Arguably one of the spookiest and most inventive survival horror efforts of 2012, Alan Wake returns to PC and modern consoles with a whole new coat of paint in Alan Wake Remastered. As with any remaster, however, it begs the question – just what are the Alan Wake Remastered differences and changes? Well, that’s what this handy guide is here to address, as we once more return to creepy idylls of Bright Falls.
Alan Wake Remastered’s All-New 4K Resolution Visuals
Honoring its namesake duly, the Alan Wake HD remaster boasts a substantial overhaul of its visuals that help to bring a survival horror classic kicking and screaming onto PC and console platforms in 2021. Remastered in razor-sharp 4K resolution at a super-smooth 60 frames per second with highly detailed textures, improved lighting and shadow effects to match, Alan Wake now looks better than ever. The result is a fresh sheen to its real-time gameplay and cinematic sequences.
Reworked Animations & Cinematics
Underscored by the improvements brought to resolution, texture quality and other effects, Alan Wake Remastered also does good work where the animations and cinematics are concerned. Not only have animations been remastered to look much more lifelike, but a raft of modern visual effects have also been implemented into the cinematic cutscenes that were not previously available.
A Definitive Content Offering
Much more than just applying a remastered veneer to the base game, Alan Wake Remastered also includes all of the previously-released expansion content for the game too. This means that players will gain access to The Signal and The Write story campaign expansions at no extra cost and, of course, extensively remastered in eye-popping 4K resolution. Quite simply, if you were ever on the fence about Alan Wake, now is the time to jump in.
All-New Commentary Track
With just shy of a decade passing since the release of Alan Wake back in 2012, sufficient time has passed for its Director and Writer, Sam Lake, to reflect on its development and subsequent reception by gamers around the world. As such, this has resulted in the production of an all-new commentary track that is exclusive to Alan Wake’s HD remaster. Much more than just a painterly touch up of the original game, this remaster looks like a roundly robust offering for Alan Wake stalwarts and newcomers alike.
Alan Wake Remastered DualSense Functionality On PlayStation 5
In addition to all of the aforementioned visual upgrades, commentary track and comprehensive content offering, Alan Wake Remastered also provides PlayStation 5 owners with DualSense functionality. In practice, this means that the DualSense controller will provide varying and considered levels of haptic feedback in accordance to the on-screen action, providing this remastered version with another layer of immersion with which to ensnare the player.
If It Isn’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
Though Alan Wake Remastered brings a wealth of improvements to the table, developer Remedy Entertainment has been keen to maintain the essence of the original game. This means longtime Alan Wake players who are familiar with the base game will be able to slip right into this remastered version with ease, while new players will find its timeless mixture of Stephen King style atmospherics and survival horror mechanics to be utterly captivating for the very first time.
