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Introduction:
After playing Alan Wake, I was already itching for a sequel, the cliffhanger ending just left me wanting more in the worst way. I needed to see what would happen next, where the story might go from there, but my expectations were high, and in the words of Alan Wake himself in the first game; "A story is not a machine that does what you tell it. A story is a beast with a mind of its own. You can create it, shape it, but as the story grows, it starts wanting things of its own. Change one thing and you set off a chain reaction of events that spreads through the whole thing. The characters need to be true to themselves. The events need to follow a logic that fits the story. A single flaw and the magic is gone. The story dies."
I think that statement also rings true of a story's audience, if you mess up a story by adding in a bunch things that don't fit, making all sorts of unnecessary alterations to the formula, then fundamentally changing the narrative by making it all come from another direction, effectively reducing the continuation of the story from where it left off to that of a secondary plot of lesser importance, then that's more than enough to kill the story. But enough about Alan Wake 2, let's talk about a lesser appreciated yet infinitely better executed follow up to the story of Alan Wake, as presented in Alan Wake's American Nightmare.
Visual Presentation:
It should come as no surprise that American Nightmare looks mostly the same as the original Alan Wake, although the characters models aren't quite as detailed and the the lighting is noticeably brighter throughout the game. It's by no means an amazing looking game, but the visuals hold up reasonably well and everything is recognizable, so the visuals are best described as adequate.
Audio Presentation:
The audio quality in Alan Wake games has always been the series strong suit and American Nightmare is no exception. The sound effects, music, and voice acting are mostly excellent, although gunshots sound rather generic and unimpressive, which is typical for most videogames.
Gameplay Mechanics and Features:
American Nightmare builds upon the same gameplay as its predecessor, utilizing the familiar Fight With Light combat mechanic in which the player must focus the beam of the Flashlight upon standard enemies (Taken) in order to strip away the shadows that protect them before they're vulnerable to gunfire. However, as a welcome twist, there are new enemy types which require alternative tactics to defeat. For example, the first new enemy you'll encounter is a Splitter, an enemy which will split in two every time light is focused on them up to three times, so if you're not careful and attempt to fight them using the standard method, you'll actually end up facing more enemies, potentially overwhelming yoursehim There are also Taken Spiders which attack in groups and can be defeated using either the flashlight or firearms on their own. And the Birdman who can transform into a flock of Ravens to evade incoming attacks and flank the player.
Part of the plot involves Alan Wake being trapped in a time loop (sound familiar?) by his doppelganger Mr. Scratch, ergo you replay the same three stages three times over to reach the ending, but each time the story changes a little and the characters you meet will help you by completing some of the tasks for you each time which prevents it from being too repetitive or tedious.
American Nightmare also features a Survival Mode in which the player must fight relentless waves of enemies until dawn, complete with Online Leaderboards so you can compete against your friends. The mode is rather basic, but nevertheless fun to play if you're into that sort of mini-game.
Story:
Alan Wake's American Nightmare tells the story of Alan Wake's desperate attempt to successfully free himself from The Dark Place beneath the unearthly waves of Cauldron Lake by means of altering an old script he worked on for the television show Night Springs, in which he must face his doppelganger, the devious Mr. Scratch, who was originally invented by Thomas Zane to act as a sort of substitute which would take Alan's place back in the world outside The Dark Place. Unfortunately, a number of sensationalist articles in tabloid magazines filled with wild speculation in regards to his disappearance as well as exaggerated articles regarding the wild parties and scandalous fights he got into with paparazzi have evoked the powers of Cauldron Lake, turning Mr. Scratch into a psychotic serial killer with terrifying supernatural powers at his disposal. Mr. Scratch has been using these powers to torment Alan by trapping him in a time loop, forcing him to repeat the same sequence of events while attacking him and all those around him. Alan's only hope of escape lies in recovering the Manuscript Pages necessary to alter the twisted story by revealing a hidden message in the stars.
Mr. Scratch is honestly the best part about this game, the sort of villain you love to hate. You can really tell that both Ilka Villi and Matthew Poretta had fun portraying Mr. Scratch and their enthusiasm is a big part of what makes the character so entertaining. Mr. Scratch is easily the most well-executed villain in the series so far, he's a complete psychopath who delights in charming people by playing the part of Alan Wake, yet acting far more friendly, enthusiastic, and patient than the real deal, then suddenly taking them by surprise by committing wanton acts of violence against them. Throughout the game Mr. Scratch reveals that he plans to not only replace Alan Wake and take over his life, but to emotionally manipulate/murder his wife Alice, then fire his best friend/agent Barry Wheeler, just to hurt him. Ultimately, he plans to use his dark powers to release The Dark Presence from deep within Cauldron Lake upon the world, hence his moniker, The Herald of Darkness.
Unfortunately, the Mr. Scratch featured in this game has nothing in common with the so-called "Scratch" in Alan Wake 2, so everything that makes him likeable, entertaining, yet terrible and terrifying is completely absent in the sequel.
Performance:
Much like the original Alan Wake on PC, American Nightmare still runs flawlessly on modern hardware despite being released over a decade ago, so at the time of this review all you have to do to enjoy the game is push the play button.
Final Verdict:
Alan Wake's American Nightmare is an underappreciated gem which unfortunately never received a Remastered Version like the original Alan Wake did, despite being an incredible and worthy follow up to the game, which is less than I can say for the mismatched assortment of half-baked ideas wherein Alan Wake isn't even the main character titled Alan Wake 2. I highly recommend Alan Wake's American Nightmare to fans of the series, as many of the elements featured in Alan Wake 2 which actually work not only originated in American Nightmare, but are better executed!