

I hadn’t gone back to the game since completion even though there are some achievements I’ve been dying to nail. I was just too glad to have reached the end that the closure was so…well I felt complete! I felt whole, and I didn’t feel any desire to go back until I wanted to experience the story again.

Then the first downloadable content entitled The Signal was released. I had no interest in going back to Damnation this weekend, so I pulled out the game, revealed the code hidden in the cardboard insert and plugged away for my new download. I wasn’t expecting to get sucked back in, and was in fact expecting more irritation than anything in having to adjust to the controls and play style after such a break.

I was wrong. For the first half hour I was having a blast, unable to recall what my problem was before. The writing was good, narrative entertaining and combat intense. Why hadn’t I sung louder praises of this game in my review?

Another hour passes and I’m starting to remember. Alan Wake is a game that uses combat as filler in order to make sure it isn’t delivering the story too fast. After a while the fights become repetitive and tiresome, and you’re starting to want the level to be done with so you can just move on. In this manner The Signal is practically a whole other chapter to the game, though instead of being labeled an “episode” it’s called part of a “special feature”. I’m guessing the two pieces of DLC are meant to be like a feature film that follows up a season or series of a television show.

It’s a shame because the downloadable chapter actually incorporates some interesting concepts to combat. Towards the end of Alan Wake he gains an ability to shine his flashlight on words and make objects appear (it sounds like gibberish but trust me, it makes sense in context of the game). The DLC then places different items and objects in the game via this method, which at first is used for some simple puzzles. However, there is one scene where enemies are infinitely respawning yet there are words saying “Boom!” and “Fireworks” everywhere. By using the flashlight on them it basically creates a bright explosion killing nearby enemies. It allows for a tricky and yet excellent defense. There is then a later section completely littered with floating words such as “Enemy”, “Possessed” and “Ravens”, forcing the player to keep their flashlight aimed away in order to progress through. All the while flocks of evil birds are descending which can only be defeated with light, making it all too important to be careful where you are aiming.

Unfortunately it takes about half of the DLC until this level of creativity is reached, and while it helps keep the game interesting it’s only after player patience is beginning to wear down. It doesn’t help much that the DLC’s difficulty curve starts at challenging and quickly ascends to maddening. Granted it’s not impossible, but it will certainly be frustrating for many. Part of this is due to the initial scarcity of ammunition. I imagine Remedy heard people complaining about there being too much ammunition and whole-hog reversed the problem.

Yet more of it is simply in what enemies you must confront. In several segments where enemies are spawning infinitely you’ll find yourself confronting the larger foes that suck up flashlight power like a hoover vacuum sucking up the water in a kiddie pool. You have to choose fight or flight, but Alan Wake isn’t the sort of game where flight is an easier option. Sure if you can make it to a light source you’ll be safe, but the distance which Alan can run is pretty damned short. If the infinispawn segments simply stuck to the weaker forms of foes it wouldn’t be too bad, but for some reason the game has a population of the larger enemies. I’ve noted before that taking longer to defeat isn’t necessarily more challenging, just more tedious. As a result combat, even when changed to be interesting, is an exercise in patience due to what sort of foes they are up against.

As with the game proper, the highlight to The Signal is an interesting extension to the story. You get to follow-up with what happened with Alan, wondering just what’s going to happen and getting a sense of just what it is he is messing with. While using live action depictions of Alan on the television sets looks even more silly and low-budget than ever, it still gives the story an intriguing vibe. Also, if you’re a fan of Stephen King, then prepare to love The Signal because it starts getting very King in its style.

If you were a fan of Alan Wake to begin with, then there’s no reason not to grab The Signal. It’s simply more to love. However, if you were more displeased with the game as a whole, then skip past this map. It’s certainly good and fun, but it’s not going to fix what was wrong with the game in general.

Read the original review

Discuss this game on the forums