We're in for a pretty intense week! Gamescom has now officially kicked off, releasing the floodgates on brand new information. Remedy is in attendance to showcase Alan Wake 2, this time delving deeper into what awaits our tweed-turned-tie-wearing protagonist.
In this post, we will be collecting previews of the forty-minute hands-off Dark Place demo shown to the press at the event. The page will be updated with each new preview posted, so keep an eye on that update number at the top.
If you're interested in hearing what awaits Alan in his nightmare New York, check out the posts below:
Alan Wake 2: The First Preview | gamescom 2023
by Simon Cardy (IGN)
"What’s it like to be trapped in a hell of your own making? For writer Alan Wake, that’s the story he’s trying to tell. And after watching a full 40-minute demo, played from the perspective of Wake himself, it certainly looks set to be a tale worth telling. Taking place in an area called The Dark Place, this lengthy slice of the story follows Alan as he makes his way through an oppressive and haunting replica of New York City riddled with danger, gunfights, and puzzles. It’s classic survival horror but with the distinct edge of developer Remedy - smart, engrossing, and consistently odd."
Read the full preview, HERE
Alan Wake 2 preview – I never want to leave The Dark Place, actually
by Sam Comrie (The Loadout)
by Sam Comrie (The Loadout)
"When Alan Wake casts his torch into the harrowing void of darkness in the Alan Wake 2 preview, there’s an unshakeable feeling of dread. Now, having witnessed the enthralling abyss that is The Dark Place, it brings me immense joy to say Remedy Entertainment could well have another magnum opus on its hands with Alan Wake 2.
"Though my time with the highly awaited sequel was in a hands-off session, the lack of a controller didn’t take away from what Remedy had up its sleeves. Alan finds himself backstage in an abandoned theater, with no recollection of appearing on a late-night talk show that’s playing on the TV in front of him."
Read Sam's Alan Wake 2 preview, HERE!
What Alan Wake 2 Borrows From Control | Gamescom 2023
by Tamoor Hussain and Lucy James (GameSpot)
by Tamoor Hussain and Lucy James (GameSpot)
"Tamoor and Lucy discuss the 40 minutes of Alan Wake 2 gameplay shown at Gamescom 2023 including Alan's plot board, comparisons to Remedy's Control and of course, the Dark Place."
How Alan Wake 2 Is Remedy's Scariest Game Yet
by Rosie Caddick and Ash Millman (PlayStation Access)
by Rosie Caddick and Ash Millman (PlayStation Access)
"Alan Wake 2 looks absolutely terrifying, so who better to talk us through all the Gamescom reveals than Ash and Rosie? Alan finds himself trapped in The Dark Place, a nightmare reality with seemingly no way out - that's quite a predicament. This psychological horror looks set to be one of the best horror games of the year - join us to hear all about it!"
Alan Wake 2 hands-off preview: Remedy’s residence of evil takes hold and doesn’t let go
by Aaron Potter (Mirror Gaming)
"Mirror Gaming got to see 41 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay, with Alan being forced to confront his inner demons in a dark, dilapidated version of New York.
"Mirror Gaming got to see 41 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay, with Alan being forced to confront his inner demons in a dark, dilapidated version of New York.
"13 years after Alan Wake released as an Xbox 360 exclusive, the eponymous author is back in Alan Wake 2, once again caught in a mystery of his own making. This time it’s realised as a location called The Dark Place, where what’s real and what’s not has lost all meaning, resulting in warped, spooky take on the Big Apple. It’s the perfect backdrop for the sequel, as I found out in a hands-off Gamescom demo I got to see at a behind-closed-doors event this week."
Read Aaron's preview, HERE!
(French) PREVIEW - ALAN WAKE II
by Chris' Klippel
by Chris' Klippel
"La Gamescom se poursuit et aujourd'hui, je vous propose une très belle preview avec un aperçu d'Alan Wake II, le prochain titre très attendu de Remedy."
(Greek) ALAN WAKE 2: Είδαμε αποκλειστικά το παιχνίδι!
