Warning: Spoils both Alan Wake and downloadable episode “The Signal.”
I was worried about “The Signal,” Alan Wake’s first chunk of downloadable content. Alan Wake was oddly episodic; six chapters (complete with individual credits) spread out over eight or so hours sounded perfect for an experience like Siren or Sam and Max, but the thing came out on a disc anyway. Microsoft’s need to justify Alan Wake’s budget and development time with a retail release was probably at fault, but knowing there was more content on the way post-game lead to fears of Remedy being forced to simply lop off the last chapter and sell it to players who made it to the end. A download code included free with every new copy alleviated these concerns, but, after playing through The Signal, it’s safe to say that suspicion was largely unnecessary. Remedy didn’t chop off the ending, but they certainly didn’t build anything of interest either. The Signal, for all intents and purposes, starts on a tangent and builds toward nothing more than irrelevance.
It’s reliance on shock and awe isn’t necessarily a step in the wrong direction. A crazed Alan screaming (at himself) over televisions, overwhelming numbers of Taken, and alarming amount of possessed objects created a much needed change in theme. Reusing assets under the guise of it all being from Alan’s scrambled memories was a bummer, but understandable given the nature of downloadable content. What doesn’t get a pass was how Remedy chose to rationalize this content through Alan Wake’s narrative. I expected a continuation of the story, bits of information cashing in on the final cryptic, “…it’s an ocean” close of the retail game. What I got instead felt like a parallel universe interpretation of what may or may not have happened after the end. Or, in other words, it didn’t feel cannon, especially when Remedy wrote an easy out by cashing in on the unreliable narrator cliché. One could argue the original game was built upon the same premise, but The Signal felt lazily constructed, making it a harder sell. It’s “Special Feature” label in the menu is a much more apt title, which would have been fine had I been lead to believe (prerelease) that was, for lack of a better phrase, what Microsoft lead us to believe the content would be.
What I did enjoy were the new mechanics at Alan’s disposal. A larger number of enemies forced me to alter my “kill everything before moving on” play style into a proverbial run for my life. I chose flight over fight, and the tension of trying to reach the next light source was as genuine as it comes (especially in the segment where lights kept going on and off). Exchanging manuscript pages for literal words was also a huge plus. The idea was introduced simply enough, shining my light on “tools” gave me ammo and flares while “flashlight” provided me with, yes, a better flashlight – but then it started getting tricky. A basement filled with “boom” shot bursts of light out of pipes which, when coupled with a bunch of Taken, made for a wonderfully strategic combat session. That concept, along with “fireworks,” was then extended to the expanse of the forest, making the run for my life all the more hectic. It culminated in a brief section filled with nothing but malicious words which, when a light was cast, unleashed an enemy. Like an idiot I chose to do a “boom” there, which I incorrectly assumed would kill the opposition. Nope, instead it basically shined light on all the bad words and birthed a shit storm of murderous Taken. It was awesome.
Special mention goes to more shameless product placement with a cellular service (the name of which I’m not mentioning on purpose). Seeing the logo splattered on Alan’s new GPS-enabled phone was cringe worthy but on par with what we’re used to, but having him actually voice the company’s signature catch phrase for the last ten years was complete bullshit. Sure, it was contextually appropriate, but it was bit overkill. Like the rope-a-dope commercial in the retail game, it served no other purpose than to pull me out of the fiction. A game like Alan Wake thrives on selling its world, not reminded me that I’m in mine.
In the end I’m glad I didn’t pay for it. Its “special feature” label fit it perfectly, both in terms of its 90 minute length and narrative irrelevance, but I would have felt a little jaded had I unloaded seven dollars on it. Seven bucks is a hamburger or sandwich or whatever, and one could argue it’s the cost/dollar ratio of a movie, but that’s not really an apt comparison. Microsoft exercised surprising restraint in not charging ten or fifteen dollars for it, but recycled assets, a short playtime, and a cruel tease on the narrative would have felt a lot better at $5. Maybe they’ll start getting the picture when Dead Rising 2 drops its $5 “Pre-LC” bomb at the end of August. Either way, one can only hope Remedy is taking notes for the second (final?) DLC episode later this year.
