How Alan Wake II Made Me Face My Fear of Horror Games

Alan Wake II is a horror game through and through, and, more importantly—to me, at least—it’s the first horror game I’ve ever been interested in playing. But why? What was it about Alan Wake that made me Alan Want to give it an Alan Whirl? And what kept me hooked even after I faced down terror after terror?

By
Adam Mason
and
Kurt Indovina
on December 26, 2023 at 10:00AM PST

Alan Wake II truly was an unexpected standout in a year chock-full of stellar games that I, by all accounts, should have been more interested in playing. But it was this intriguing, creepy, weird story that kept me coming back for more. The Quarry and The Last of Us were great intro-level horror games, but after playing Alan Wake II, I’m more interested in the horror genre than ever. I’m no longer afraid of my own proverbial Dark Place, and I feel emboldened to try games that I otherwise would have been too much of a coward to even consider. Now, thanks to Alan, Saga, and all the folks at Remedy, I’m more afraid than ever—and I love it.