The Writer is the second, and possibly final piece of DLC for the excellent Alan Wake for the Xbox 360. The only spoiler I will offer, is that The Writer does not ultimately offer true closure to the Alan Wake saga, but it is absolutely worth your time.
If you are interested in The Writer, than there are a few things you already know about Alan Wake. The core elements of the game have all made it over into the (hopefully not) final peice of DLC. the game still looks great, the exposition and voice acting are both excellent, the combat is as fun a destructive as ever, and the creepy atmosphere still pervades through out and even takes it a few steps further.
There are a lot of really amazing and cool things that happen in the writer that I will not spoil for you here. Just know that The Writer values spectacle to a much higher degree here than it did in The Signal, or even the full release. There are a lot of big things happening, and while it might be creeping Alan the hell out, the player will be happy to claim witness to the enormous set pieces.
The set pieces, while epic and at their strangest recalling some of the best moments of Super Mario Galaxy (it will make sense I promise), may be a turn off for some. If you are looking for more opportunities to shotgun the taken in the chest, or just shine lights in their face, then you may not appreciate The Writer as much as you did The Signal.
The emphasis on impressive set pieces means less opportunity to take on the enemies. They’re still there in droves, but you are going to be spending more time looking at and experiencing crazy stuff, and taking advantage of traps and timed explosions. The Writer strives to be bigger in all regards, and this goes double for enemy encounters. You see more taken at once, but you are taking them all out at simultaneously with one big explosion or one gigantic light. It’s awesome, and rewarding, but it is also easier.
One element that Alan Wakers may not find easier is the reliance on jumping. There are a few light platforming sequences in The Writer. Super Mario Galaxy may be referenced above, but the jumping is not as insane, or technique reliant as the Nintendo classic. Just know, before entering, that you will have to clear some gaps.
As far as narrative, discussing anything in detail would mean spoilers, and that would ruin some of he magic of The Writer. You won’t be getting a true ending in The Writer, nor will you receive any kind of realistic new insights into the world of Alan Wake, or the darkness, but you will get some satisfaction. Good things do happen, and if you want to get as much of the story you possible can, then you can’t skip The Writer.
The Writer simply offers a lot of really cool amazing general stuff. Combat takes a bit of a backseat in favour of gigantic spectacle, but you will still have your fair share of frantic reloads and cinematic dodges. It doesn’t offer the closure that we have all been looking for since the end of the core game, but it does move the story along admirably. Developer Remedy has confirmed that this is the last DLC for Alan Wake, which is a disappointment. On the one hand, expressing disappointment means we may not ever get a real ending to the plight of Mr. Wake, but on the other hand (the left hand in this metaphor), being upset over this being the possible end of Alan Wake speaks volumes about the quality of the game, and the DLC. I want more, and after playing The Writer, it’s likely that you will too.
The last we’ll see of Alan Wake?
Quote: "The Writer simply offers a lot of really cool amazing general stuff."