Alan Wake Missed a Huge Opportunity With Its Manuscript Pages

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Alan Wake strikes a unique chord with its premise of an author whose writing is manifested before him. Unfortunately, Remedy only capitalizes on this concept in a relatively restrictive manner, with shadowy figures and the disappearances of certain characters. This worked well for an action-adventure game that relied loosely on psychological thriller tropes, but Remedy now has a great opportunity with Alan Wake 2 being a survival-horror game.

With any luck, Remedy will produce frights that are much more diverse than its Taken, otherwise known as Shaded Individuals. But the gameplay in Alan Wake 2 will need a considerable overhaul if it is to meet the modern standard of survival-horror. This may mean prohibiting combat in certain areas, restricting ammunition or flashlight batteries, or the addition of other mechanics. However, the sequel also has the opportunity to fully flesh out manuscript pages from the original game, and hopefully make them more integral.

Remedy Entertainment Outlines Five Upcoming Games

Much like many of Remedy’s games, narrative and cinematic storytelling are paramount. Remedy games are fairly linear with only a bit of exploration indulged in each, but the areas players can explore are typically rife with collectibles or data logs that can add context to the game’s narrative.

It would also be unfair not to mention how engaging it is to discover clandestine supply chests by following yellow paint, which is only visible via Alan's flashlight. But legitimate collectibles come in the form of either coffee thermoses or manuscript pages, both of which make exploration worthwhile.

Thermoses add nothing to Alan Wake’s lore, but are nonetheless fun to scour for throughout Bright Falls and Cauldron Lake if