The titular Alan(Matthew Porretta; flawed, yet likable) has written several successful crime novels, only now he can't seem to get started on the next one. He and his wife Alice(Brett Madden; loving, without just putting up with everything) go for a vacation in the sleepy port town of Bright Falls, Washington. To reconnect, to relax, to get away from it all. Unfortunately, that's not up to them. Something strange happens. She disappears, and he now has to get her back, as things around him make increasingly less sense. What is actually going on?
Her phobic fear of the dark sets up the core conflict between that and light - large static lights are Safe Havens(regeneration is sped up significantly, they're among the checkpoint saves, and enemies disappear back into the shadow that they appeared from - like in a slasher flick), smaller ones provide aid via a set source of brightening. And your handy flashlight, that you can find different strengths of, the better, the more batteries(which you have to manually replace, lest you wait for it to slowly recharge, without using it) it'll take to fill it, can slowly(or faster, if you "boost" it - which drains it, and is the only way you can more accurately aim!) drain the evil protecting the Taken - people from the area who are being controlled. Their pitch-shifting taunts(regular phrases, related to their profession - hunter, deputy, etc.) and the poltergeists(normal objects, like a steel beam, "invisibly" raised and thrown at you) are the only aspects that can seem silly to those of us not big on supernatural possession fiction.
Once you've removed the black, Venom-like(Spider-Man villain, not "poison") substance covering them like that, these nearly-usual-looking(they poured some water on the designs to make them "slightly off" - it worked) can be dealt with with bullets, from the revolver, hunting rifle or one of two kinds of shotgun(which can push them back whether it'll kill them or not - and that may be necessary! You can only carry one two-handed weapon at a time; choose carefully, you can't carry much ammo). Reloading can be sped up by tapping the key for it, something I hope makes its way into more like this - it gives you something active to do to speed it up, and keep in mind, it's all "one bullet/shell at a time" with this arsenal. Flares can be carried while walking, or dropped in place(you just bought yourself a few seconds of peace), and will prevent them from getting too close, and the flaregun and flashbangs works like grenades(that won't hurt you). Carefully using all of these in conjunction with each other is vital to get through this.
Although there is arguably almost too much action, for something that is a psychological thriller that nearly gets into horror, it doesn't get monotonous(in spite of the fact that with the gameplay, like Left 4 Dead, it doesn't take long to "try everything"). Provided you're into the story; if not, this isn't for you. The episodic nature(complete with "previously on", cliffhangers and separate focus that all adds up to a cohesive whole) keeps this tight, with the plot moving, characters introduced and developed and the setting changing throughout, without losing you along the way. It's something as rare, today, as a mystery that answers nearly every question brought up along the way, if the very ending is unsatisfying(which the two hour DLCs don't change - if those don't come with your copy for free, I wouldn't bother with them). The downside is that the length suffers - 9 and a half hours to complete the six chapters, and while there is replayability(in the three difficulties), some of it, like Achievements and collectibles(purely for the doing so), harm the otherwise solid immersion.
Another thing that has that outcome is the mini-radar; I understand it's a GPS - however, in something like this, disempowerment is important, and this is the only thing where they get that wrong. It attracts attention to the otherwise inobtrusive HUD. Each part of this opens with a bright day sequence, giving you time to breathe, and wonder if what is going on is all in your mind - albeit as you progress, these get increasingly eerie. It goes on to nighttime, with everything around you feeling dangerous. The atmosphere is able to instantly turn from serene to threatening. Rivers and cliffs that you have to cross on rickety bridges or go near on old, abandoned(recently or otherwise - much in this is just "that which was quaint, is now sinister with the passing of a few hours since people were in and on them") buildings that you don't trust to not collapse. You're almost exclusively in the gloomy forest, and yet it doesn't get old.
Along the way, you find pages from Departure, the book Wake was going to author. And it explains(via narration, which our protagonist also does over the course of it) what is going on that we don't see, as well as predicting things that then happen! This is very foreboding, making you wonder how what you read comes to happen, or what will occur after it. The twists and pace keep you constantly wanting to go on, to find out more. Early on, this does waste some time, and other than that, the script can be hit and miss - on the whole, this is solid. Dialogs aren't repetitive(outside of the ones, along with monologues, that restate objectives - those even go over regular ones! And as usual, these come when you're exploring, I wish you could turn them off), acting is great with nearly no exceptions and the people in this are credible, interesting and varied. The bubbly diner waitress, a fellow New Yorker "lost in the wild", etc.
There is a lot of disturbing content and a little blood in this. I recommend this to any fan of the creepy horror and themes of Stephen King. 8/10
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