Sure enough, that’s exactly what The Lake House is- and much more on top. This second expansion is not only a great way to cap off Alan Wake 2’s story, it also simultaneously serves to further expand and set up future things for the Remedy Connected Universe. Just as Remedy used Control’s second expansion to bridge the gap between the 2019 title and the then-upcoming Alan Wake 2, The Lake House is meant to guide players from the twisted horrors of Alan Wake 2 and back into the trippy nightmares of the in-development Control 2. The end result is a compelling survival horror jaunt that feels like the perfect blend of Remedy Entertainment’s two beloved franchises.

"The Lake House is a compelling survival horror jaunt that feels like the perfect blend of Remedy Entertainment’s two beloved franchises."

Just like Night Springs, The Lake House doesn’t put us back into the shoes of either of the two base game protagonists in Alan Wake or Saga Anderson. Instead, you play as Kiran Esteven, an FBC agent who has a crucial role to play in the base game, and now steps up as the star of the show in this solo side adventure. Set before she meets up with Saga in the town of Bright Falls, The Lake House sees Estevez traveling to the titular FBC facility that monitors Cauldron Lake. Things, however, have gone monumentally wrong in the facility, and it soon becomes clear that not only must Estevez figure out what happened and how to fix it, she also has to do so while dealing with the many horrors that have been unleashed within the walls of the Lake House.

Right from the first second, the DLC does a great job of telling a compelling story. While it doesn’t feel like a crucial part of the overarching Alan Wake 2 narrative, it does tell an engaging story of its own that taps into the base game’s story and the series’ lore in some interesting ways. From rogue operatives to experiments gone horrifically wrong and plenty more, there’s quite a bit to digest, but it comes together in satisfactory fashion. Some might be disappointed in the fact that The Lake House almost seems more important to the future of the Remedy Connected Universe than it does to Alan Wake 2 itself, but even for those less concerned with Control 2, the DLC’s own story has enough mystery and intrigue to keep you satisfied. That’s thanks in no smart to typically strong writing- in particular, there’s a lot to be said about how deftly yet strongly The Lake House commentates on generative AI and its inability to create actual art.

Estevez is also a strong protagonist, and feels like a meaningful addition to the cast of playable characters in the game. Where Alan himself is an insane bag of loose bolts, and Saga is very much a fish out of water in spite of all of her calmness, Estevez – as an experienced FBC agent making her way through an FBC facility – feels like a much more assured protagonist, one who’s also much more knowledgeable about things relevant to the story. It helps that actor Janina Gavankar also continues to do a great job bringing the character to life.

"The Lake House itself serves as a great setting. From a visual perspective, it combines the brutalist architecture of Control’s The Oldest House with the grittier survival horror tone of Alan Wake, and achieves unsurprisingly spectacular results."

The Lake House itself, meanwhile, serves as a great setting. From a visual perspective, it combines the brutalist architecture of Control’s The Oldest House with the grittier survival horror tone of Alan Wake, and achieves unsurprisingly spectacular results. The expansion is incredibly high on atmosphere and unsettling sights to throw at players. The actual scares are less prominent here as compared to, say, the base game’s horrifying nursing home, but those looking for something spooky will still be satisfied with what’s on offer here. And yes, The Lake House still has those infamous Alan Wake 2 jumpscares. They’re less prominent and egregious than they were in the base game, but the DLC does have its moments where it very gleefully uses the cheapest possible tactics to make you jump out of your skin. And you know what? I don’t hate it.

Exploring the Lake House also remains consistently engaging. Designed very much like a traditional survival horror setting, the FBC facility has you exploring multiple floors, and as you slowly and deliberately comb through environments, you’ll also be doing plenty of backtracking, unlocking shortcuts, looping back to familiar locations, and what have you. It helps, of course, that exploration tends to always feel rewarding, because when you’re not engaging with main story content, you’re finding valuable resources and a healthy amount of lore drops. On that point, in fact, I’d say that there are almost too many notes to find and read in The Lake House. Honestly, finding and reading notes in survival horror games is one of my favourite things to do in games, but The Lake House feels like it goes a bit overboard in this area, to the point where it can affect the pacing a little.

