Is Alan Wake Remastered worth playing in 2025?

Alan Wake, from the seventh generation of consoles, is considered a cult classic by many gamers even 15 years after its release. The title, a psychological thriller that ventured into the mind of a horror writer, was a vastly unique concept its time.

The game was remastered back in 2021 for the current-gen consoles, offering today's players a chance to experience this incredible story. However, there is always a possibility that the story and gameplay that were loved back in the day might not hold up, even with a remaster.

This article will take a closer look at Alan Wake Remastered to see if it is worth playing in 2025.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's personal opinions.

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A timeless storytelling experience

Alan is a complex character (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

Alan Wake is popular for its gripping and dark narrative, which is heavily inspired by Stephen King. The game revolves around Alan, a best-selling author who is out of town in Bright Falls on vacation with his wife. However, things go south when his significant other gets kidnapped, and he has to rescue her while fighting off supernatural threats.

An interesting factor that enhances the story further is Alan's real-time narration during gameplay, which includes a description of ongoing events and his thoughts about the situation he is in. This adds to the experience and gives players a better perspective and understanding of this character. Even after all these years, the story still feels impressive and carries the same impact in the remaster.

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Alan Wake has a repetitive gameplay style

The gameplay feels repetitive (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

Alan Wake has a problem with its gameplay: repetitiveness. Players spend most of their time increasing enemy visibility with their torch until they are out of the darkness and vulnerable to bullets. Shining a light on the enemies is important, as they are invincible unless brought out of the darkness. This can feel repetitive over time since players might end up spending most of their time in this gameplay loop.

There are various weapons to choose from, such as a handgun, flashbangs, a shotgun, and a rifle, which, while important, only add a small layer of challenge to the playthrough. The Alan Wake Remaster also struggles with this issue, as this edition only makes the controls more fluid and less stiff while retaining the original gameplay.

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Visual and performance upgrades

The remaster improves upon the visuals and performance (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

This is where Alan Wake Remastered shines the most. In the original version on seventh-generation consoles, the game used to run at a locked 30 FPS with a resolution that didn't make the atmosphere look its best. However, the remaster not only bumps the framerate up to 60, but it also increases the resolution to 4K to match today's standards.

The game also uses new textures that enhance the quality of the environments, character models, and props, breathing new life into the game. This helps add a new layer of tension to the eerie town of Bright Falls, which was somewhat missing in the original version of the title from 2010.

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Is it worth playing in 2025?

Alan Wake Remastered is worth playing in 2025 (Image via Remedy Entertainment)

Alan Wake Remastered is definitely worth trying in 2025, especially because of its visual and performance enhancements. The game can now run at 60 FPS and even supports 4K resolution.

Additionally, there are also updated textures for the characters and environments that now enhance the tone of the narrative and add depth to the story, which was also missing earlier.

However, the gameplay, even in the remasters, can feel repetitive, which can only be remedied by playing the game in short sessions to avoid the same shine-torch-and-shoot loop for long periods of time.