Bantam Banter

WARNING: There will be some spoilers for the end of Alan Wake 2 in this review. If you want to know my general thoughts, check out the score below. Otherwise, read at your own discretion.

“And so I return… The master of two worlds. No. The master of many worlds.”

For months, I have dwelled on this final line from Alan Wake 2. After Alan’s 13-year journey in the Dark Place, he is finally illuminated. But what does that mean? In classic Remedy fashion, we are not exactly sure. But the game’s new DLC may shed the tiniest bit of light in the most incredible fashion in the form of Night Springs.

For the uninitiated, Night Springs is the first expansion for Alan Wake 2 in which it teleports players into three episodes of Remedy’s Twilight Zone equivalent. Set before the events of the game, these episodes, written by Alan Wake and hosted by the elusive and enigmatic Warlin Door, in an attempt to get himself out of the Dark Place. The first episode stars the Waitress (Rose Marigold), the second stars the Sibling (Jesse Faden of Control), and the third stars the Actor (Shawn Ashmore?!).

Each episode is unique and quirky in its own way, both from a gameplay and presentation perspective. “Number One Fan” is bathed in shades of pinks and purples with a humorous love story between the Waitress and the Writer as you run and gun against the Writer’s brother and his band of haters; “North Star” presents itself similarly in tone and gameplay mechanics as Alan Wake 2 featuring the Sibling attempting the save her brother from a government organization set in Coffee World; “Time Breaker” is a genre bending adventure as the Actor travels through the multiverse to track down the Master of Many Worlds.

I do love how each episode is different from Alan Wake 2 to varying degrees. Specifically, “Number One Fan” deviates so much from the base game; it is so clearly inspired by the goofier parts of Twin Peaks with its corny dialogue and soundtrack as you mow down haters with an automatic shotgun. I hoped that creativity echoed throughout the entire experience. However, the other two episodes are more closely aligned with the base game, but offer enough differences and twists to make it wholly unique.

I won’t go too much into the story of each of these, but they all add something to the overall lore of the Remedy Connected Universe, especially with how Remedy weaves its ongoing metanarrative in the “Time Breaker” episode. Shawn Ashmore is awesome in it, and explains why his character (or characters?) is the way he is in Alan Wake 2, while presenting at least a billion more questions that will inevitably be answered in future games.

In fact, everyone’s performances are great. I knew what to expect from Courtney Hope, who does a great job reprising her role as Control’s Jesse Faden. However, it’s Jessica Preddy as Rose Marigold that really steals the show here. We had glimpses of her as Rose in Alan Wake 2, but she was only present for a couple of specific sections in that base game. In Night Springs, she is the star, and fully embodies the quirky, loveable, and obsessive nature of the Waitress. I really hope we get more Rose in whatever crazy story Remedy comes up with next.

What makes Night Springs really work is its length. It is very short. I didn’t time my gameplay, but I’m certain every episode could be finished within a two to three hour period. In a space where I feel games add a bit of extra content just to add more “value” to the experience, this first bit of Alan Wake 2 DLC doesn’t overstay its welcome and still tells an interesting tale that will leave you wanting more. I think if each of these were over an hour, my excitement for each episode’s gimmick would have diminished.

Night Springs is a bite-sized expansion with big ideas. It unfolds some of the many mysteries of the Remedy Connected Universe while keeping a metric ton of questions still unanswered making you want more. Remedy continues to expertly craft a metanarrative that is filled with varying degrees of levity that is a welcome departure from the base game. If you have a few hours to spare, spending it with Warlin Door in Night Springs would be time well spent.

SCORE: 9/10