Remedy hasn't been shy about saying that Alan Wake 2 is the studio's biggest and most ambitious game ever. That much is evident from the sheer scale of this project, with Alan Wake 2 not only featuring three large hub areas in the Pacific Northwest region but also the fact that it introduces an entirely new playable character alongside the titular writer – Saga Anderson, a seasoned FBI Agent with a penchant for solving difficult crimes. This new co-protagonist is the focus of my hands-off preview of Alan Wake 2, with Remedy introducing us to its new co-protagonist with a playthrough of an early part of the game.
We're in Cauldron Lake, a familiar location for those who've played Alan Wake before, but it's looking nothing like I remember it. It's utterly gorgeous, with the forest brought to life with autumnal hues and a sky that suggests a storm is inbound. It's moody-looking and it's immediately very Alan Wake. It's looking very, very pretty running on a PS5 dev kit, and it only gets more visually impressive when later it begins to pour with rain. Alan Wake 2 isn't holding back when it comes to looking every bit new-gen.
