The sequel to the highly debated and puzzling survival horror game from Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake 2, has just been added to the list of Free PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October. You got it right. It is now available to subscribers which means that a considerable number of players will soon be entering the Dark Place without having to pay an extra fee. It is not common for such a blockbuster title of 2023 to be available on a subscription service so fast, particularly one that started off as a digital-only offering. The whole situation has led to a discussion, and the reactions are… let’s say, diverse.
So what’s the deal with Alan Wake 2? If you haven’t been following the news, it is a sequel to the 2010 title which was highly appreciated by gamers. The protagonist is once more the same—Alan Wake—a writer who gets lost in a nightmare dimension, but the player also becomes Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating the case of the murders that happen in the ghostly town of Bright Falls.
It’s a dual narrative which is really nice and the whole thing feels very surreal and horror-like just like in the Twin Peaks series. Also, the game mechanics have been revamped as the developer has decided to create a new game from scratch with the limited resource and high-stress factor setting of the survival horror genre. It’s a lot!
There is no doubt that the announcement from PlayStation has stirred the pot online. Some users are super-stoked. A user called Chirag_S_kotian thinks of it as a “masterpiece,” heaping praise on its “incredible” atmosphere and the two-protagonist story. He even invited people to vote as to which character they would like to play first, Saga or Alan, which surely is a fun question. Another user, VishalBhar94325, went even further by simply stating, “Everybody should experience this masterpiece. What a game man.” So the appreciation is indicated to a degree and for many gamers, getting this via PS+ is a big win.
Nonetheless… the other side of the coin exists. Not everyone is being nice towards it. The comment section soon turned into a battlefield over the game’s story, particularly the aspect of consulting firm Sweet Baby Inc.’s input, which was the major concern. One user, known as alexplaysvg, was very direct, saying “Good! I didn’t buy this at full price. Sweet Baby Inc spoiled this game.”
He added that the second one “looks good but is spoilt by DEI woke bullshit” when asked by another user whether the games were worth playing. A user by the name theGizzman expressed a similar opinion, declaring the game “woke trash.” It seems that the issue of consulting has really affected the experience of this part of the gaming community.
The entire debate over physical media, however, still lingers on. User Chirag_S-kotian pointed out that it is a matter of time and also mentioned that it is fascinating to see a “major 2023 release that launched digital-only hit PlayStation Plus Essential so quickly” which he described as “industry shift.”
They regarded it as a great value for subscribers but admitted that “it stings for those who paid full price and prefer physical media.” This is an absolutely valid point. If you purchased this for $70 at the time of launch and it is now ‘free’ with a subscription, it can feel quite a bit harsh. You start to question the worth of buying new products today, don’t you?
Even though there was a lot of noise around the game’s quality and the depreciation of the digital, there still were some very simple questions around the game itself. User NahImGhost made a very straightforward query, “Anyone who played the first one. Are these games worth playing?”
The answers varied so much that they could be said to form the whole discussion. User SilentMemories3 rated them highly, calling Alan Wake 2 “one of the most surreal horror games that came out recently.” Yet another user, Memhisk, went the extra mile in justifying his perception of reality by stating that “Alan Wake 1 hasn’t aged well IMO.” So, the game does have a reputation, but it’s not necessarily the longest-lasting one.
Furthermore, it would be unreasonable to expect a Xbox tweet without the odd requests for other games. Users used the opportunity to call for everything from a Silent Hill 2 cataclysm to a revival of SoulCalibur 3. One user even lamented that “I miss holding a controller,” which indeed captures the moment’s essence perfectly.
So what is the verdict? The fact that Alan Wake 2 has come to PS+ is a landmark event that has split the gaming community right down the middle. On one side, there is the crowd that is celebrating the installation of the atmospheric horror experience for “free”. The other side, the critics, point out the narrative choices and raise questions over the future of launch day purchases in a subscription-based world.
It’s a mess, it’s complicated and it generates a very human reaction to a game that is certainly difficult to forget. Whether you call it a masterpiece or “woke trash,” one thing is for sure, players already have and will keep on sharing their opinions about it. Excuse me, but I really want to see what’s happening in Bright Falls!
