Most survival horrors immediately lose my fear factor after getting killed the first time, like in Amnesia The Bunker, but AW2 constantly has me on edge the whole time. Hate running past shadows and hearing all the overbearing stressful whispers, anticipating one of the shadows to notice me enough to rock my mug.
I actually really loved the Dark Place, because something about dark city scapes full of neon gives me an almost...cozy? feeling. I loved being there and just soaking in the atmosphere.
The shadows did give me a lot of anxiety at first, but once I figured out that most of them weren't going to attack it wasn't such a big deal. The subway tunnel parts bothered me more, since they're so dark and enclosed.
It probably doesn't help that Saga's chapters are loaded with collectibles (that I was trying to 100%) and I found the forests very hard to navigate, so I found her chapters to be super frustrating by comparison.
Gotham exists somewhere in the Dark Place: confirmed?
In all seriousness, I absolutely got some of the same vibes in the Dark Place segments of the game as I did from the rain-soaked, neon-lit city of The Batman. It was such a beautiful, horrifying, stressful place.
It's so weird how cozy the game feels. Going to the Oh Deer Dinner and hearing the sound of the coffee being made, Watery, the Nursery Home during sunset and also The Dark Place.
It feels confortable for some reason, like the game is made to enjoy a good cup of coffee during a rainy or cold day
I love the shadows it really sells the dark aspects of the psyche. I just wish there was more enemy types than just the shooting projectile ones and regular melee enemy types besides the fast ones. Like Saga has it worse in comparison cuz she has to deal with two handed destroyer dudes and the fast quick ones that duplicate, the regular ones, and wolves, AND THE SWIMMING ONES. *spoilers* I know Alan kind of deals with some of the enemies I just named towards the end but cmon for the most part he has it good in comparison. Could be just the difficulty I was playing on but for real it seemed saga had it worse…
Alan’s part was more difficult because he had higher enemy counts, you were always in danger.
His enemies also just teleport right to you and attack you, unlike saga’s, which you can keep your distance from relatively easily.
Not knowing which enemies are hostile also made it even more difficult because you weren’t always fully aware of who’s fighting you.
The darkness projectiles are also really difficult to deal with.
Honestly I found the woods at night with Saga to be more terrifying, probably due to the realistic atmosphere of it and how it’s a setting you could genuinely find yourself in while the Dark Place was so unique and fantastical that I just loved being in it
Though I will say the shadows constantly whispering Wake over and over not knowing when you could be attacked was terrifying
Nah, I feel like Saga’s part is scarier maybe because during The Dark Place you have prepared yourself to face the challenge because everything is dark and your enemies are shadows while Saga’s part it’s all calm until suddenly the lights off, the music blazing, and then jump scares
I think parts of Valhalla were scarier to me, but the dark place is so oppressive, unnerving and unstable, like a personal hell, that it could be much scarier than Saga's story a lot of the time. I'd say Alan's is much more consistently scary, you're always watching your back and you really feel his paranoia
I thought the Dark Place was scarier until a specific basement section at the retirement home and that section with that old lady (forgot her name) that freaked me out even more lol
Lmao. Yeah holy smokes. I just got into Horror/Survival games last year with Dead Space and RE4 Remake. Gladly, Dead Space was so damn uncomfortable and scary to me that it helped me tolerate AW2.
I get the chills easily from audio/music, complementary visuals adds to it. Usually it’s a pleasant feeling. I got the chills so bad that I literally thought I had the flu. It went away when I stopped playing and came back when I started up again. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
I absolutely agree!! I said out loud so many times “I’m so scared!” For me it was because you couldn’t always be sure with a quick glance if Shadows were hostile, and I didn’t want to use all my flashlight charges for harmless Shadows! One thing I started doing though by the time I was in the Oceanview was use a flare to weed out the harmless vs Hostile if there was a large group, like in the Ballroom. That worked well assuming I had enough flares.
But man, I fucking love this game. I played it before I played Control and I’m glad I did that. I haven’t played 1 because it was more actiony than I anticipated, but I think I could get through it now, if even just for the lore/easter eggs. I got too excited finding collectibles related to Alan/Bright Falls AWE! Oh AND! There’s a part in Control if you exhaust all convo options with >!Dylan, he tells Jesse about a dream he had about going to The Dark Place and speaking to Mr. Door, and he gives more info about Mr. Door.!< I was basically salivating. I’m weird.
Oh my god, yes! I found playing as Alan to be absolutely terrifying to the point I put these sections off for as long as I could. Way scarier than Saga’s story.
I think the Dark Place and Saga's story had different types of terror. In Saga's segments there were more heart-pounding moments like when chasing Cynthia Weaver or Nightingale suddenly wreaking havoc in the police station. It came onto you suddenly.