There is, of course, combat to get into as well, and though you’ll be fighting plenty of familiar foes in the form of the Taken, Alan Wake 2’s second DLC also introduces a new enemy type in the form of the Painted. Keeping in line with the Alan Wake series’ central motif of art being brought into life in the most horrific manner possible, The Lake House sees protagonist Kiran Estevez having to square off against twisted, lanky, humanoid monstrosities made of paint that shamble out of walls covered in paint and come at you with petrifying aggression. From the noises they make to the way they move about to the fact that they’re invincible until you get your hands on a special new weapon, there’s a lot about the Painted that’s deeply unsettling. They easily rank among the DLC’s best highlights. Oh, and that new weapon? That’s also a blast to use.

"For fans of Remedy’s works, The Lake House is easy to recommend."

It’s going to take you anywhere between 2-3 hours to see The Lake House through to completion, which I personally thought did feel a little shorter than it should have been- but what I did get was still as impressive as I could have hoped for. I absolutely love Alan Wake 2’s band of storytelling, its style of horror, its gameplay pacing, and to have all of that present and accounted for here in The Lake House ensures an undeniable level of quality. On top of that, meanwhile, the expansion also serves as a suitably tantalizing sneak peak into the future of the Remedy Connected Universe, and yet another piece of content that effectively brings the worlds of Alan Wake and Control together. For fans of Remedy’s works, The Lake House is easy to recommend.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

The amount of healing items has also increased, bumping the odds of survival. The classic Alan Wake outfit is also fixed so that its many layers will no longer cause a holstered shotgun to hover. DualSense users facing non-stop vibrations from the adaptive triggers with the trauma pads or when carrying power cores should also note that they’ve been fixed.

Check out the full patch notes below. Alan Wake 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. You can read our review of The Lake House here. As for what’s next from Remedy, it’s working on Control 2 (with a teaser seemingly appearing in the expansion) and FBC: Firebreak, a co-op shooter spin-off, launching next year.

28th October 2024

The Lake House:

General

• Balanced the amount of health items, so that there are more to be found. Stay healthy!
• Reduced the damage caused by the Painted’ s grapple

Fixes

• Fixed the ‘Shape of a Man’ achievement/trophy not unlocking
• Fixed adaptive triggers so that they do not cause continuous vibrations after equipping trauma pads or carrying a power core
• Fixed an issue where the holstered shotgun would hover when the Classic Alan Wake Outfit was equipped. The shotgun was confused due to so many layers.
• Fixed the “Locate Your Team on Floor -1” objective so that it does not disappear after loading the latest save on floor -2
• Fixed an issue where players could control agent Estevez during her reaction after teleporting to the Oceanview Motel, causing her to do some weird yoga
• Added one missing French translation for an email on floor -2 (RE: Holy shit/RE: Putain de merde)
• Various fixes with localized subtitles and subtitle syncing

A few years ago, Remedy Entertainment used Control’s second expansion – AWE – to set up Alan Wake 2, and it seems the developer has followed that same pattern once again, this time using Alan Wake 2’s recently released The Lake House DLC to sneakily offer the first glimpses of the upcoming Control 2. 

Towards the end of the expansion, protagonist Kiran Estevez is transported to familiar Control locations in first the Oceanview Hotel, and then the Panoptican in the Oldest House, the FBC’s headquarters, itself. At the Panoptican, interestingly enough, she has a conversation with Dylan, the brother of Control protagonist (and FBC Director) Jesse Faden. 

That conversation is typically cryptic and purposefully vague, though it does end with Dylan seemingly showing Estevez glimpses of the future, with images being shown from what looks like Control 2. Based on those images, it seems like the game isn’t going to be set within the confines of the Oldest House, but instead take players out into New York itself- which has seemingly been corrupted by the Hiss’ influence.

