Video game review : Alan Wake

This time, I’m reviewing a video game based on a horror novel, Alan Wake. Alan wake is a survival horror video game that made to Xbox-Live 360 and Windows PC. This game is about a novel writer, Alan Wake who went for vacation with his wife, Alice. During his vacation, Alice was kidnapped by a force that he cannot fight alone: the darkness.  Alan wants to save Alice, but he cannot find a single method in order to save her.  Then, the “light” guides him through the darkness. As Alan venture through the darkness deeper, he found notes from the novel  Departure, which was written  by Alan Wake. However, Wake did not remember writing it, and every sequence of story that was written in the notes  seems to become real as Wake ventures further in. Through his journey, he met with Thomas Zane, the person who was actually the “light” that guided him. After meeting him, Thomas explained that the darkness that kidnapped Alice was actually his deceased wife, Barbara Jagger. The relationship between Barbara Jagger and his wife is unknown, though Alan suspects that Thomas Zane is someone he met before, as he felt familiar towards him.  Afterwards it was revealed that the writer of the Departure novel was the “other” Alan Wake,  whom creates his own
 character in order for him to save his wife. Knowing this, Alan learnt that he can write everything he wants that can turn the world to his bidding. At the end, Alan managed to find his wife, but she was hold deep inside the darkness, which Barbara Jagger was using her body as the medium for her to walk on the living realm. Alan manage to use the “switch” a tool which dispels all of darkness by engulfing light over the Sky. His reunion with his wife is short however, as he manage to rescue her body. However, he was left inside the darkness and he had to write again in order to make his way of escape.

What interesting about this game is the story. The game’s story creates premises that leaves a question mark at the end. It’s like it wants the players to decide the ending.  It made me conjures up conclusion that made me do some critical thinking. My first theory of conclusion of the game is that whether Alan did not survive the darkness or he became the darkness. My second theory of point is that Alan did write up the story, but it reverted back to all before everything started and he had prevent his wife from getting kidnapped. Lastly, my third theory is that Alan were just having delusional and he had been in an asylum for years, and his wife had already died.

Nevertheless, this video game has its own interesting side of the story and every sentences from the game seems like a mind play on the players. From my opinion, I think this game is good for critical thinking as it boggles up our own imagination for every next sequence that was about to happen.