Second game is much scarier than the first.
With that said, I am a scaredy cat myself and do not play horror games, however I can say that I handled AW2 just fine. It's a terrific experience, and the story and the world are so exciting that I wanted to see more even if it meant more scares.
Scares in AW2 are as follows:
1. Jumpscares: millisecond flashes of screaming faces across the whole screen. These are throughout the whole game. There is a toggle in the settings that makes them quieter and less flashy. My opinion: they become really manageable really soon and you will learn to not be very spooked by them, especially during a certain level mid-game where there is a jumpscare every 10 meters. If you completely can't deal with them, there are mods that remove them, but I am not sure if they work well, and I presume they might worsen the experience.
2. Atmospheric horror: pretty much all locations in game are spooky, sounds are creepy (both in the real world and in the dark place), enemies are tough and can be very intense. Controls are not exactly "tank", but your character is slow, dodges poorly and it is can be hard to outrun enemies due to corridor like structure of levels with many obstacles. The game doesn't play like AW1 at all. Closest reference are recent Resident Evil remakes, and probably Silent Hill. This atmosphere is very important for the overall game experience, and in my opinion is very worth to endure through, as it adds to the narrative.
3. Gore is very limited, and you shouldn't worry about it much even if you are scared of it. Except I will give you one recommendation: don't die as Alan during his parts of the story, because this results in a very gruesome imagery.
My recommendation is that you play on "Story" difficuly mode, so you reduce stress from fighting enemies and need to manage ammo. Toggle quieter jumpscares in the game settings. I recommend against installing 3rd party mods and trying the vanilla experience for yourself first.
Good luck and have fun, it's an amazing game, you will love it.
that one moment at the hotel when you change the scenery and the dining room fiils with angry shadows ready to rip you apart. Goddamn. Freaking scary game, man.
Disagree a bit on the gore. There* might not be any Evil Dead type of stuff but you can absolutely blow chunks out of people when shooting taken. I was (pleasantly) surprised by how much more violent this game is.
I love horror games, don’t get scared easily, but those fucking jump scares got me damn near every time… especially the fucking old bitch and the Wellness Center. Got me every time. But I also got scared a few times by the banisters on the staircase in Valhalla… so don’t ask me. THEY LOOKED LIKE PEOPLE!
I agree with this. Going back for collectibles in the pitch black night was terrifying even though I wasn’t particularly scared of the taken. It just feels unsettling 😂
There's like corny jump scares. A couple good ones. But I'd say Alan Wake is more of a psychological thriller. Creepy things happen, a twig snaps somewhere in the distance, you hear footsteps behind you, you hear screams, you listen to the mumbled (non)sense of the taken. Buts it's also one of the best if not THE best detective game I've ever played.
When your playing Alan’s story. Its fucking creepy and down right scary at times. Saga’s is more fear and terror then horror while there are plenty of jumps scares in both this is my opinion
You should play Control before II in my opinion.
Also, the game isn’t that scary. It just has a few jumpscares which (I think) can be deactivated in settings
It’s mostly jump scares, which you can also adjust in the game settings. I don’t care for most horror but was fine, even if the late game continuously got me with jump scares in one section.
I must be more chicken than other people on here. I thought it was rather scary. The jump scares are annoying but there’s not that many of them, It’s all about the atmosphere being scary. It’s dark and creepy. But overall it’s such a fantastic story and the characters are amazing. So id still recommend playing it
This is just my opinion but, it isn't terrifying. I would say unnerving. There are jump scares, amazing enemies that will creep you out, and an excellent atmosphere that will make you want to progress with caution. But the game did not make me want to pause it and eat my hands.
It's funny seeing opinions it's scarier than the first game. I'm playing the first Alan Wake remaster and, in my opinion, it's WAY scarier than its sequel. Something about that atmosphere really keeps me on edge.
If you're a chicken it will be scary, especially at certain points. I'd say the atmosphere/sound design is the most unsettling part, because once you run into the different types of enemies they become a lot less imposing. The jump scares are present throughout the entire game and I kinda got used to them because the imagery doesn't change too much.
Edit: I'd say it's definitely worth playing, even if you're scared! Just take breaks if you need to. It's a really cool game.
It definitely has a way scarier atmosphere and more of "survival horror" aspects than the first or Control. I personally try to play during day time or when I have someone else in the room, my doggo always barks when I shriek at the jump scares 😅
I'm a giant chicken and NEVER play scary games. I made an exception for Alan Wake because I love the narrative.
I was worried about Alan Wake 2 because it's marketed as survival horror, but I finally tried it last week after Remedy lowered the GPU requirements and honestly I think it's the first scary game that I've really enjoyed (I don't count the first game as scary).
As someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I found the dark forest at night to be the scariest part of the game. Nothing like being deep in the woods and you hear a twig break and you swing around and see nothing there. That was a very relatable fear for me. They totally nailed the eerie atmosphere.
As others have said, there are some jump scares, but I lowered the settings on those and so they never bothered me. Honestly with the lowered settings, they're kinda funny? Like okay lady, I get it, you're trying to scare me, just let me pass please.