You can view screenshots of those locations and the scene in its entirety below, courtesy of IGN uploading the latter to YouTube. 

Of course, prior to Alan Wake 2’s launch last year, writer and creative director Sam Lake did confirm that the game would continue expanding on and setting things up for the future of the larger Remedy Connected Universe, so this is very much on-brand for the developer. 

Control 2 was officially confirmed to be in development back in 2022, while earlier this year, it was announced that the game had entered the “production readiness” stage behind the scenes. Remedy Entertainment has also confirmed that it will be self-publishing the title. 

A standalone co-op spinoff set in the Control universe, titled FBC: Firebreak, was also recently announced and is due out next year.

After the Marmonts “let the lake in” as part of some experiments, The Dark Place has seeped into reality. The premise will sound familiar to those who played the base game, and sure enough, The Lake House occurs chronologically near the beginning. While it becomes available in “Scratch,” you can start it directly from the main menu.

Alongside the expansion, Remedy has released the Anniversary Update for free to all players. It ranges between 15 to 20 GB for download and includes various quality-of-life features, including a Gameplay Assist Menu for enabling infinite ammo, invulnerability, quick turn, and more. You can even turn actions like the Lightshifter, weapon charging, healing, and more into tapping actions instead of holding.

The Lake House and Anniversary Update aren’t the end of support for Alan Wake 2. Remedy recently detailed PS5 Pro enhancements for when the console launches on November 7th. Head here for more details.

The second and final expansion is available on October 22nd and returns to Cauldron Lake in Bright Falls with FBC agent Kiran Estevez investigating a problem at the facility. As you would expect, various monstrosities are roaming about, as Remedy promises the experience is akin to a “more traditional survival horror game.”

Those who don’t own the expansion can look forward to several new features with the free Anniversary Update, including Game Assist Mode for one-hit kills, invulnerability, immortality, quick turning, infinite ammo and more. It also includes some quality-of-life additions like support for the DualSense’s gyro aiming, with customization for its pitch, yaw, and roll. Head here for more details.

You can also learn more about Alan Wake 2’s PS5 Pro enhancements, which will be available when the console launches on November 7th.

These include inverting the X axis on the mouse and controller and gyro aiming on the PS5’s DualSense. You can also deactivate the motion sensor of the latter, adjust the pitch, yaw, roll of the gyro, and more. Haptic feedback also supports healing and throwable items. However, the most significant new addition is the Gameplay Assist Menu.

It offers a variety of accessibility options, like auto-completing QTEs, tapping to charge weapons, healing or using the Lightshifter, and quick turns. You can also activate player invulnerability and immortality, one-shot kills, and infinite amounts of ammo and flashlight batteries.

Alan Wake 2: The Lake House arrives on October 22nd for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It follows Kiran Estevez, a Federal Bureau of Control agent, as she investigates a disturbance at the titular facility on Cauldron Lake.

Speaking with Xbox Wire, game director Kyle Rowley explained that Alan Wake 2″ The Lake House will be structured like a “more traditional survival horror game”, which means plenty of focus on exploration across a single, large setting.

“Much like some of the larger missions inside the main game of Alan Wake 2, this mission is structured like a more traditional survival horror game,” Rowley said. “There is a large open structure for the player to explore, secrets to discover and dangerous enemies to try and survive against. Narrative obviously plays a large role in the expansion – as it did in the main game – so it is definitely worth exploring and trying to locate the many narrative objects scattered throughout the environment.”

Meanwhile, players can also expect The Lake House to introduce an entirely new enemy type. Dubbed the Painted, we saw glimpses of this horrifying new foe in the expansion’s recently released trailer.

