Many of the best horror games aren’t about the most grotesque monsters or even outright terror, but rather a sense of creeping dread — an existential fear of how small and insignificant you are as a human. Alan Wake 2 doesn’t just have that existential terror; it embraces it, wallows in it, and forces you to confront it. Remedy Entertainment’s survival horror sequel doesn’t just masterfully build on the themes of the original Stephen King-inspired game, it was a watershed moment for the survival horror genre as a whole — a weighty psychedelic masterpiece that will sit with you long after the credits roll. And if you haven’t dared to jump in yet, Alan Wake 2 is the perfect spooky game that’s come to PS Plus just in time for Halloween.
The first Alan Wake followed a prolific writer of the same name who gets trapped in a world of darkness, where an unpublished manuscript he’d written starts coming to life. While Alan Wake 2 does do a good job of catching new players up to speed, having knowledge of the first game will definitely help with the sequel, especially in picking up more of the subtle clues for the larger Remedy Universe.
