Earned across decades of development, Remedy Entertainment has a stellar reputation for pushing game technology to new heights. From the physics-driven mayhem of Max Payne 2 to the ray-traced brutalism of Control, and of course the volumetrics-heavy wilderness of Alan Wake, each major Remedy release has pushed visual boundaries on its host hardware. Alan Wake 2 is no exception: this is a top-flight technical treat that pushes modern systems hard, with often extraordinary visual results.
We’ve got a lot to say about Alan Wake 2 and we’ll be following up with coverage of Xbox Series hardware and, of course, the incredible PC version of the game but for now, we’ll be focusing on the PlayStation 5 version of the game, where it’s fair to say that Remedy has delivered a properly state-of-the-art experience. Yes, there are clear compromises stacked up against the maxed out PC version of the game, but the point is that the studio has finely tuned a creditable console release. It may not have all the bells and whistles, but the key fundamentals are all there. Alan Wake 2 on consoles is a perfectly fine way to enjoy the game.
Let’s be clear. Alan Wake 2 is an extremely impressive technical and artistic achievement, and a brilliant showcase for Remedy’s in-house Northlight game engine. A lot of its impact comes down to the game’s very high quality indirect lighting. Every environment has an excellent presentation of global illumination, with light bouncing convincingly through constrained hallways and forested outdoor areas alike. The consistency of the lighting is really what stands out here: I had a very hard time spotting any problems, even in the typical problem areas for games we often highlight in our videos. Characters also blend seamlessly with the lighting presentation, and never seem to stick out, glow or look awkward.