“For The Lake House we wanted to introduce a new, different kind of enemy from those found in the main game,” Rowley explained. “It’s important to us that our enemies follow on from themes found in and around the part of the game that they are revealed – whether that be the water-themed enemy, the ‘Diver’ located at the Valhalla Nursing Home, or the Taken Wolves that are found in and around the Cauldron Lake Forest.

“With that in mind, the Painted are very much themed around one of the core elements inside the Lake House – paint! They can move in and out of the supernatural paint on surfaces, hunting the player as they do so and have devastating melee attacks that deal significant amounts of damage.”

With The Lake House seeing Federal Bureau of Control agent Kiran Estevez (played by Janina Gavankar) stepping up as the main playable protagonist, you can also expect some new weaponry. Specifically, the DLC will feature a new FBC-specific weapon, while Estevez’s base weapons will also do more damage compared to Saga and Alan in the base game.

“Much like Saga, Estevez is a federal agent, so she is quite capable with standard issue firearms,” Rowley said. “That said, we did add a new FBC-specific weapon to this expansion which can be used to deal with slightly more… paranatural entities. Estevez’s base weapons also deal a bit more damage than Saga’s, so Taken enemies go down a little faster.”

Alan Wake 2: The Lake House launches on October 22 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Remedy Entertainment will also release a free update for the base game to add an Assist Mode, among other things. Read more on that through here.

Alan Wake 2: The Lake House will be available on October 22, as a recently leak suggested, and will be available exclusively via the game’s Deluxe Edition (which can be purchased both digitally and physically). A new trailer showcases the titular Lake House, which – appropriately enough for an FBC facility – is teeming with all manner of horrors for protagonist Kiran Estevez to deal with. Some of them are glimpsed in the trailer, and clearly, Remedy is looking to amp up the horror even further with this new episode. Check out the trailer below. 

Upon its release, Alan Wake 2: The Lake House will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. 

According to its listing for Alan Wake 2: Deluxe Edition, The Lake House will not unlock for disc owners until midnight, October 22nd. Of course, that could be New Zealand time, which means a potential launch on October 21st in North America and/or Europe. Time will tell, but regardless, fans can likely look forward to playing it next week.

Stay tuned for an official announcement during the Xbox Partner Preview tomorrow. Alan Wake 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Check out our review for the base game. You can also learn more about the first expansion, Night Springs, in our review.

Until Dawn Remake

Before it dabbled in horror anthologies and that one underwhelming Dead by Daylight crossover, Supermassive Games had its big break with Until Dawn. It’s getting the remake treatment, launching on October 4th for PS5 and PC, courtesy of Ballistic Moon. Rebuilt from the ground up on Unreal Engine 5, it features improvements to character models and textures, liquid physics (like, say, blood spatters), effects, facial animations, and more.

There’s also a new third-person camera, providing an alternative perspective on classic scenes, new areas prompting new interactions, and even a reworked prologue. PC players will have to suffer mandatory PSN requirements, but if you’re interested in Supermassive’s best work yet, then Until Dawn’s remake could be worth it.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Counterpoint: Wait four more days and experience Bloober Team’s remake of one of the best horror games ever. Silent Hill 2 remake arrives on October 8th for PS5 and PC, with “other platforms” (they know who they are) having to wait another year. The story of James Sunderland as he ventures into the mysterious Silent Hill at the behest of his deceased wife is intact, as is the series’ iconic fog and horrors like Pyramid Head.

However, almost everything else has seen an overhaul. A new third-person view and combat mechanics, new enemy attacks, changes to enemy locations and items, more buildings to explore – the list goes on. Whether it lives up to the original or not, Silent Hill 2 remake looks to prove itself.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake

Of course, if neither of the previous two options works out, there’s one more remake – Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8. Based on Koei’s turn-based strategy from 2001, it features a revamped aesthetic, new features like Tales and Destiny (the latter altering events significantly), and the option to play as any officer (with the total number raised to 1000 from 600). Unorthodox? It doesn’t offer the over-the-top hack-and-slash action of Dynasty Warriors, but Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is still worth checking out for fans when it launches on October 24th for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Following numerous rumors over the years, Guerilla Games finally revealed Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and it’s on track to launch on October 31st for PS5 and PC. Leaving aside the necessity of the release, several changes and features could make it worthwhile for old and new fans. Hours of conversations have been re-recorded, and multiple improvements can be seen in the character models, animations, and lighting.