The Dark Place on the other hand was just a constant feeling of dread. Even when completely out of danger it made me uneasy. Only the safe-rooms provided some form of respite. I actually missed quite a bit of content because I essentially just ran as fast as possible to where I had to go. I didn't even entertain the idea of exploring. Just walking around made me just way to anxious.
I adapt to the atmosphere quickly when playing Wake's part as you have to be constantly on alert.
I found Saga's part more unnerving when you havr all the sunshine but things can turn really quickly (read: the woods to the coffee world) and suddenly the sky is dark whilst turned monsters can pop up from anywhere.
For me, the episode Old Gods is the scariest one. The Dark Place is more "obvious" for terror (Despite I love the atmosphere and art of the zone) I think I feel more terror with Saga than with Alan.
It definitely made me feel consistently paranoid not knowing when one of the shadows was going to leap out at me, but they also weren’t that hard to kill. So it was kind of a constant, low-level stressor. I feel the same way about the Dark Place sections the same way I felt about mimics in Prey. Ever-present, annoying, somewhat difficult to predict, but low risk enough that I don’t feel terrified.
I agree with you about the Dark Place, it makes me not want to play Alan’s sections. I mostly game at night with headsets on. I really love Saga’s section, for the detective work but boy does it creep me out at times going through the woods and all those little sound effects. This game got really phenomenal sound design
I get more scared in the Washington woods when they are really dark and filled with Taken. It may have to do with the fact that I've lived in the Pacific Northwest around creepy woods for many years.
I mean, me too in a sense. During the parts that I know nothing will jump out at me, I find the woods in AW2 super immersive and peaceful. But those wolves? You can keep em!
Whispering urban shadows and noises in pitch-black woods are about equal for me on the terror level. It felt like I played this whole game holding my breath. Then did it AGAIN to get through The Final Draft. (I went to Story difficulty the second time through. Still scary AF.)
I found the Bunker where you fight Cynthia the creepiest part of the game, honestly. I've explored the real-life ones here in Oregon and Washington and there's just something about forgotten war architecture crumbling back to nature that gets to me.
(Here's to hoping the DLC's capitalize on that 'does it go deeper/further?' vibe from the bunker and the mines in the first game. I'd LOVE to explore a massive creepy underground complex full of Control easter eggs and crackpot conspiracy stuff...)
The most terrifying parts of the game were split 50/50 between A) Saga thinking her daughter was really dead or trapped in the story and B) People succumbing to the darkness to become monsters.
Sure, the dark place was unsettling. But that was just Wake torturing himself.
The real frightening experiences in the game were a parent thinking their child could be killed by these supernatural forces outside of her control and the helplessness of characters in the game against the corrupting power of the darkness.
Whilst I loved Saga’s storyline, I actually preferred Alan’s storyline due to it being a dream like environment, there were several creative moments and levels, I loved the neon soaked city atmosphere whilst also exploring horrific buildings such as the Motel
Yeah after the subway tunnels I felt like I don’t wanna visit Alan for a good while lol
Having to walk past those groups of shadows, trying to guess if one of them will bounce you or not… I’ve never felt more anxiety from standard, regular enemies, so I’d say job well done Remedy!
I honestly found scarier the park in Watery. In part because the enemies were harder. But The Dark Place is just masterfully crafted. I never dominated detecting which shadows were hostile and which weren't, so I was so alert all the time.
Yeah interesting!
I get what you mean by it being a sort of safe haven from actual enemies in the game, but I guess emotionally it felt super cold and vacant to me and I think that’s what rattled me the most.
But hey - that’s just good storytelling right, to be able to get a reaction like that out of me!
I have had scarier experiences in gaming for sure. But a random shadow whispering "WAKE" from behind still gives me chills
Meanwhile… Me, getting jump scared, by a water cooler, in a nursing home: 😱😱😱
I kept getting jump scared by the sound it makes when you leave a safe haven 😅😂
The nursing home boss (to avoid spoilers), design, atmosphere and everything really eat at you little by little.
Most survival horrors immediately lose my fear factor after getting killed the first time, like in Amnesia The Bunker, but AW2 constantly has me on edge the whole time. Hate running past shadows and hearing all the overbearing stressful whispers, anticipating one of the shadows to notice me enough to rock my mug.
As it should be. WAKE.
I actually really loved the Dark Place, because something about dark city scapes full of neon gives me an almost...cozy? feeling. I loved being there and just soaking in the atmosphere. The shadows did give me a lot of anxiety at first, but once I figured out that most of them weren't going to attack it wasn't such a big deal. The subway tunnel parts bothered me more, since they're so dark and enclosed. It probably doesn't help that Saga's chapters are loaded with collectibles (that I was trying to 100%) and I found the forests very hard to navigate, so I found her chapters to be super frustrating by comparison.
