Alan Wake Remastered revives the cult classic this fall

By Giovanni Colantonio September 7, 2021

Remedy’s cult classic Alan Wake is getting a remaster. The appropriately titled Alan Wake Remastered launches this fall and will bring the game to PlayStation for the first time ever.

Originally released in 2010, Alan Wake quickly became something of a cult classic. The action-adventure game is structured like a TV thriller, split into episodes complete with cliffhangers. It follows a novelist who begins living out scenes from one of his books while searching for his missing wife. The game has become even more significant in recent years thanks to Remedy’s hit Control, which features ties to Alan Wake.

Key art for Alan Wake Remastered. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Alan Wake Remastered only has a vague fall 2021 release window so far, but it’s coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the Epic Games Store. The PlayStation part is significant, as the game originally launched exclusives on Xbox 360 and was ported to PC years later. Alan Wake was never brought to PlayStation consoles, making this a first for the game.

The package will include the full game and both of its DLCs: The Signal and The Writer. All of that content will get a 4K visual boost. The game will also feature commentary from creative director Sam Lake.

Remedy revealed the news in a surprising, but sweet fashion. Sam Lake published a blog post announcing the remaster on The Sudden Stop, a Remedy fan blog that began covering its games back in 2012.

Alan Wake Remastered will launch later this fall on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the Epic Games Store.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

Computing

Alan Wake 2 is proof that more PC games need a potato mode

Alan Wake 2 running on the Samsung Odyssey OELD G9.

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It's clear developer Remedy set out to create a certain atmosphere with Alan Wake 2 that can only be captured with photorealistic visuals. That said, Alan Wake 2 is proof that more PC games need to adopt a stripped-back graphics setting, even if that means sacrificing a part of what makes the game special.
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A potato mode is something so easy to run that you could run it on a potato -- not literally, of course, but that's the sentiment. It's a kill switch graphics option that will only be used by a small fraction of PCs, but it can help the least powerful (and least expensive) rigs at least run an otherwise demanding PC game.

Gaming

I wish I loved Alan Wake 2’s most creative gameplay feature

Saga doing a deduction in the mind place.

Among all the marketing material and features shown off leading up to Alan Wake 2's release, nothing got me more excited to return to Bright Falls than The Mind Place. More than the focus on survival horror, the mix of live-action and in-game cinematics, or simply getting to conclude a story I began over a decade ago, the idea of a metaphorical space in which I -- or rather FBI agent Saga Anderson -- could visualize and construct the clues I was collecting to piece together the darkly magical mystery presented captivated my imagination most.

What we ended up getting wasn't quite what I hoped for. Created as a clever space where players could piece together the game's driving occult case, the space doesn't leave as much room for smart deduction as I'd hoped. For as much potential for this space had to elevate Alan Wake 2 on both a narrative and gameplay level, it felt like a missed opportunity during my playthrough that only slowed the sequel's strong momentum.
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Gaming

All nursery rhyme solutions in Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake sitting at a desk with a typewriter.

Alan Wake is a famous writer, but neither he nor the new protagonist Saga are known for being particularly fond of nursery rhymes. Whether or not you fall into that category as well won't matter because Alan Wake 2 hides some very valuable rewards behind puzzles disguised as these small children's poems. Solving them involves a little bit of exploration, deductive reasoning, and then putting all the right pieces in place. This is one of the many optional cases in the game, and these rhymes are hidden across all the major zones in and around Bright Falls. If you're stumped on any of these nursery rhyme puzzles, here are all the solutions in Alan Wake 2.
All nursery rhyme answers
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Cauldron Lake nursery rhymes

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