There’s also support for the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, support save transfer from the original game, accessibility features from Horizon Forbidden West (which should make grinding for materials less painful), and a $9.99 upgrade option for current owners. At $49.99 for new players, it’s not the worst way to experience the 2017 open-world action RPG and its expansion, The Frozen Wilds, especially given the sheer amount of content. It even supports the PS5 Pro out of the box.

Throne and Liberty

A new free-to-play MMORPG? In this economy? Technically, Throne and Liberty was meant as a sequel to Lineage and announced as such in 2011. Plans changed, and it morphed into the current game, which launched in December 2023 for South Korea. It’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 1st, bringing its mix of castle sieges, massive PvP battles, combat styles, and even transformations to North America, Europe and Japan. Will it stand out and offer a fun new experience? We’ll find out soon enough.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred

You’d be forgiven for not remembering the ending to Diablo 4, especially with how its big bad turned out. Venturing to Nahantu to search for Neyrelle, the Wanderer encounters new enemies, dangerous new locations, and the Spiritborn, a new friendly faction that joins the fight. Players can choose the Spiritborn as a new class, harnessing different spirits and elemental properties to annihilate their enemies.

Regardless of how the story turns out, Vessel of Hatred promises tons of new content, from new Mercenaries with unique skill trees, the return of Runewords, and a new co-op activity, the Dark Citadel, to master. It launches on October 8th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC, alongside a free update that overhauls progression, introduces new skills per class, and much more.

Starship Troopers: Extermination

Arrowhead Game Studios’ latest update for Helldivers 2 appears to have dragged it out of an unfun state. However, if it’s another co-op-focused alien bug-stomping shooter that you want, then Starship Troopers: Extermination may be the ticket. Exiting early access on October 11th and becoming available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, it features a new campaign starring Johnny Rico from the original film with 25 missions. This is on top of all the base defense, fast-paced first-person shooter combat, 16-player co-op, and extraction that makes the current product such a blast.

Undisputed

Amid all its sports titles, it’s a shame that Electronic Arts hasn’t brought back Fight Night. Until then, Steel City Interactive’s Undisputed will have to fill that gap when it exits early access on October 11th for PC while also becoming available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Featuring over 70 fighters, multiple traits and attributes, +60 punches, and a Career Mode with champions from the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization, and International Boxing Federation, it could very well be worth the wait.

Post Trauma

October isn’t just about highly anticipated sequels and blockbusters – it’s also prime horror season. If Silent Hill and Until Dawn aren’t enough, Red Soul Games’ Post Trauma launches on October 29th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It sees a train conductor, Roman, trapped in a bizarre world and attempting to escape, solving puzzles and escaping from horrifying monstrosities. While it channels old-school survival horror titles with its fixed camera angles, Post Trauma offers various control types, from modern style to tank style, for a truly classic experience.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead

Those seeking something scary based on a film franchise might want to check out A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. Picking up right after the murderous aliens arrive on Earth, players control Alex Taylor as she attempts to evade their cruelty and protect her loved ones. The focus on not making any sound, avoiding unnecessary contact with the environment at all costs, and even retrieving inhalers makes for some tense gameplay. Whether it translates into genuine scares or a memorable story remains to be seen, but it’s out on October 17th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Unknown 9: Awakening

Reflector Entertainment’s Unknown 9: Awakening is out on October 18th for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC after being announced in 2020. The action-adventure occurs in the 19th century and stars Haroona, who possesses unique abilities tied to the Fold. She seeks answers while fighting off a dangerous organization known as the Ascendants, who have sinister plans for the Fold.

