GORGEOUS GAMEPLAY: Alan Wake Ain’t No Punk!

Gorgeous Gameplay — December 9, 2009 at 13:14 — 1 comment

An Alan Wake teaser video has hit the interwebz and, while short, it’s sweeter than a pack of Rolos. It may only come in at a measly :44 seconds, but it’s a gameplay clip, and upon closer examination we can glean a few things from the combat system that Remedy Entertainment has incorporated into the title.

Clark Kent says: Alan is no push-over that’s for sure. But does he give Ezio or Nathan Drake a run for their money with the hands? Find out after the jump…

VIA MMOMFG:

While the video shows the role that light and dark play in combat, that’s old news. What first perked the attention of the audience was the apparent inclusion of a slow-mo, almost bullet-time, feature. We also see an enemy wielding a butcher’s knife jumping towards Alan, who appears to dodge the attack.

The presence of a bullet-time feature is interesting considering the emphasis on fear in this game. Whereas some developers deploy tools like panic and immobility (see Dead Space, Resident Evil) to instill fear, slowing things down during the heat of battle seems to go the opposite root and makes me think that this title may rely more so on spooky subtleties like environment, ambiance, and atmosphere for its chills.

Alan does in fact dodge the knife-wielding attacker, but one can’t help but be reminded of the dodge and counterattack functions of recent action/adventure titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Assassin’s Creed 2.

Alan Wake doesn’t appear to use a combo system like these games, but the melding of a third person shooting mechanic with the ability to dodge or counter with the well-timed press of a button is simply intriguing.