The latest Alan Wake 2 DLC is a brand new story set in the Federal Bureau of Control’s secretive Lake House facility. This once bustling research and development center is now the victim of a mysterious paranatural threat.
What happened here? What are these new ‘Painted’ monsters, and what’s up with all the paint scattered everywhere?
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+ 4The length of Alan Wake 2’s DLCs isn’t particularly lengthy. The Lake House only takes 2-3 hours of playtime, even if you’re going for the 100% run. That means collecting files, finding the Computers, and finding secrets only take less than 3 hours.
Despite its short length, Agent Estevez’s trip to this broken facility is packed with terrifying moments. New enemies called the ‘Painted’ blend behind paint-covered walls, waiting to ambush the unsuspected. This is especially annoying when dealing with a legion of Shaded FBC employees.
click to enlarge + 4Thankfully, Estevez is an FBC agent and is good at what she does. Armed with a regular pistol, a couple of flares, a Shotgun, and the Black Rock Launcher, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Her mission is to eliminate the Overlap causing problems inside this facility.
The Lake House tackles various themes that add new depth to Alan Wake’s metafiction. It includes a few subtle commentaries on the effects of AI-generated content in media and a special teaser of Control 2.
click to enlarge + 4It also discussed multiple forms of ‘art’ that can shake up The Dark Place. Unlike Alan Wake’s prolific writing skills, the researchers inside the Lake House experimented with all sorts of art, such as painting, singing, and even AI-generated nonsense.
Not only is the DLC a return to Alan Wake 2’s survival horror roots, but it also amps up its puzzles. The first major hurdle for most players is getting the first Keycard and unlocking Jules Marmont’s computer. The first few minutes were only a glimpse of its puzzles, but Remedy knows they don’t need to make it too hard. So, instead, they put the answers on sticky notes.
click to enlarge + 4The DLC’s length isn’t different from Alan Wake 2’s first DLC, Night Springs. The three-episode story was a collection of “what-if” events surrounding characters from the Remedy Connected Universe. The entirety of Night Springs also takes about 2-3 hours to complete. Rose, Jesse, and Tim’s separate adventures can be enjoyed for 30 minutes to an hour each.
Both DLCs share about 3 hours each if we’re looking for every secret and achievement, totaling 6 hours worth of extra content in addition to Alan Wake 2’s 18-20 hours of playtime.
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