There certainly weren’t many flaws that a shaky flashlight could shine on in Alan Wake II, but one thing I did regret about the excellent 2023 survival horror sequel was the complete absence of Night Springs episodes on the in-game televisions . These quirky, Twilight Zone-inspired stories were a constant joy to discover in Alan Wake’s original 2010 adventure, so it was a little disappointing to find them seemingly out of the blue as if they were the victims of some sort of in-game writers’ strike. The good news is that the series has returned in a now fully playable form thanks to the Alan Wake II: Night Springs DLC, which offers three self-contained stories that take us back to the small town of Bright Falls and beyond. They’re admittedly a bit on the short side, as I was able to binge all three episodes in one two-hour session, but I certainly had a good time with these twisted new nightmares while they lasted.
The first episode of Night Springs, Number One Fan, is definitely both the craziest and goriest in the collection, allowing us to play as obsessive Alan Wake fan Rose Marigold as she waits the table at Bright Falls’ Oh Deer Diner. This action-packed installment begins with Rose refilling coffee cups and clearing cake crumb-covered plates, but she is soon forced to fight her way through a bloodthirsty crowd after sending an SOS to Alan Wake himself, who has apparently been kidnapped. How does she receive this request for help? Via an unexpected broadcast through the wrinkled mouth of one of those wall-mounted singing Big Mouth Billy Bass fish that thousands of disappointed fathers unwrapped on Father’s Day in the year 2000. Yes, things in Night Springs are pleasantly unbalanced almost from the start. get started.
Number One Fan completely strips away the survival component of Alan Wake II by strapping a fully automatic shotgun to Rose’s shoulder and lining the pockets of her apron with a virtually unlimited supply of grenades. The entire episode takes place during the magic hour, shortly before sunset, so none of the enemies are cloaked in shadowy shields, and therefore there’s no need to burn away the darkness with a battery-hungry flashlight before you can get to them Switch off. Instead, the combat in Number One Fan trades the series’ signature light-based combat for fast-paced running and gunning. While the crunchy gunplay may be simpler, it still manages to be an utterly violent delight thanks to the campy ’50s rock music that propels it and the cute quips that Rose spouts at every axe-wielding maniac she encounters. mulches – as if she were a pump. action-packed Princess Peach. The first episode of Night Springs kicks off the collection with a series of concussive blasts in Rose’s relentlessly entertaining and exhilarating rescue mission.
Guest side story
The second episode, North Star, slows the pace considerably as you delve into the inky depths of darkness you’d expect from an Alan Wake adventure. Initially I was excited to step into the shoes of Control’s Jesse Faden again here, but my enthusiasm took a hit when I realized she didn’t bring her awesome shape-shifting weapon and spectacular array of superpowers from the 2019 action. epic together with her. Still, this nighttime stroll through the creepy Coffee World theme park from Alan Wake II’s main campaign successfully ramps up the tension after the relatively carefree killing spree from the previous episode, arming Jesse with a flashlight and a regular, non- transforming gun as she is. face off against the same eerie silhouettes that had me nervously shooting shadows in last year’s game.
North Star is also the more puzzle-oriented episode of those shown here, and I enjoyed cracking keyboard codes and manipulating the mechanical controls of a Ferris wheel during this short investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Jesse’s brother. Still, I can’t help but feel that of the three episodes in Night Springs, this second one is the least remarkable. It fails to capitalize on the stunning skills of its guest star, and much of what happens in it feels like well-crafted but fairly standard survival horror fare. This entire second episode basically went down like a hot drink from the Coffee World concession stand – stimulating enough, but it also left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
Serling Silver
Luckily, Night Springs’ third and final episode, Time Breaker, is the best and boldest of the bunch and rounds out this collection in the most mind-bogglingly meta way. Here we are cast as real-life actor Shawn Ashmore, who reprises his role as Sheriff Breaker from Alan Wake II in a brand new game directed by developer Remedy Entertainment’s creative director Sam Lake. During a break in production and after a hilarious moment in which Lake gives an extremely self-aware and exhaustively acronym-heavy explanation of the plot of his new game, Ashmore is flashed to another time and space by the stand-in and multiversal maestro of Night Springs, Rod Serling. , Mr Door.
What follows is a surreal series of sequences through foreboding forest paths and disorienting hotel hallway loops, shifting psychedelically from the monochrome presentation of early television to the vibrant colors of comic book panels that seem to deliberately reflect Remedy’s previous work on the Max Payne series. To say more would spoil too much, but there are some excellent story surprises and left-turn level designs here that rival the most extraordinary moments from Alan Wake II’s main campaign. meant that Night Springs ended on a thoroughly hypnotic high note that left me wanting more.