With the ability to cloak, possess enemies, and slip into the Fold, Haroona will traverse the globe, visiting India, Portugal and many other locations. Even if the gameplay could use more polish, the set-up is intriguing, and we’re curious to see how it pans out.

Europa

If an adventure with a more animated art style is your thing, Future Friends Games’ Europa is an option. Launching on October 11th for PC and Nintendo Switch, the story sees an android, Zee, venturing through Jupiter’s moon Europa. With utterly gorgeous environments to discover secrets, the gameplay mixes exploration, platforming, and puzzle-solving combined with a mystery that could make for a more emotional tale amid all the serious offerings this month.

Alan Wake 2: The Lake House

Something wicked this way comes in Alan Wake 2’s second and final paid DLC, The Lake House. It returns to Cauldron Lake in Bright Falls, venturing into a facility of the same name set up by the Federal Bureau of Control (of Control fame). While very little is known about the story, it’s clear that something has gone wrong. Narrated from the perspective of Kiran Estevez, the story occurs parallel to the base game’s events, potentially opening up new clues about the lake’s powers and the Dark Presence.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the expansion is that this isn’t a humorous or kitschy experience like Night Springs. Remedy Entertainment has focused on delivering a “chilling survival horror experience”, and while there’s more yet to be revealed, it’s teased that “monsters wear many faces.” Alan Wake 2: The Lake House launches in October and is available only with the Deluxe Edition and physical Collector’s Edition.

MechWarrior 5: Clans

Suffering a slight delay from October 3rd to 17th, Clans is the other half of the MechWarrior 5 experience, the first being Mercenaries from 2021. It features a standalone cinematic story where players participate in Operation Revival after graduating from the Smoke Jaguar program.

With your customizable BattleMech and numerous options, including an overhauled MechLab and Hardpoint systems, you harness new weapons, upgrade pilots, and lead your squad to victory. With dynamic destruction, the same brutal grounded combat fans know and love, and support for up to five players in multiplayer, MechWarrior 5: Clans could be a dark horse when it launches for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Sonic X Shadow Generations

Sonic X Shadow Generations offers a remaster of Sonic Generations, which features a “Greatest Hits” compilation of 2D and 3D Sonic levels from across the series (up to 2011). However, the main attraction is the standalone campaign starring Shadow the Hedgehog, which sees him battling the mysteriously resurgent Black Doom.

Shadow sports new powers and traverses areas from his memories, whether it’s venturing through Kingdom Valley from Sonic ’06, or battling the Biolizard from Sonic Adventure 2. There’s a lot to look forward to and some excellent re-renditions of classic tracks when Sonic X Shadow Generations launches on October 25th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

Max Caulfield, protagonist of the first Life is Strange, returns in Double Exposure. Located at Caledon University, she settles down and finally feels comfortable after a long time. Unfortunately, when her new friend, Safi, is murdered, Max attempts to reawaken her Rewind powers and instead opens a portal to a parallel dimension.

Not only is Safi alive in this world, but things are significantly different all around. Time is ticking down, however, and Max must locate her killer before it’s too late again. With intriguing mechanics and puzzles that facilitate carrying over items between dimensions, Life is Strange: Double Exposure offers another compelling supernatural mystery. It’s out on October 29th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Last but certainly not least is Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the first new title for the series in almost ten years. While Solas, the Dread Wolf, is a wild card, you have seven companions to join your cause, each with distinct abilities and skill trees, unique quests and motivations.

Unlike Inquisition, Veilguard offers a mission-based campaign with real-time action RPG combat. Players can choose from three classes, each with three Specializations, and command two other party members, setting up combos and destroying enemies accordingly (with a tactical wheel available to plan everything). With an immense scale, gorgeous visuals, and a promising story, Dragon Age: The Veilguard could be BioWare’s long-awaited redemption when it launches on October 31st for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.