Summary
Remedy Entertainment has never been a video game developer that’s happy to just rest on its laurels. After debuting in 1996 with its genre-bending top-down vehicular combat gameDeath Rally, Remedy went on to shake up the third-person shooter genre withthe first twoMax Paynetitles. Then, after a seven-year hiatus, Remedy returned with its incredibly unique psychological horror third-person shooterAlan Wake. While Remedy carries over certain elements between games, no two Remedy titles are the same, and that seems to be the case for its upcomingAlan Wake 2.
A sequel 13 years in the making,Alan Wake 2is finally set to launch in October, and every bit of footage released so far has been equally impressive. Though it definitely uses a similar tone to its predecessor,Alan Wake 2is fully leaning into survival horrorthis time around, and in typical Remedy fashion, it seems to be incorporating some big, experimental components. One of those is the implementation of live-action elements, and while it isn’t the first time a Remedy game has used them, it has the potential to be the best, just as long as it learns the right lessons fromQuantum Break.
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Alan Wake 2 Needs to From Quantum Break’s Use of Live-Action Content
Launched back in 2016,Quantum Breakis perhaps the most divisive Remedy Entertainment game. Remedy is a studio that loves to experiment, andQuantum Break– for better and for worse – is probably the developer’s most experimental title, though not through its gameplay. On the surface,QuantumBreakis a solid third-person action game, with some pretty impressive visuals and physics for the time, and some unique time-manipulation powers. ButQuantum Breakisn’t just a third-person shooter; it’s also a whole season of live-action TV.
At the end ofeach chapter inQuantum Break, players switch perspectives to the game’s primary antagonist. As the antagonist, players are given one of two choices, both of which can dramatically change the course of the game moving forward. After choosing a path, players are then given a 22-minute-long episode of a live-action TV show based on the choice they made, and after the episode ends, they get to play again as the protagonist as they deal with the aftermath of the episode’s events.
Quantum Break’s structure is incredibly unique, and extremely ambitious, but the execution of it all left quite a bit to be desired. The two biggest issues with these live-action segments ofQuantum Breakwere their quality and length. Though the acting across the board was good,Quantum Break’s live-action episodeshad little substance to them, and their lengthy duration only served to grind the game to a halt every 90 minutes. The simple takeaway fromQuantum Breakwas that the vast majority of players don’t want to be forced to watch a whole episode of a TV show while they’re meant to be playing a video game.
Alan Wake 2is currently balancing on the tip of a double-edged live-action sword. From what fans have seen so far, it seems as thoughAlan Wake 2will be using live-action quite frequently, but its specific purpose and role in the game hasn’t been directly stated just yet. On the one hand,Alan Wake 2’s live-action elements could work really well in practice, primarily being used in The Dark Place as a way to add a sense of uncanniness to the eerie setting. On the other hand, ifAlan Wake 2ends up overusing live-action elements, then it could end up repeating a lot ofQuantum Break’s mistakes.
Alan Wake2releases June 26, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
