Alan Wake

By Emily Buxton

Like a chilling sweat-soaked nightmare, the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer and the beasts are coming out to play.

From renowned developer Remedy comes Alan Wake, a psychological action thriller set in the deceptively idyllic town of Bright Falls. Players take on the role of lead character Alan Wake, a best-selling suspense author who escapes to a small town to recover from the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée. The story of Alan Wake is propelled by a movie-like atmosphere, compelling situations, memorable characters, real-time pacing and a whole horde of terrifying creatures.

As the story progresses, nights do actually grow longer and the days grow shorter. This poses a severe problem for Alan Wake, since his enemies seemingly gain strength from the shadows, and before long light itself becomes his greatest ally. Players must skillfully combine their use of light with more conventional weapons to stand a chance against these creatures of darkness.

The game's advanced rendering engine provides amazingly realistic environments that bring the world to detailed life — from the lush forest of evergreen trees to the quaint small-town buildings and streets. The hyper-detailed environments of the Pacific Northwest also play an important role; even the change in daylight and weather will profoundly affect the characters and enemies in Alan Wake.

Exclusively available for Windows and the Xbox 360, expect to see Alan Wake in NZ stores at the end of February.

NZGamer.com - Alan Wake Facebook