Summary
Alongside the reveal of the highly anticipatedAlan Wake 2, Remedy Entertainment has confirmed it will be using its in-house game engine Northlight, ensuring that the upcoming sequel captures the first game’s visual style and atmosphere. While fans had always hopedAlan Wakewould someday receive a sequel, there had been speculation one was sure to come after it was confirmed inControlthat the two games shared a fictional universe. So withControlalso built on the Northlight engine, players will already have a frame of reference of what to expect ahead ofAlan Wake 2.
Unlike some other game engines, Northlight is Remedy’s own proprietary game engine and was first used for the multimedia hybridQuantum Break.Prior to then, Remedy had been using other proprietary engines for its other games likeMax PayneandAlan Wakewith fans dubbing this as the “Alan Wakeengine,” so forAlan Wake 2to transition away from this is a significant change. However, based onAlan Wake2’s current trailer, it seems that Northlight is up to the task of delivering a cinematic visual experience Remedy has become renowned for while doing justice toAlan Wake’s game design of light-based mechanicsand dark environments.
RELATED:Alan Wake 2’s Digital-Only Approach Kills Two Birds With One Stone
Breaking Down Northlight’s Origins and Strengths
The fact thatAlan Wake 2is utilizing Remedy’s Northlight engine is actually reflective of the developer’s experience in creating the firstAlan Wake. While it sought to maintain a strong focus on narrative demonstrated inAlan Wake’s episodic television-like format, Remedy found that the technical limitations it faced were holding its storytelling capacity back. It was these limitations that came to a head as Remedy was working on a prototype ofAlan Wake 2, ultimately shelving the project in order to refine its game engine and ensure that it could first successfully deliver on the narratives it wanted to achieve.
As a result, the Northlight game engine was created which expanded on the previous technology that had developedAlan Wake. With a strong emphasis on motion capture, Northlight is a physically based render system that boasts global illumination, ray tracing, particle lighting, and real-time deterministic physics at a large scale. As Northlight can provide both a high degree of fidelity for character movements and facial expressions as well as interactive destructible environments, it has since shown it can best meetRemedy’s expectations forAlan Wake’s storytellingafter its capabilities were demonstrated inQuantumBreakandControl.
Alan Wake 2 And Northlight Were Made For Each Other
Considering that Remedy had only developed its Northlight engine after realizing it was struggling to accomplish its aims withAlan Wake 2, it should be a vote of confidence that the two are finally being brought together. After all, if Northlight was created to address areas of game design Remedy felt were lacking in itsAlan Wake 2prototype, then the strengths Northlight now has means it can deliver on whatRemedy intended forAlan Wake’s sequel. In short, Northlight’s real-time physics, illumination, and motion capture systems are going to be essential forAlan Wake 2.
However, this isn’t something fans will need to hope for as the current trailer forAlan Wake 2serves as a showcase of Northlight’s capabilities ahead of the game’s release. Knowing that the sequel would need to adapt andexpand on the gameplay ofAlan Wake, the trailer outlines how Northlight’s global illumination and particle effects are being used for its enemies, while another moment where an enemy bursts through a wall shows off the real-time physics of destructible environments. In combination with the improved motion capture of its actors and their facial expressions, Northlight could be the key toAlan Wake 2as Remedy’s next cinematic experience.
Alan Wake 2is set to release on July 12, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
