The final chapter of Remedy Games’ action/horror game, Alan Wake, has been written with today’s release of The Writer on Xbox Live. In it, the troubled novelist comes to a conclusion on his mental journey, one that’s taken him into the darkest corners of his mind, wondering what’s real and what isn’t. We won’t spoil anything for you here, but if you’ve taken the journey so far (with the retail game and the first DLC, The Signal), you’ll no doubt want to finish it. It’s almost as if the developer’s saved the best for last. There are times you’ll find The Writer to be frustrating, mainly with platforming segments that don’t work as properly as expected due to Alan’s clumsy physics.
Still, it isn’t impossible, and the hour-plus of gameplay definitely delivers. There are some intense moments here, from working your way through a rotating house (while struggling to stay alive) to killing “shadow people” with the help of explosive barrels, which you summon with your flashlight. It’s very cool. You may think you’re paying seven bucks for a small amount of gameplay and a few Achievements, but The Writer provides much more – a nice closure to Remedy’s stirring, shock-filled survival horror tale. It’s sad to see Alan go, but, hey, there’s always room for another story somewhere down the road. In the end, we really enjoyed this one.
Final Recommendation: Buy It
