It has been quite some time since Alan Wake was first announced, way back in 2005. Developed by Remedy, the guys behind Max Payne, their latest title has been quite some time in the making, with little information floating about regarding the state of development.

This has changed today, with the release of a new cinematic trailer which has just been released. We've got it on the mirror (in 1080p!) and ready for download. We've also dug up a fact sheet which should prove a refresher to those who'd forgotten about this game, or those who've never heard of it at all.

Download Alan Wake 'Cinematic' Trailer
The game will follow fictitious suspense author Alan Wake, who "escapes" to the town of Bright Falls "to recover from the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée". Set in an open world, Alan Wake will give the player freedom to explore hyper-realistic and dynamic environments through mission-based story telling, which will be "deeply engaging and suspenseful". Amongst this, gamers can expect storyline twists, and "profound character revelations" along with a number of other features, as outlined by the fact sheet:

* Intense psychological thriller. “Alan Wake” delivers a deeply psychological and finely crafted plot that raises the bar for storytelling in video games. The riveting story of “Alan Wake” is propelled by a movie-like atmosphere, compelling situations, memorable characters and real-time pacing. Remedy has a record of creating and developing games with unique cinematic presentation and exceptionally high production values. The developer has harnessed next-generation gaming technology to tell a powerful story that immerses the gamer in the intense emotion and suspense of Alan Wake’s thrilling adventure.

* Massive, open world to explore. The free-roaming elements and massive open world allow gamers to investigate the mysteries of Bright Falls and encourage them to explore and pay close attention to detail.



* Light as a combat element. As the story progresses, nights grow longer and days grow shorter. This poses a severe problem for Alan Wake since his enemies seemingly gain strength from the shadows, and before long light itself becomes his greatest ally. Players must skillfully combine their use of light with more conventional weapons to stand a chance against these creatures of darkness.

* Realistic, interactive environment. Set in the town of Bright Falls, the hyper-detailed environments of the Pacific Northwest play an important role; even the change in daylight and weather will profoundly affect the characters and enemies in “Alan Wake.” The game’s advanced rendering engine provides amazingly realistic environments that bring this world to detailed life — from the lush forest of evergreen trees to the quaint small-town buildings and streets. The world of “Alan Wake” is alive and real.


* Episodic narrative. The mission-based structure of “Alan Wake” creates an episodic narrative similar to a deeply structured dramatic television series. As the episodes progress, gameplay will evolve to introduce new elements and characters, escalating the level of threat and action in the game.

Alan Wake will release on the PC and the Xbox 360. No release date is yet announced, but hopefully we'll see this at some point in the near future, given the fact that it has been in development for around 3 years (and counting). Remedy do make very good games though, so we can only hope that they take their time with Alan Wake so as to not tarnish their excellent reputation.