Written by: Alex

 

 

 

With this second piece of downloadable content, "The Writer", Remedy's first outing into the world of Alan Wake reaches its conclusion. Though the game offers little new mechanically it does go some way to resolving outstanding questions of the last piece of DLC (The Signal) while returning the story back to where it was at the end of the main game.

 

Alan Wake's story ended in quite a satisfying place. It solved much of the riddle of the dark lake, and though open ended (with many possible interpretation) there was a real sense that the initial journey had drawn to a close.

 

Soon after the games release ‘The Signal’ hit XBLA. Free to gamer who purchased the game new this additional hour of content did little to advance the narrative. Focusing more on combat the rich story telling of the main game was stripped away creating a new dilemma that felt artificial when set aside the main title. Reusing assets from the original disk it did create an interesting new challenge for Wake, but was comparatively unrounded. Its one great success however was establishing a new problem and goal for future DLC, (without having any real effect on the story or possible sequels) as Alan tries to escape horrors from his own mind.

 

 

Fast forward several months and the second and, as it transpires, final chapter of Alan Wake DLC has finally arrived, The Writer. Whether Remedy always knew this would be the last chunk of Alan Wake content when they started development I am unsure, but certainly before release they knew were moving on to a new project (hopefully Alan Wake 2 - Still Not Sleepy) so this finally instalment does a good job wrapping up the story begun in The Signal, bringing the whole series of events around in a circle leaving the player pretty much back where they were at the end of the main game.

 

There is little innovation in The Writers mechanics. Changes made in The Signal remain, adding some extra tactical elements to combat and puzzles by making greater use of the 'magic words' (floating words in the air that would materialise into real objects in the world when illuminated) allowing Alan to conjure anything from environmental pieces to items from thin air, providing the words are present.

 

 

Environments from the original disked product also make a comeback with many reused assets creating a sense of familiarity. Fortunately the dream like nature of these sequences means that the slight corruption and disordered nature of the world gives a nightmarish edge to events. This horrific quality is exhibited no better than in one of the games puzzles where Alan is required to navigate an almost maze like structure as it rotates. The tombola like environment revolves around Alan constantly sloping upwards before him as he works his was through familiar but warped areas of the world, filled with ghost like memories of characters from the story.