The right runtime can be hard to nail down for most games, as we see all too often, but that’s perhaps doubly true for survival horror games, where maintaining the right pacing is just as crucial as ensuring that players are being kept on edge, neither of which can happen if the game is too short, or even too long.
Of course, Remedy Entertainment has ever been a master of pacing and meeting (or even surpassing expectations), so what should we expect on that front from the studio’s first ever survival horror outing with the upcoming Alan Wake 2?
When asked by Wccftech in a recent interview about how long the game will be, Remedy Entertainment’s director of communications Thom Puha said that barring variables like the player’s skill level (and the fact that the game is still far from done), Alan Wake 2 is set to be over 20 hours long.
“It depends on your skills, but currently – and the game is not quite done yet because a lot of the content is still going in – we’re looking at over 20 hours.”
Of course, when you factor into this other aspects of the experience that Remedy has touted so far – like its greater emphasis on exploration, or how it will be encouraging multiple playthroughs – Alan Wake 2 may very well end up being quite beefy game. Meanwhile, once it’s out, Remedy will also be releasing two full-fledged story expansions, just as it did with Control.
Alan Wake 2 launches on October 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The survival horror sequel is sandwiched between number of other major releases, with the likes of Forza Motorsport, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 all packed into that window as well, but Remedy Entertainment isn’t too worried about the stiff competition.