 Where does the story end and life begin? Alan Wake has a serious case of writer's block. Now a ghost of a woman has stolen his wife. Something horrible is happening around the town of Bright Falls, and Alan has to stay alive long enough to find his wife and get them both out alive.
1. Gameplay
Alan Wake and his wife go on vacation to a small town in Washington. He’s currently suffering from a serious case of writers block. After an argument about whether or not he should try to keep writing, his wife gets kidnapped. Something supernatural is haunting Alan and preventing him from saving his wife. 
Don't let go of that flare.
Alan Wake is an awesome story interspersed by pretty boring gameplay. The player will use light to dissolve the dark barrier around enemies, making them vulnerable to gunfire. The player will then shoot said enemy until it dissolves completely. This will be repeated for the five or so enemies per group. 
It's not as dull as I make it sound. Usually.
Fortunately the dull gameplay is broken up by an awesome story. Alan Wake will make players question exactly what is real and what isn’t. Even after the game is complete I am not 100% sure if everything that happened was a step towards Alan’s descent into madness or some weird supernatural plot to keep him from his wife. The player will have to do a lot of “reading between the lines” to predict what will happen, and even then things are often difficult to foretell. 
Huh. Didn't see that coming.
But that’s part of the fun. Alan Wake is a roller coaster ride that doesn’t require the fast-paced action of most modern games. It’s a great story interspersed by decent gameplay. For those who love a good narrative, this is an excellent game.
My total gameplay took around 13 hours to complete. There were still things that I could have gone back and done, such as finding the collectibles or reading the manuscript pages, but by the time I was done I was ready for something new. With no multiplayer gameplay, there’s little reason to go back and play this game repeatedly.
Having advanced knowledge of how the combat mechanics worked, I decided to play through the game on easy. I was glad I did, because certain sections were long and with very little health-related items. I played conservatively, saving most of my batteries and flares for particularly dangerous scenarios (such as boss battles), but I never found things to be too difficult. That being said, there were plenty of times when I grew tired of the combat and wanted to continue the story. But these weren’t as much frustrating as they were simply long. 2. Parental Notices
The player is going to be constantly attacked by weird shadow enemies. In order to beat these enemies, the player will have to shine a light on them and then shoot them. No matter what weapon the player uses, the enemy will emit sparks instead of blood. In the end it really reduces the severity of the violence. 
It's like shooting human-shaped blocks of recently-used charcoal.
The player will be constantly fighting between the cutscenes, but the quality of violence is significantly less than the average shooter. The only times when things get a bit crazy are when the player gets attacked by possessed combines or other farm equipment. It’s a pretty intimidating sight.
Towards the beginning, Alan’s wife walks around the cabin in a white tank top and underwear. That’s essentially as close to sexuality as this game gets. As a result, sexuality is not a factor in this game. 
It's not presented in a sexual way.
Substances do come up a few times during the game. Two of the more eccentric characters have a personal supply of moonshine which they evidently brew on a regular basis. In one section Alan and his best friend Barry end up getting completely plastered on the substance. Getting plastered does reveal some information to them though, so it’s not a complete waste. 
Are those bottles of alcohol or oxygen tanks covered in mud?
In another brief scene, Alan takes some prescription painkillers. It’s very brief, however, and doesn’t make any real impact on the rest of the game. 
Get sunglasses and painkillers? That's an objective?
Gambling is not a factor in this game. 3. Other Factors
There are no modding tools available for this game.
Religion plays a very minor factor. Aside from the random makeshift cross grave markers, there is a church that the player will have to move through while navigating the town. One of the characters mentions the church’s preacher. But this isn’t really a major factor in the rest of the game. 
This isn't like any churches I've ever been in, but okay.
There are ways that “the darkness” that gets mentioned can be paralleled with demonic possessions, but the possessed aren’t actually people. They’re more of shadows of people. Demonic possession is never really mentioned directly.
Alan Wake is chased by some of the local law enforcement who believe that he is the one behind his wife’s disappearance. As a result he has to escape law enforcement officers a number of times in order to continue his quest. Fortunately, the darkness doesn’t seem to mind taking out a few of these officers in its quest to get Wake. 
Why is the FBI pulling guns on an unarmed writer?
There is no multiplayer mode for this game.
There will be some sequences when the player has to drive around, but these aren’t “extreme sports” sequences. The player simply drives from one point to another, crossing large areas of land and avoiding most combat inbetween. 
HONK!
While this game is devoid of any sort of voodoo rituals, witch doctors, wizards, or anything else normally tied to the fantasy world of “magic”, supernatural elements play a major role in the events of this game. The player will constantly battle dark spirits, dodge random objects possessed by the spirits of poltergeists, and be chased by an unnatural storm of darkness. 
There aren't enough flashlights in the world to take on that flood.
Some characters are even possessed in the game. For example, the player will run into a waitress who has been possessed by the main antagonist. Her possession doesn’t lead to any horror-movie moments, but it does play a role in the game’s story. 
Possessed or on drugs? You decide!
There’s no avoiding the magical elements though. The game’s story is deeply entrenched in a supernatural world.
Scary Images The cutscenes will be interspersed with sporadic “jumper” moments where a loud noise and a brief scary image will add an artificially scary ambiance. It’s not as bad as a typical low-budget horror movie, but it’s enough that I tensed up every time there was a particularly dark cutscene.
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