InFeRnoBraVeHeart
InFeRnoBraVeHeart
(Italian) Alan Wake 2 Anteprima da Gamescom 2023
GameSource
"Durante Gamescom 2023 abbiamo avuto l'onore di vedere in anteprima Alan Wake 2. Dopo quasi 13 anni, il titolo è finalmente realtà e vedrà la luce sugli scaffali durante il mese di ottobre. Il nuovo titolo di Remedy risulta essere molto ambizioso, e noi ne abbiamo parlato in maniera approfondita sul nostro articol"
(Greek) Alan Wake II - Preview by Unboxholics - Gamescom 2023 | GERMANOS
Gernanosgr
Alan Wake 2 Feels Like The Game Remedy Was Created To Make
by Patrick Dane (Dexerto)
"Alan Wake 2: The Dark Place is set to come out later this year. This week we saw an entire mission and more, but is the protagonist’s return worth the decade-long wait? Here’s what we thought.After a presentation of Alan Wake 2 earlier this week at Gamescom, I asked Remedy’s Sam Lake a question. “Why is now the right time for Alan Wake to return?” The franchise, at least as standalone games, has been dormant since 2012. While it’s been connected to the world of Control, fans have been waiting for over a decade for this sequel."
Alan Wake 2 feels like Remedy's attempt to combine the best games it's ever made
by Joshua Wolens (PCGamer)
"Friends, I have news. I'm reporting live from the afterglow of an Alan Wake 2 preview event held, inexplicably, in an independent cinema in Cologne, and I can confirm—after 41 minutes of a hands-off demo showcasing the game's first mission as Alan himself—that Sam Lake definitely really liked The Matrix: Resurrections."
Read Joshua's thoughts, HERE!
"Friends, I have news. I'm reporting live from the afterglow of an Alan Wake 2 preview event held, inexplicably, in an independent cinema in Cologne, and I can confirm—after 41 minutes of a hands-off demo showcasing the game's first mission as Alan himself—that Sam Lake definitely really liked The Matrix: Resurrections."
Read Joshua's thoughts, HERE!
How Alan Wake 2 rewrites the world to escape the Dark Place
by Stefen L (The Sixth Axis)
by Stefen L (The Sixth Axis)
"Thirteen years is a long time to spend in a Hell of your own mind’s making, so it’s a blessing in disguise that Alan Wake has a case of the video game amnesia about much of that time. There’s a glimmer of hope for him though, as Alan Wake 2 gives him a fresh chance to find a way out and get back to the real world."
Read the preview by Stefen, HERE!
Alan Wake 2 Lets You Rewrite The World | Gamescom 2023
by FGS
by FGS
"Remedy Entertainment's highly anticipated #AlanWake2 is releasing this October, wth Sam Lake returning as writer and a closer look at the Remedyverse with potential links to Control. We got an early look at it, and are live from #gamescom2023 to give you the low-down on what we saw!"
Gamescom 2023: Alan Wake 2’s Behind-Closed-Doors Preview – One Hell of a Sequel
by Luke Addison (Fandom Wire)
"Alan Wake 2 is nearly here, and it can’t come soon enough. The sequel to the critical and commercial success Alan Wake in 2010, there’s a lot riding on Remedy’s latest offering. Fans of the franchise have been hankering for a sequel since the original launched, and then with Control in 2019 featuring an entire expansion dedicated to Alan Wake, confirming the connectivity of the two universes, in fact, the two games being in one universe, expectations are higher than ever before."
Read Luke's preview, HERE!
Alan Wake 2’s gameplay demo is a complete mind f*ck
by Vic Hood (Dots Esport)
"To date, however, developer Remedy Entertainment hasn’t shown us much of Alan, instead focusing on the game’s other protagonist, FBI agent Saga. But, during a behind-closed-doors demo for Alan Wake 2 at Gamescom, I finally got to see 40 minutes of Alan’s side of the story–and it’s as bleak as you’ve been imagining."
Read Vic's preview impressions, HERE!
Alan Wake 2 is a writer’s nightmare, but a horror fan’s dream
by Sarah Thwaites (TechRadar)
by Sarah Thwaites (TechRadar)
"It’s been thirteen long years since the tortured author Alan Wake has seen the light of day. Outside of some nods throughout Remedy’s mind-bending 2019 action-adventure Control and its AWE DLC, the complicated Wake has been locked in an eternal nightmare, battling the Dark Place continuously since the events of the first game… and it shows."
