Alan Wake 2 is doing one hell of a Resident Evil impression in first gameplay reveal

Alan Wake 2
(Image credit: Remedy)

Alan Wake 2 has its first proper gameplay trailer courtesy of the Summer Game Fest showcase.

Earlier today on June 8, Remedy and studio head Sam Lake were on hand at the Summer Game Fest 2023 showcase to debut Alan Wake 2 gameplay. We saw newcomer Saga Anderson in action taking down a cultist murderer. This looks distinctly more survival horror than the first Alan Wake, that's for sure.

And yes, if you're unfamiliar with all the promo material for Alan Wake 2 so far, what we're seeing here is a second playable character. This is Saga Anderson, an FBI Agent, who's out to solve a series of ritualistic murders at the outset of the sequel, and becomes involved with the titular author himself. We'll actually start Alan Wake 2 by playing as Saga, who then meets Alan later on.

Based on everything we've seen so far though, we can be pretty confident that things quickly get worse for our FBI Agent, as well as CGI Sam Lake, who's also appearing as an FBI Agent. At a certain point in Alan Wake 2, you can choose which protagonist you play as, so if you're preferring Anderson to Wake, you can stick it out with the newcomer.

Alan Wake 2 releases later this year on October 17 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Keep in mind their won't be a physical version due to manufacturing costs, so Remedy can keep the price of the game down, but THQ Nordic did offer to publish the sequel physically, for what it's worth.

You can check out our complete Summer Game Fest 2023 liveblog for a complete recap of all the other announcements from the presentation.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.