Remedy has shared some Alan Wake 2 gameplay in the Xbox Partner Preview event.
The new gameplay follows the launch trailer. As you can see, Microsoft pulled off quite the deal getting this gameplay out literally days before the game’s release. While some influencers and reviewers also got their hands on the game, this is the first time this footage in particular was shown to the public.
This gameplay footage presents one particular enemy, but the encounter is presented in a way that is so stunning and perplexing that some viewers may not even really understand what is going on.
This footage features the game’s new protagonist, FBI agent Saga Anderson. Saga represents an outsider with fresh eyes who is entering Alan Wake’s unreliable narrative world for the first time. She is an ideal way to introduce this universe to new players, so it’s safe to say that newcomers won’t have to play the previous game to enjoy it.
Now, Saga enters a house, and goes down to the lower floors where she encounters a spirit. The spirit’s appearance can be confusing, but basically this was an old woman who drowned. As we see her torso, we also seem to see her bottom half reflect the same torso. In fact, this is her reflection in the water, as she appears to us waist deep in it.
If you go back and observe the footage again, you will realize that the old lady can trick Saga by hiding in the water. If you pay close attention, you can see the waves that the lady creates across the water’s surface, but with the diffused lighting and startling tableau, it can definitely be difficult to pay attention.
As explained in Xbox Wire, we see Alan Wake 2 not in Alan’s eyes, but Saga’s. Her segments make up the majority of the game, and the survival horror game design this sequel has adopted is tied with her. Compared to the previous games’ sudden encounters, Saga’s fights are drawn out affairs, where she has to carefully manage resources like bullets and light battery.
It actually follows trends with the Resident Evil games to some extent, but it certainly feels like Alan Wake 2 is trudging along its own path.
Alan Wake 2 will be released on October 27, 2023, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows via Epic Games Store. As of this writing, the game is not scheduled to be released on Steam. It will also only be available as a digital download.
We can’t embed the trailer with a timestamp, but you can watch this trailer from the Xbox Partner Preview livestream itself here. CW for light sensitive viewers, jump scares, and depictions of violence.