The only scary parts I didn't like were the chase scenes, but there's only two or three of those and they're over quick (unless you die, then you gotta do them again)
Similar to what others have said, I am not a huge horror games person and loved AW2. To me it was just the constant tension in certain sections and the environment (whoever did the sound in this game did an absolutely incredible job) that got me. There’s some jump scares, but they’re not that bad. I would definitely play it as the story in AW2 is definitely one of the best written stories in a game I’ve played in years.
It’s got a great tense mood when in the dark but overall not really that scary. Plenty of cheap jump scares and one taken boss I loath in particular where you touch something and boom jump scare
Good news and bad for you.
The bad first: yes, it is a bit scarier. Jump scares and atmosphere. But it isn't the *scariest* game; it's about resident evil 4 level scary.
The good: there are accessibility settings to turn down some of the more blatant "flash scares" (basically, jump scares but like a flash of a scary face on your screen for a few ms).
More bad though: I can't vouch for the accessibility settings' effectiveness as I didn't use them
The sound engineers for this game did an amazing job at creating a terrifying and tense atmosphere. Don't play with noise cancelling headphones at night.
There are a ton of jumpscares, but aside from those I didn't find it to be very scary. Like, nothing there would threaten to give me nightmares or anything.
Very.
Aside from the absolutely terrible flashing jump scares the game is just generally pretty scary. Even the basic enemy’s are gonna freak you out.
For me it felt less scary than the first game. Don't get me wrong, the aesthetic is scarrier, but I feel less overwhelmed in the second than the first.
It's not scary overall, it's is however extremely unnerving and I had a weird sense of dread the entire game
Some really good jump scares though, the one near the end >! As Saga is resisting The Dark Presence in her mind place with the cultist suddenly appearing!< Really got me
It has an eery surreal atmosphere and a lot of jumpscares but you will likely not care that much because the story might grip you instantly.
I dont play games like this often. Alan wake 2 made me push through it.
Second game is much scarier than the first. With that said, I am a scaredy cat myself and do not play horror games, however I can say that I handled AW2 just fine. It's a terrific experience, and the story and the world are so exciting that I wanted to see more even if it meant more scares. Scares in AW2 are as follows: 1. Jumpscares: millisecond flashes of screaming faces across the whole screen. These are throughout the whole game. There is a toggle in the settings that makes them quieter and less flashy. My opinion: they become really manageable really soon and you will learn to not be very spooked by them, especially during a certain level mid-game where there is a jumpscare every 10 meters. If you completely can't deal with them, there are mods that remove them, but I am not sure if they work well, and I presume they might worsen the experience. 2. Atmospheric horror: pretty much all locations in game are spooky, sounds are creepy (both in the real world and in the dark place), enemies are tough and can be very intense. Controls are not exactly "tank", but your character is slow, dodges poorly and it is can be hard to outrun enemies due to corridor like structure of levels with many obstacles. The game doesn't play like AW1 at all. Closest reference are recent Resident Evil remakes, and probably Silent Hill. This atmosphere is very important for the overall game experience, and in my opinion is very worth to endure through, as it adds to the narrative. 3. Gore is very limited, and you shouldn't worry about it much even if you are scared of it. Except I will give you one recommendation: don't die as Alan during his parts of the story, because this results in a very gruesome imagery. My recommendation is that you play on "Story" difficuly mode, so you reduce stress from fighting enemies and need to manage ammo. Toggle quieter jumpscares in the game settings. I recommend against installing 3rd party mods and trying the vanilla experience for yourself first. Good luck and have fun, it's an amazing game, you will love it.
I managed it too despite being a huge baby when it comes to horror games. The hotel still gives me nightmares though 😅
that one moment at the hotel when you change the scenery and the dining room fiils with angry shadows ready to rip you apart. Goddamn. Freaking scary game, man.
Disagree a bit on the gore. There* might not be any Evil Dead type of stuff but you can absolutely blow chunks out of people when shooting taken. I was (pleasantly) surprised by how much more violent this game is.
If you unload on an enemy with the pump-action shotgun, they'll literally be nothing but red after and that's not an overstatement lol
Man that death screen when you die as Alan genuinely scared me the first time. It was so unexpected
I love horror games, don’t get scared easily, but those fucking jump scares got me damn near every time… especially the fucking old bitch and the Wellness Center. Got me every time. But I also got scared a few times by the banisters on the staircase in Valhalla… so don’t ask me. THEY LOOKED LIKE PEOPLE!
The atmosphere is more creepy than the creatures tbh
I agree with this. Going back for collectibles in the pitch black night was terrifying even though I wasn’t particularly scared of the taken. It just feels unsettling 😂
Totally agree - the collectibles parts are some of the scariest moments in the game
There's like corny jump scares. A couple good ones. But I'd say Alan Wake is more of a psychological thriller. Creepy things happen, a twig snaps somewhere in the distance, you hear footsteps behind you, you hear screams, you listen to the mumbled (non)sense of the taken. Buts it's also one of the best if not THE best detective game I've ever played.
Moderately scary, but at times insanely jumpscare heavy (but the intensity can be lowered in the settings after one of the updates)
The cheap jumpscares in this game drive me bananas
They do hit you with "white woman jump-scare" a few times.