‘Alan Wake 2’ Gamescom Report – We Watched Nearly an Hour of Gameplay from the Survival Horror Sequel
by Harrison Abbott (Bloody Disgusting)
by Harrison Abbott (Bloody Disgusting)
"Referring to the ambiguous ending of Wake’s novel, Mr. Door continues: “We’ve all been dying to know what: ‘It’s not a lake, it’s an ocean’ really means.” This winking line of dialogue, which is actually about the cryptic conclusion of Alan Wake itself, gets a belly-laugh from the crowd. Not just the fictional one that Mr. Door is addressing within the diegesis mind you, but also from the roomful of journalists who are watching this scene unfold over at Gamescom 2023."
Read the full preview, HERE!
If Alan Wake 2 Is Scarier than Control, I’ll Never Get Through It
by Tessda Kaur (The Gamer)
"It might be worth it, though. Not just because Alan Wake is widely considered to be an excellent game, but because Alan Wake 2 is going to be even scarier. The sequel is going to be more of a survival horror game, going over the edge of what I’m comfortable with by a mile, and as much as I’m keen on playing it, I’ll need to prepare myself. I could use Alan Wake to desensitise myself early, get used to the feeling of dread that permeates the game, and move on to the sequel feeling appropriately equipped."
by Tessda Kaur (The Gamer)
"It might be worth it, though. Not just because Alan Wake is widely considered to be an excellent game, but because Alan Wake 2 is going to be even scarier. The sequel is going to be more of a survival horror game, going over the edge of what I’m comfortable with by a mile, and as much as I’m keen on playing it, I’ll need to prepare myself. I could use Alan Wake to desensitise myself early, get used to the feeling of dread that permeates the game, and move on to the sequel feeling appropriately equipped."
Read Tessa's preview, HERE!
Alan Wake 2 Gamescom Preview
PC Gamer
PC Gamer
"We got to see an all-new preview at Gamescom, as well as getting some all-new gameplay footage, and here's what we think about the game."
Alan Wake 2 Preview – New York Nightmare
by James Lara (MP1st)
by James Lara (MP1st)
"MP1st got the opportunity to sit down with the team at Remedy for a full 40-minute hands-off demo for one of this year’s highly anticipated sequels, Alan Wake 2. Our hands-off gameplay demo begins with the man himself, Alan Wake, roaming the streets of what appears to be New York City. It is revealed that the sequel takes place thirteen years after the original events, with Wake having been trapped in this nightmarish version of New York City the entire time."
Read James' post, HERE!
Alan Wake’s half of Alan Wake 2 is very Alan Wake
by Jordan Olomann (Polygon)
by Jordan Olomann (Polygon)
"Alan Wake has been trapped in the Dark Place for 13 years. He’s ditched his slouchy hoodie for a button-down, but kept the funny jacket with the old-fashioned elbow patches. Inky hair frames his face as he wanders through a hostile dream world, clutching a puzzle-solving lamp and a revolver. This is the other side of Alan Wake 2’s story, running parallel to FBI agent Saga Anderson’s Pacific Northwest trek to investigate a series of ritualistic murders."
Read Jordon's preview, HERE!
Alan Wake 2 at Gamescom was one of the best demos I've seen in years
by Josh West (GamesRadar+)
by Josh West (GamesRadar+)
"The Alan Wake 2 demo I sat through at Gamescom made me want to scream and shout. Not because developer Remedy Entertainment has stretched comfortably into survival horror territory, although this Dark Place prison is certainly an evocative tool for ratcheting up tension. I wanted to make myself heard because whoever was in command of the controller would not slow down. There was a lot of ground to cover in a 40-minute presentation, but I could have spent hours lost in the streets of this twisted vision of New York City – a space of stark contrasts, empowered by impossibly deep shadows and dying embers of flickering light."
Read Josh's perspective HERE.
IGN UK Podcast 711: The Best of gamescom 2023
by IGN UK
by IGN UK
"It's gamescom week, which means we've been getting a brand new look at some of the most exciting upcoming games. Cardy, Matt, and Alex are here to talk about some of the best things they've seen and played so far in Cologne, including Starfield, Black Myth: Wukong, Alan Wake 2, Stalker 2, Space Marine 2, and much, much more."
Listen to the podcast, HERE!
