Alan Wake 2 trailer shows game's use of live-action action footage to create its unsettling Dark Place

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.

Alan Wake 2 finally arrives next month, and this time around, the tortured author won’t be alone. Alan Wake 2 actually features two playable characters – Alan himself and FBI agent Saga Anderson. This has led to some concern that Alan was perhaps being edged out of his own game, but it seems those fears are largely unfounded.

Fans of the franchise have highly anticipated Alan Wake 2. It’s a game that’s been in the works for Remedy Entertainment for quite a few years, too. However, the video game has finally been approved, and the developers are now finally getting ready to reach the finish line. With that said, we know the game will be arriving next month, and while we wait for the game to reach the marketplace, there is a new video drop from IGN highlighting an early mission for Alan Wake 2.

Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 has received extensive new gameplay, focusing on new protagonist Saga Anderson. The early mission sees the FBI agent venturing through Watery, gathering information and clues before going to a theme park called Coffee World. Check it out below, courtesy of IGN.

Epic Games Publishing and developer Remedy Entertainment have released 11 minutes of Alan Wake II gameplay featuring FBI Agent Saga Anderson, the game’s second protagonist joining Alan Wake.

Update:

Remedy Games has released the third video of its Alan Wake 2 behind-the-scenes series, featuring the game's actors and showing the frightful Dark Place.

There’s nothing really surprising or new about this Alan Wake 2 gameplay demo – it’s very much the cinematic third-person shooter you may be expecting. The bottom line, however, is that it looks absurdly good – like, unbelievably so. Much of this 15-minute demo revolves around obsessively detailed environments, but it eventually segues into FMV.

Remedy took the somewhat unexpected decision earlier this year to delay Alan Wake 2 – but not into 2024 like is so common sometimes, but just for a week. Speaking with IGN about the Finnish developer’s decision, gaffer Sam Lake said that it was to space out the release schedule a little so all of the upcoming PS5 titles had an opportunity to shine.

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.

Remedy Entertainment recently announced that it had pushed back Alan Wake 2’s launch by 10 days to later in October, stating that it was moving to a later window due to the crowded release schedule for mid-October this year.

Remedy Entertainment has come a long way since the original Alan Wake released on Xbox 360 way back in 2010. In the intervening 13 years, Remedy has released Control, built up a universe, and fully established itself as one of gaming's sharpest and most ambitious big-budget developers.