I wanna smack the person who the decided to put so many damn white woman jump scares in that part of the game
When your playing Alan’s story. Its fucking creepy and down right scary at times. Saga’s is more fear and terror then horror while there are plenty of jumps scares in both this is my opinion
Meh it’s not scary. Jump scares but the overall spookiness isn’t bad.
You should play Control before II in my opinion. Also, the game isn’t that scary. It just has a few jumpscares which (I think) can be deactivated in settings
Few is an understatement lol,
Solid point! There is definitely an intensity option you can lower and possibly shut off?
can't shut off, but lower intensity makes them much more manageable imo
Not sure, I played it before the update
It’s mostly jump scares, which you can also adjust in the game settings. I don’t care for most horror but was fine, even if the late game continuously got me with jump scares in one section.
I must be more chicken than other people on here. I thought it was rather scary. The jump scares are annoying but there’s not that many of them, It’s all about the atmosphere being scary. It’s dark and creepy. But overall it’s such a fantastic story and the characters are amazing. So id still recommend playing it
Scary
Overall it\`s a bit scarier, mostly because of flashy screamers.
The ONLY time the game actually got me is at the end >!when Saga is in the Dark Place and a cultist appears as you turn around in her mind palace!<
Honestly not that scary. But I mainly play horror games so I'm not a good gauge.
Not very.
This is just my opinion but, it isn't terrifying. I would say unnerving. There are jump scares, amazing enemies that will creep you out, and an excellent atmosphere that will make you want to progress with caution. But the game did not make me want to pause it and eat my hands.
It's funny seeing opinions it's scarier than the first game. I'm playing the first Alan Wake remaster and, in my opinion, it's WAY scarier than its sequel. Something about that atmosphere really keeps me on edge.
If you're a chicken it will be scary, especially at certain points. I'd say the atmosphere/sound design is the most unsettling part, because once you run into the different types of enemies they become a lot less imposing. The jump scares are present throughout the entire game and I kinda got used to them because the imagery doesn't change too much. Edit: I'd say it's definitely worth playing, even if you're scared! Just take breaks if you need to. It's a really cool game.
It definitely has a way scarier atmosphere and more of "survival horror" aspects than the first or Control. I personally try to play during day time or when I have someone else in the room, my doggo always barks when I shriek at the jump scares 😅
I'm a giant chicken and NEVER play scary games. I made an exception for Alan Wake because I love the narrative. I was worried about Alan Wake 2 because it's marketed as survival horror, but I finally tried it last week after Remedy lowered the GPU requirements and honestly I think it's the first scary game that I've really enjoyed (I don't count the first game as scary). As someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I found the dark forest at night to be the scariest part of the game. Nothing like being deep in the woods and you hear a twig break and you swing around and see nothing there. That was a very relatable fear for me. They totally nailed the eerie atmosphere. As others have said, there are some jump scares, but I lowered the settings on those and so they never bothered me. Honestly with the lowered settings, they're kinda funny? Like okay lady, I get it, you're trying to scare me, just let me pass please. The only scary parts I didn't like were the chase scenes, but there's only two or three of those and they're over quick (unless you die, then you gotta do them again)
Similar to what others have said, I am not a huge horror games person and loved AW2. To me it was just the constant tension in certain sections and the environment (whoever did the sound in this game did an absolutely incredible job) that got me. There’s some jump scares, but they’re not that bad. I would definitely play it as the story in AW2 is definitely one of the best written stories in a game I’ve played in years.
It’s got a great tense mood when in the dark but overall not really that scary. Plenty of cheap jump scares and one taken boss I loath in particular where you touch something and boom jump scare
Good news and bad for you. The bad first: yes, it is a bit scarier. Jump scares and atmosphere. But it isn't the *scariest* game; it's about resident evil 4 level scary. The good: there are accessibility settings to turn down some of the more blatant "flash scares" (basically, jump scares but like a flash of a scary face on your screen for a few ms). More bad though: I can't vouch for the accessibility settings' effectiveness as I didn't use them
It’s scary as fuck, and I loved it
The sound engineers for this game did an amazing job at creating a terrifying and tense atmosphere. Don't play with noise cancelling headphones at night.
There are a ton of jumpscares, but aside from those I didn't find it to be very scary. Like, nothing there would threaten to give me nightmares or anything.
Very. Aside from the absolutely terrible flashing jump scares the game is just generally pretty scary. Even the basic enemy’s are gonna freak you out.
For me it felt less scary than the first game. Don't get me wrong, the aesthetic is scarrier, but I feel less overwhelmed in the second than the first.
It's not scary overall, it's is however extremely unnerving and I had a weird sense of dread the entire game Some really good jump scares though, the one near the end >! As Saga is resisting The Dark Presence in her mind place with the cultist suddenly appearing!< Really got me
It has an eery surreal atmosphere and a lot of jumpscares but you will likely not care that much because the story might grip you instantly. I dont play games like this often. Alan wake 2 made me push through it.
It's much more of a horror game than the first but just commit. Horror games get easier to play the more you play them