Summary
I have restarted Alan Wake 2,like I said I would several days ago, because I always keep my word and I never lie on the internet. At the time, I wrote about how I’d bounced off it more than expected, partly because I was confused as hell by its more meta aspects, and partly because my fear of getting jumpscared led me to avoid exploration. Weirdly, as I replay the opening chapters I’ve experienced an unexpected side effect of going through the same levels but this time, with a guide: I’m actually enjoying myself way more.
Replaying things usually bores the hell out of me. I thought my second attempt was going to feel like a chore, especially with the tedium of working my way through each level and making sure I picked up everything I missed the last time. But I’m actually having way more fun! For one, I already know where the jumpscares are, so my base level of anxiety is far lower than it was when I first started playing.
I know that guy is going to appear out of thin air and try to kill me, so I’m not going to scream, scramble, and hyperventilate this time around. And because I have a guide, I know where all the things I need to find are, so I’m not combing over an area for way longer than necessary. I’m also confident that I’m not missing anything, like an entirely new weapon, which is a huge reason I restarted in the first place.
It’s not just that, though. Alan Wake 2, as necessitated by its entire subject matter and plot, is somewhat convoluted. Its narrative is circular and roundabout, which means you have to be patient and pick at its threads in order to make sense of it. The first time I tried to play it, I got frustrated quickly, especially in Alan’s sections. I didn’t understand how the game’s mechanics tied into the narrative, and the more I wrestled with them, the more annoyed I got. There were too many moving parts, too many things to wrap my mind around, and I only have the two brain cells.
But replaying it now means I already kind of know what’s going on – so now picking at those threads actually helps me to understand what I’m looking at and what I’m doing.Especiallywith a guide open next to me, because I’m not going around in circles, shouting into the void, “Is this anything? How about this? Or this?” If I don’t know what to do, I figure it out by doing. If the guide says something is right, I can form a kind of logic from that. When I miss cues from the game because I’m not paying attention or just because I’m a little slow, I can use the guide to dig my way through the confusion and come out on the other end unscathed. I end up with the freedom to explore, after finally figuring out what the hell I’m doing, and I still have the guide to point me in the right direction when I inevitably get turned around by the game’s twisty environments.
There’s nothing like finally understanding how a game works to make you appreciate it. Everybody was telling me Alan Wake 2 is a narrative masterpiece, and I was just not getting it. I thought I was stupid for a bit there, but it turns out, I do get it! I’m just slow. Do I think it’s a masterpiece yet? No, because I’m still early in the game, but things are finally starting to click now. Give me a week and I’ll finally appreciate it, I swear. Once again, guide writers are carrying me on their backs.