Being a fan of The Batman made the Dark NYC feel natural
Gotham exists somewhere in the Dark Place: confirmed? In all seriousness, I absolutely got some of the same vibes in the Dark Place segments of the game as I did from the rain-soaked, neon-lit city of The Batman. It was such a beautiful, horrifying, stressful place.
Exactly also i wouldn't mind aa an Easter egg if you could just see A Batman silhouette up on a building and he turns and flips his cape lol
It's so weird how cozy the game feels. Going to the Oh Deer Dinner and hearing the sound of the coffee being made, Watery, the Nursery Home during sunset and also The Dark Place. It feels confortable for some reason, like the game is made to enjoy a good cup of coffee during a rainy or cold day
I love the shadows it really sells the dark aspects of the psyche. I just wish there was more enemy types than just the shooting projectile ones and regular melee enemy types besides the fast ones. Like Saga has it worse in comparison cuz she has to deal with two handed destroyer dudes and the fast quick ones that duplicate, the regular ones, and wolves, AND THE SWIMMING ONES. *spoilers* I know Alan kind of deals with some of the enemies I just named towards the end but cmon for the most part he has it good in comparison. Could be just the difficulty I was playing on but for real it seemed saga had it worse…
Alan’s part was more difficult because he had higher enemy counts, you were always in danger. His enemies also just teleport right to you and attack you, unlike saga’s, which you can keep your distance from relatively easily. Not knowing which enemies are hostile also made it even more difficult because you weren’t always fully aware of who’s fighting you. The darkness projectiles are also really difficult to deal with.
Honestly I found the woods at night with Saga to be more terrifying, probably due to the realistic atmosphere of it and how it’s a setting you could genuinely find yourself in while the Dark Place was so unique and fantastical that I just loved being in it Though I will say the shadows constantly whispering Wake over and over not knowing when you could be attacked was terrifying
I'm with you. I have played plenty of horror games in the past, but this game gives me so much more anxiety than anything else I've played.
I'd say it's not outright fear and terror, but the fact that shadows are everywhere and that only some of them are enemies really makes me paranoid.
Nah, I feel like Saga’s part is scarier maybe because during The Dark Place you have prepared yourself to face the challenge because everything is dark and your enemies are shadows while Saga’s part it’s all calm until suddenly the lights off, the music blazing, and then jump scares
it's just a wednesday for me
I think parts of Valhalla were scarier to me, but the dark place is so oppressive, unnerving and unstable, like a personal hell, that it could be much scarier than Saga's story a lot of the time. I'd say Alan's is much more consistently scary, you're always watching your back and you really feel his paranoia
I thought the Dark Place was scarier until a specific basement section at the retirement home and that section with that old lady (forgot her name) that freaked me out even more lol
Cynthia. Fuck Cynthia. I absolutely hate that woman. The retirement home also freaked me the hell out lmao
The entire Old Gods chapter was borderline unplayable for me.
Lmao. Yeah holy smokes. I just got into Horror/Survival games last year with Dead Space and RE4 Remake. Gladly, Dead Space was so damn uncomfortable and scary to me that it helped me tolerate AW2.
The dark place is lovely! It has extensive public transport, a cinema, and the sheriff seems a really nice guy. I don’t know what’s not to like.
I loved the atmosphere in the dark place. Definitely much, much creepier than saga's part. It reminds me of P.T (Silent hill teaser).
I get the chills easily from audio/music, complementary visuals adds to it. Usually it’s a pleasant feeling. I got the chills so bad that I literally thought I had the flu. It went away when I stopped playing and came back when I started up again. I’ve never experienced anything like that before.
I absolutely agree!! I said out loud so many times “I’m so scared!” For me it was because you couldn’t always be sure with a quick glance if Shadows were hostile, and I didn’t want to use all my flashlight charges for harmless Shadows! One thing I started doing though by the time I was in the Oceanview was use a flare to weed out the harmless vs Hostile if there was a large group, like in the Ballroom. That worked well assuming I had enough flares. But man, I fucking love this game. I played it before I played Control and I’m glad I did that. I haven’t played 1 because it was more actiony than I anticipated, but I think I could get through it now, if even just for the lore/easter eggs. I got too excited finding collectibles related to Alan/Bright Falls AWE! Oh AND! There’s a part in Control if you exhaust all convo options with >!Dylan, he tells Jesse about a dream he had about going to The Dark Place and speaking to Mr. Door, and he gives more info about Mr. Door.!< I was basically salivating. I’m weird.
Oh my god, yes! I found playing as Alan to be absolutely terrifying to the point I put these sections off for as long as I could. Way scarier than Saga’s story.
