Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 is out next week, but it’s been in the works for several years, never mind the time it took for the developer to get the idea green-lit. Compared to its predecessor, this is a survival horror title with more methodical pacing. Remedy is known for its high-octane combat from Max Payne to the more recent Control.
How difficult was it to construct something slower with more deliberate pacing? We spoke to game director Kyle Rowley, who said, “While different, the fundamentals of creating satisfying combat are very similar no matter how fast-paced it is or where you decide to focus. We have an amazing team of developers who know how to create a fun combat experience, so we just needed to decide in which direction we would go.”
When compared to the first Alan Wake, Remedy wanted the combat to feel “more physical. More desperate. We wanted enemies to have more presence in the experience. As the enemies are harder to kill, they are on screen for a longer period, so we needed to put more emphasis on animation quality and properly represent all the potential states they can move through (aware of the player, unaware of the player, hunting player, etc.).”
It doesn’t necessarily mean enemies are more spongy as a means of raising the difficulty. Rowley says that players will have to be “more tactful about how they use their bullets and resources. You kill an enemy much more efficiently if you place your shots or use certain consumable items” compared to the first game.
Alan Wake 2 launches on October 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. It has dual protagonists – Alan Wake and Saga Anderson – with Rowley confirming the feature was in the works before concepting even began. Two paid expansions are in the works, Night Springs and the Lake House, but it will also receive free DLC post-launch.