Alan Wake II Reveal Trailer (Mini-Review)

Back in 2010 the first Alan Wake game was released. In 2012 a spinoff game called Alan Wake's American Nightmare was released. In 2020 there was the AWE DLC to Control, another Remedy game, that is a crossover with Alan Wake.

Yet it wasn't until yesterday that we were given confirmation that there is going to be an actual sequel to Alan Wake. The reveal trailer was shown at the Game Awards 2021. The trailer also reveals that the game is scheduled for a 2023 release.

I wasn't the only one that was ecstatic about this game announcement. For so long it's seemed that a proper sequel would never happen. It honestly seems like a miracle that a sequel is actually happening.

While I haven't played the game, I have spent hours upon hours watching Let's Plays and researching the lore of the game. Lore that is some of the most confusing I have ever encountered.

The reveal trailer for Alan Wake II isn't thick with content and is short. Which makes sense as at this point we're only supposed to know that the game is going to be released in 2023. So what I'm going to go over has probably been covered by other people before.

Anyways...most of the trailer has a voice-over from Alan Wake. He talks about how the story we imagine to happen tends to be better than what can ever be given to us. Look at various times people have gotten on the hype train only to be disappointed by the final product.

So it does seem to be warning players to remember that while the sequel will be awesome, to remember the limitations of any game. Get excited all you want, but don't go crying foul when it turns out Alan Wake II isn't perfect. Also remember that while Alan Wake is a classic, you need to judge the sequel on its own merits.

There isn't too much known about Alan Wake II for certain as we only have the release trailer to go on. The only things we can be certain of is that Alan Wake II will be a proper sequel to Alan Wake and it will switch genre to survival horror.

It will be interesting to see Alan Wake II embrace the survival horror genre as the series seems to be a good fit for it.

So now for some theories...

The reveal trailer switches between different realities. It can be assumed that players will be able to go between different realities. Possibly the mode of transportation will be the subway. I'm guessing subway because during the trailer you can see the entrance to a subway that also acts as a Max Payne Easter egg.

It's common knowledge that Control and Alan Wake take place in the same universe. Though it can be heavily debated if they exist in the same universe but different dimensions. So will Alan Wake II be connected to Control?

There is a sound from the Control game heard in the trailer. I am not that familiar with Control so one of the many YouTube videos I watched brought this fact up. The sound might indicate that Alan Wake II will heavily tie into Control.

What do you think about the Alan Wake II Reveal Trailer?