Post E3 '09 - Alan Wake - Open World Horror Sneak Peak

The supernatural horror novelist Alan Wake (A. Wake...get it?) is having the worst bout of writer's block ever, and is willing to go to some pretty major extremes to get past it. First he and his wife travel to a small (and spooky) town in hopes that a little trip will spark some inspiration, but soon after they arrive his wife is kidnapped by a supernatural entity. Now Alan has to battle the forces of darkness to save his spouse and himself, while it all seems to follow the chapters of his newest manuscript, which he has no memory of ever writing.

At the 2009 E3 Expo Microsoft held a behind closed doors look at their upcoming Xbox 360/PC exclusive survival-horror game (which they are calling a thriller) scheduled for release in early 2010. While I'm already a big fan of horror games, this was a special treat as the highly-anticipated game has had little info or images revealed until now.

The big news behind Alan Wake is that it's the very first open-world horror game. Similar to Grand Theft Auto, players will have the freedom to roam around and explore the environments, not being forced to follow a specific path. When watching the gameplay demonstration it's hard to not compare the game to Silent Hill as it not only follows the same goals of finding a missing loved-one who has been captured by supernatural baddies, but the look, feel and mechanics of the gameplay are quite similar, from your primary tool being a flashlight to enemies hating the light.

Alan's Flashlight is more than just a way to see around in the dark, but a powerful weapon against enemies. These ghouls don't just hate light, it laterally destroys them and any object they control. We watched as Alan swung his flashlight across a group of spectral fiends that creepily recoiled, with some even dissipating away, he also had to use the light against possessed vehicles and objects that were coming right for him. The longer he held the light on some construction equipment attacking him while under enemy control, the more it would sparkle and pop, until finally it is destroyed.

While the demo didn't show more than the tone, basic movement and using light as a weapon, it was certainly was engaging, with strong atmosphere, high quality Next-Gen graphics and I must admit, the flashlight weapon was really impressive. How they plan to approach the challenges of open-world gameplay, especially designing it to work in a horror-thriller. They have confirmed that the game will transition from night to day, time passes naturally and dynamic weather will play a part.

Screenshot courtesy of Microsoft