Spotlighting the New IPs of 2010 – Alan Wake

Posted by Andrew On November - 10 - 2009

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Welcome to Part 1 of a week-long series at MMOMFG.com where we’ll be spotlighting some of the biggest and most original titles slated to drop during the first few months of next year. We believe that new intellectual properties (IPs) are the life-blood of the video game industry and the studios and publishers willing to take a risk on a new idea or story deserve much praise. After all, it takes a successful new IP to establish a franchise and churn out those money-grabbing sequels…not that there’s anything wrong with that. For the next five days we’ll be posting a rundown of what to expect from some of the most highly anticipated original titles of the first quarter of 2010. In Part 1, we look at Remedy Entertainment’s upcoming psychological action thriller, Alan Wake.

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Alan Wake
Release Date: First Quarter, 2010
What is it? A psychological action thriller from the developers of the Max Payne series, Alan Wake is a heavily story-driven title with some very new and unique twists. A writer’s block inflicted novelist, Alan Wake and his wife retreat to a tiny logging town in the American northwest to rekindle Alan’s creative passion. Alan’s wife mysteriously disappears, however, and Alan begins to live out the events of one of his own horror novels he barely remembers penning. A thrilling horror mystery’s storyline intersects with a unique dark/light dynamic and innovative action/combat stylings in a game that looks to have just as much potential as David Lynch’s next screen project (if there is such a thing).

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Why it could hit
Light the way – The game’s focus on light as an integral part to gameplay, namely combat, presents an interesting dynamic. Gameplay videos released have shown Alan damaging his dark enemies by illuminating them with a flashlight before shooting them with a revolver. The possibilities of using every day items like flashlights, car lamps, and street lamps combined with a variety of weapons is encouraging. It’s not a stretch to imagine the creative minds at Remedy coming up with some cool scenarios and action scenes.

More than guns – On top of killing enemies, known in the game as “dark forces,” with the combined power of flashlight and revolver, Remedy has alluded to setting up traps that destroy or delay enemies as a central part of the games action. This adds a survival element to the psych action thriller that is simply loaded with potential; using the surroundings of a small logging town to set up light traps while the sun is up

Twin Peaks, ’nuff said – Alan Wake is said to be influenced by Twin Peaks, something especially evident in the game’s northwestern small town setting of Bright Falls. Twin Peaks was a masterpiece of television programming and if Remedy’s plans for Wake to represent the first season of a series is to find success, the more the title has in common with David Lynch’s 1990 series the betters.

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Why it could miss
What is this again? - Is it a TV show, a movie, or a game? Alan Wake itself seems a bit confused here. The focus on plot and character gives a cinematic feel, helped out by the cut scenes that have emerged so far. And if Remedy’s plans are to be believed the broader story arch will be presented in episodic format, ala the medium of television. But, in the end, aren’t we really killing “dark forces” with flashlights, revolvers, traps, and cars? While we already think the lines between the mediums of television, cinema, and games are blurring drastically – we hope that Remedy doesn’t forget that on top of advancing an interesting story, gamers really like killing, exploding, and in any other way, decimating enemies.

An unexpected turn – One question we have is if Remedy Studios can parlay success with a third-person shooter into success with a story driven psyche drama. These aren’t exactly overlapping genres. This game is a big step for the small Finnish studio, and one can’t help but wonder if they’re straying too far from their comfort zone too early in the game.

I hate cliffhangers – When we first read of Remedy’s plans to make Alan Wake the first season in a TV-like series we had mixed feelings. Not because we’re against sequels in general, however much the onus of this post may suggest so, but because I, personally, hate cliffhangers. I’ve no real evidence to think that Alan Wake will end as such, other than the fact that Remedy has alluded to an episodic format and recent reports that the developers are mulling over omitting the ending from advanced copies being sent out to the press.

What our Crystal Ball tells us
When all is said and done, Alan Wake could very well be the best game to hit in the first quarter of 2010. In my opinion, the success of the title will depend on how well Remedy Entertainment can balance action with a rich narrative. The game has looked beautiful in the screens and videos released to date, and the light/dark combat dynamic is innovative and intriguing – these aren’t issues we’re worried about. We’re worried about how the Finnish studio will meld rich storytelling with action sequences and combat. Crafting a game in an auteur way, in such that it blurs the lines of entertainment mediums is all well and good – but at it’s core it still has to entertain a young adult gaming audience who, in the end, want to blow some shit up.