Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (Video Game)
Kenny King
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Developed by Remedy Entertainment
Distributed by Xbox LIVE Arcade
Rated T for Blood, Suggestive Themes and Violence
Available for Xbox LIVE Arcade
My name is Alan Wake, and I go by many different titles. Some people would call me a bestselling writer and a celebrity. Others have referred to me as the “Champion of Light” since my exploits in the town of Bright Falls. But me, I just hope to one day make it out of the Dark Place, back to reality and a sense of normalcy, so I can be referred to as a husband by my wife Alice and best friend by my buddy and agent Barry Wheeler. I’m writing to you today to tell you about my new video game Alan Wake’s American Nightmare in hopes that you will purchase the game and help me escape this twisted nightmare that was created as a way for the darkness to torture me and keep me imprisoned forever.
Nearly two years have passed since the events at Cauldron Lake, and I’m still trapped within the corrupted confines of the dark place. My current position in the dark realm is Night Falls, Arizona–a fictional town I created while writing for the Night Springs TV show. I am unable to make contact with the real world, but I do receive transmissions from it occasionally. I don’t know if they are real or illusions conceived by the darkness to remind me of a place to which I will never return, but they may be the only thing keeping me going at this point.
Most everyone has given up on my return, either assuming I’m dead, lost my mind and ran away or some other creative story that they believe explains my mysterious disappearance. Still, my friend Barry hasn’t given up on me, and Alice seems almost as reluctant to accept that I’m gone forever, despite everyone telling her the opposite. It’s those two that I’m fighting for; they are the reason I must make it back.
The darkness grows stronger with each passing moment despite my constant struggle against it. An evil manifestation has emerged from the darkness, and his name is Mr. Scratch. He is my doppelganger–an egotistical and maniacal twin version of me. Although Mr. Scratch is my nemesis and a threat to me here in the Dark Place, he has found a way to travel between worlds, and I fear what he may do to my loved ones if I am unable to depart from this nebulous hell.
Now that you know what is at stake, I want to inform of my escape plan. As dangerous as Mr. Scratch is to me and my family, I’m every bit as dangerous to him. I can utilize this realm’s dwindling supply of light–Mr. Scratch’s one weakness. With the combination of scavenged firearms, flares, flash grenades and my trusty flashlight, I can take down any of the Taken Mr. Scratch sends my way. Unfortunately, Mr. Scratch isn’t the only new enemy the darkness has cooked up since Bright Falls, so I will have to adapt how I approach fights with these current monstrosities.
My story isn’t a simple one to understand; I’m not sure if I fully understand the happenings myself. Luckily, there will over 50 manuscript pages scattered around Night Spring for me to collect. The pages will be vital to understand exactly what is happening and to help my escape, since enough collected pages can be used to gain access to more powerful guns. If only I would’ve purchased a stapler back then, some of this trouble may have been avoided.
You’ll often find that I or the other characters in the game get flustered at times and repeat words. Hopefully, this won’t distract you from the task at hand, and after all, you would probably feel a bit bewildered if Taken were rising up seemingly out of nowhere and brutally attacking you as well. Perhaps, you will enjoy the ending to my game, but I must warn you it will not tie up every loose end nor answer all of your questions.
After I’ve rewritten reality for the last time, you can head back to that dreary stretch of highway in search of Arcade Action mode. This is where I’ll relive the longest ten minutes of my life in the location of your choosing. There are 10 locations in all, and I’ll need to survive against wave after wave of enemies until the dawn rises and melts away all of darkness making the area safe for me for another day. You’ll probably enjoy the adrenaline rush controlling me in each match induces, however, fighting until dawn for survival from my perspective isn’t nearly as fun.
I think you’ll really enjoy my game, and anyone that has ever enjoyed my strange adventure in the original Alan Wake should definitely check this game out. The game has its flaws, but the game makes up for its lack of perfection with some exhilarating, action-packed gameplay that will keep you coming back to see me in Night Springs over and over again.
Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is available now for the price of 1200 Microsoft Points. For more information on the game, check out the official Alan Wake’s American Nightmare website.
Game Features
5 out of 5
Categorized:Horror Gaming Reviews