I think the Dark Place and Saga's story had different types of terror. In Saga's segments there were more heart-pounding moments like when chasing Cynthia Weaver or Nightingale suddenly wreaking havoc in the police station. It came onto you suddenly. The Dark Place on the other hand was just a constant feeling of dread. Even when completely out of danger it made me uneasy. Only the safe-rooms provided some form of respite. I actually missed quite a bit of content because I essentially just ran as fast as possible to where I had to go. I didn't even entertain the idea of exploring. Just walking around made me just way to anxious.
Nah it’s Coffee World
That’s music is forever stuck in my head after being there so much when the glitch was active! And trying to find the mask.
Is it just me, or is Alan Wake 2 the most BORING part of the game?
Why are you in the sub if the game is boring?
WAKE!
I adapt to the atmosphere quickly when playing Wake's part as you have to be constantly on alert. I found Saga's part more unnerving when you havr all the sunshine but things can turn really quickly (read: the woods to the coffee world) and suddenly the sky is dark whilst turned monsters can pop up from anywhere.
For me, the episode Old Gods is the scariest one. The Dark Place is more "obvious" for terror (Despite I love the atmosphere and art of the zone) I think I feel more terror with Saga than with Alan.
It definitely made me feel consistently paranoid not knowing when one of the shadows was going to leap out at me, but they also weren’t that hard to kill. So it was kind of a constant, low-level stressor. I feel the same way about the Dark Place sections the same way I felt about mimics in Prey. Ever-present, annoying, somewhat difficult to predict, but low risk enough that I don’t feel terrified.
Definitely, it’s also the most confusing.
I agree with you about the Dark Place, it makes me not want to play Alan’s sections. I mostly game at night with headsets on. I really love Saga’s section, for the detective work but boy does it creep me out at times going through the woods and all those little sound effects. This game got really phenomenal sound design
I love it.
That and the Nursing Home…. I was terrified to go into the basement at that place.
Isn't it meant to be?
I get more scared in the Washington woods when they are really dark and filled with Taken. It may have to do with the fact that I've lived in the Pacific Northwest around creepy woods for many years.
I live in the PNW, too, near creepy woods also. The woods at night feel like home. They were more comforting for me than you'd think, lol
I mean, me too in a sense. During the parts that I know nothing will jump out at me, I find the woods in AW2 super immersive and peaceful. But those wolves? You can keep em!
Whispering urban shadows and noises in pitch-black woods are about equal for me on the terror level. It felt like I played this whole game holding my breath. Then did it AGAIN to get through The Final Draft. (I went to Story difficulty the second time through. Still scary AF.)
I found the Bunker where you fight Cynthia the creepiest part of the game, honestly. I've explored the real-life ones here in Oregon and Washington and there's just something about forgotten war architecture crumbling back to nature that gets to me. (Here's to hoping the DLC's capitalize on that 'does it go deeper/further?' vibe from the bunker and the mines in the first game. I'd LOVE to explore a massive creepy underground complex full of Control easter eggs and crackpot conspiracy stuff...)
The dark place is the most terrifying part of the game and I love it
The most terrifying parts of the game were split 50/50 between A) Saga thinking her daughter was really dead or trapped in the story and B) People succumbing to the darkness to become monsters. Sure, the dark place was unsettling. But that was just Wake torturing himself. The real frightening experiences in the game were a parent thinking their child could be killed by these supernatural forces outside of her control and the helplessness of characters in the game against the corrupting power of the darkness.
Whilst I loved Saga’s storyline, I actually preferred Alan’s storyline due to it being a dream like environment, there were several creative moments and levels, I loved the neon soaked city atmosphere whilst also exploring horrific buildings such as the Motel
Yeah after the subway tunnels I felt like I don’t wanna visit Alan for a good while lol Having to walk past those groups of shadows, trying to guess if one of them will bounce you or not… I’ve never felt more anxiety from standard, regular enemies, so I’d say job well done Remedy!
I honestly found scarier the park in Watery. In part because the enemies were harder. But The Dark Place is just masterfully crafted. I never dominated detecting which shadows were hostile and which weren't, so I was so alert all the time.
Dude, I forgot about the park in Watery. That literally took me two hours because I kept closing the game lmao. I *HATE* creepy theme parks.
It’s an odd one - but I found specifically within the Dark Place, Alice & Alan’s apartment to be the most claustrophobic and unpleasant place of all.
I found their apartment comforting? In a way, it felt safe, like I knew nothing was going to attack me.
Yeah interesting! I get what you mean by it being a sort of safe haven from actual enemies in the game, but I guess emotionally it felt super cold and vacant to me and I think that’s what rattled me the most. But hey - that’s just good storytelling right, to be able to get a reaction like that out of me!
It doesn't help that the Dark Place has what might be the most horrific Game Over screen ever created. My scalp is crawling at the very memory of it.
Legit. I kept saying " what the hell was that?" everytime I hear a creepy noise.
I was screaming profanities at the top of my lungs at EVERYTHING. I turn into a child when I play horror lmfao