Last year, Remedy Entertainment teamed up with Epic Games to release a surprise remaster of its beloved 2010 action gameAlan Wakein the form ofAlan Wake Remastered. The remaster polished up the now 12-year-old game’s visuals on top of adding enhanced motion capture performances and sneaking in some hints regarding the series' future, all of which culminated in the announcement ofAlan Wake 2at The Game Awards 2021. While the remaster has been well received and has introduced many new fans to the Remedy Connected Universe and the world of Bright Falls, there is one part of theAlan Wakestory that has not yet received the same treatment.
Alan Wake’s American Nightmareis a standalone expansion to the originalAlan Wakereleased in 2012, two years after the release of the original game. Despite its importance in the story, however, Remedy has not expressed any plans to remaster this title, stranding it on Xbox and PC platforms indefinitely. Despite this, 2022 is the perfect year to remasterAlan Wake’s American Nightmare.
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American Nightmare’s Importance Heading Into Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake’s American Nightmarefollows novelist Alan Wake as he is trapped in the ‘Dark Place’ after the events of the first game,taking the form of a fictionalTwilight Zone-esque TV show titledBright Falls. Alan is being haunted by a sinister manifestation of himself known as Mr. Scratch, who is threatening to take everything he loves from him, including his wife.
This side story not only expands on the world introduced in the originalAlan Wake, updating players on the whereabouts of much of the original game’s cast, but also introduces Mr. Scratch, a character that promises to be a major part of the upcoming sequel. Remedy has confirmed thatAlan Wake 2will be more horror-oriented than the original. However, it can be argued that while the originalAlan Wakeleaned into its horror elements with itsTwin Peaksand Stephen King inspiration,American Nightmareis where the series really grew into itself and set the stage for a full survival horror sequel.
Throughout the game, Alan is constantly taunted by Mr. Scratch through eerie recordings displayed on TVs around the levels. The character appears to be a genuinely disturbing recreation of the negative stories that circled about Alan’s disappearance after his visit to Bright Falls. InAWE,Control’s second expansion,it is mentioned that Mr. Scratch might have taken Alan’s physical form in the real worldwhile Alan is trapped in Caldron Lake, similar to the story regarding Dale Cooper and Mr. C fromTwin Peaks: The Return. If it’s anything like its inspiration, this is the key piece of setup forAlan Wake 2’s likely disturbing story, makingAmerican Nightmarea must-play entry in the series.
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Where Is Alan Wake’s American Nightmare Remastered?
Last year, while promotingAlan Wake Remastered, Remedy Entertainment clarified that it had no desire to remasterAlan Wake’s American Nightmare, claiming that it feltthe released version ofAlan Wake Remastered, which included the original game and its DLC, made for a “sensible package.” While this may make sense for a more focused remaster project,American Nightmareremains an important piece of the story heading into the game’s sequel, arguably more important thanControland its DLCs which include many of the elements setting up the next game.
2022 is the perfect year to remasterAlan Wake’s American Nightmare, with the game celebrating its 10th anniversary last February.WithAlan Wake 2slated to release in 2023, and Remedy so dedicated to this release date that it delayed releasing information this summer so as to not interrupt development, anAmerican Nightmareremaster would fill the gap in years between 2021’sAlan Wake Remasteredand 2023’sAlan Wake 2.
Alan Wake Remasteredis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Nintendo Switch port is currently in development.
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