For anyone who didn't play the original when it was released over 10 years ago or for anyone who played it but might be fuzzy on some of the details, Alan Wake Remastered serves as an excellent refresher on the events that took place during the "Bright Falls Incident." The action-horror title is the perfect companion to 2019's Control and seems like Remedy is potentially setting up a crossover between the two with Control's AWE DLC. If that's the case, then now is the perfect time to get into Alan Wake as the remaster provides a fresh coat of paint, updating its graphics to more modern sensibilities.
Unlike Control, however, Alan Wake Remastered is broken up into several discrete "episodes" as if it's being told like a limited-run TV series. While it certainly wasn't the first game to do something like this, the episodic nature of the story is great for the game's pacing and feels appropriate based on how heavily Alan Wake is inspired by TV shows like Twin Peaks and The Twilight Zone.
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How Many Episodes are in Alan Wake Remastered?
It seems like most other episodic games released now allow players to know how many episodes are contained in them so that they know how to pace themselves throughout the story. Alan Wake Remastered doesn't do that, keeping the player in the dark as to how much of the game is left after each play session.
At the start of each episode, the game gives a story recap to hammer home some of its narrative's most important aspects. While Alan Wake is certainly a narrative-heavy game, it introduces concepts and ideas that are a little confusing when first brought up, so the recap is appreciated by those playing the game for the first time.
It's important to note that there is no way to leave the game between episodes. All in all, in the base game, there are six different episodes included in Alan Wake Remastered:
- Episode 1: Nightmare
- Episode 2: Taken
- Episode 3: Ransom
- Episode 4: The Truth
- Episode 5: The Clicker
- Episode 6: Departure
Different players are going to get different mileage out of each episode depending on how much time they're willing to spend looking for the numerous collectibles that are hidden all over Bright Falls, but all six episodes should take roughly 10 to 15 hours to complete. Each episode can take between one to two hours based on the selected difficulty and how frequently players drifted off of the game's critical path.
Alan Wake Remastered's DLC Episodes
Included in Alan Wake Remastered are the two DLC expansions that the game received following its release. They aren't technically classified as "episodes" in the game, instead, they're called "special features," but have run times similar to the episodes found in the base game. The two DLC chapters are titled like this in the game's menus:
- Special 1: The Signal
- Special 2: The Writer
Both specials take place after the events of the main story and should be completed once the player has finished the first six episodes. The Signal and The Writer are meant to be played together as they follow one singular story, but both can be completed in roughly two to three hours.
Alan Wake Remastered is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.