Well, here we are. I remember vividly how utterly absorbed I was by the first Alan Wake game, and the subsequent years of hoping and praying for a sequel. It seemed like a lifetime, and yet now, nearly exactly a year after the release of Alan Wake 2, the final act is upon us. The Lake House.
The events take place towards the beginning of the main game, following Kiran Estevez from the Federal Bureau of Control. She arrives to investigate strange happenings at The Lake House, an FBC facility located on Cauldron Lake. It quickly becomes apparent all is not well, as questionable experiments have gone awry resulting in a flurry of supernatural activity.
The facility is split across five floors, each revealing more about the confidential activities of the FBC which, as it happens, set up shop not long after the events of the first Alan Wake game. Eagle eyed players of Alan Wake 2 may have spotted The Lake House facility, although it was fenced off meaning the facility was strictly off limits.
You’ll need to find several keycards of different clearance levels to fully explore The Lake House, and travelling floor to floor by using the elevator is not as straightforward as you may expect. Then again, this being Alan Wake, that probably isn’t a surprise.
The old box of tricks is opened up once again, as your environment shifts and changes around you. You’ll often not be taken to the floor you want, get caught up in loops and find yourself transported to some other familiar locations.
Unfortunately for agent Estevez the facility is no longer secure and your old enemies The Taken are back to terrorise you once again. There’s something new and even more terrifying lurking in the shadows in Alan Wake 2: The Lake House however, The Painted.
Art is a key thread in this DLC expansion and is at the core of the FBC experiments. The Painted are tall, gangly and quick, often emerging from a canvas to catch you off guard. It’s also the case that regular weapons won’t work against them, so you’ll need to get hold of the Black Rock Launcher to neutralise them. I’m not afraid to admit that on several occasions they made me absolutely crap myself.
Otherwise, it’s pretty much business as usual for Alan Wake fans, when it comes to the gameplay anyhow. The Lake House is a linear campaign that lacks any truly challenging puzzles and will only take you a couple of hours to complete. There are some light brain teasers when it comes to hacking into computer terminals, but that’s as taxing as it gets. Thankfully it’s such an effectively atmospheric setting that these limitations won’t prevent you from being totally absorbed into the experience.
As ever, Alan Wake 2: The Lake House looks absolutely gorgeous. The facility itself is inspired by 1970s modernist interior style, backed up with solid level design. The use of lighting and sound is once again exceptional, especially ramping up the terror with bright blood reds cutting through the darkness. I won’t spoil it here, but there’s a part where you emerge into a large room populated with desks that is so striking you’ll need to stop and take it all in. An assault on the senses, I think it’s fair to say.
Alan Wake 2: The Lake House is as much for fans of Control as the troubled writer’s adventures. It’s undeniable that worlds collide, and you will get the most from this DLC if you are well versed in the adventures of Jesse Faden as well as Alan Wake. There’s quite a big clue as to what players can come to expect in the upcoming Control sequel too.
I’m pretty confident in saying you won’t find a bigger fan of Alan Wake 2 than me. It was my Game of the Year in 2023, and one of the best games I have ever, ever played. The Lake House is an unusual way to end this chapter of the Remedy Connected Universe, but a decision I totally understand. The direction of travel is clear, and this final chapter links both Alan Wake and Control in as strong a way as ever.
On balance though, it’s the element of Alan Wake 2 I enjoyed the least. I still had a great time while it lasted, but The Lake House didn’t quite excite me as much as what came before; in both the main game and that of the Night Springs expansion. It felt like an anticlimax, but then in the modern age of video games expectations can easily get the better of us. As DLC goes, The Lake House is still mighty impressive.
Alan Wake 2: The Lake House is an intriguing change of scenery that leans fully into the survival horror experience. It may not reach the heady heights of the source material, but passes the baton on for what promises to be an exciting future for the Remedy Connected Universe. All eyes on what lies ahead.
Alan Wake 2: The Lake House Expansion Dives Deeper into the Remedy Connected Universe – https://www.thexboxhub.com/alan-wake-2-the-lake-house-expansion-dives-deeper-into-the-remedy-connected-universe/
Alan Wake 2 Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/alan-wake-2-review/
Buy Alan Wake 2 Deluxe Edition for access to The Lake House – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/alan-wake-2-deluxe-edition/9NP42RG7LBGL/0010
