I didn’t cover Alan Wake II when it was released last fall, but I echo everything in Reyna’s 5/5 review. It’s a masterpiece of survival horror that has one of the most creatively confident visions I’ve seen in the medium. I’m always on board for anything Remedy makes, so I was extremely excited by the Summer Game Fest announcement that Night Springs, the first of two planned story DLCs, was to be released on June 8. Now that I’ve got my hands on it, I’m happy to say that it’s a fun return to the world of Alan Wake, even if it’s not quite essential.
As the name implies, the DLC is inspired by the in-universe TV show “Night Springs,” a riff on The Twilight Zone. There are three episodes included, each an alternate-world take on existing characters and locations in the Remedy Extended Universe. Number One Fan takes you on a journey as a version of everyone’s favorite waitress Rose on a quest to save her beloved writer from danger. North Star sees a woman based on Control’s Jesse Faden searching Coffee World for signs of her missing brother. Finally, Time Breaker takes you on a wild journey through Remedy’s version of the multiverse with another version of Sheriff Tim Breaker.
There’s a bit of abstraction with the “Night Springs” DLC, as none of the characters are actually called by their character names (instead named the Waitress, the Sibling, and the Actor), and this helps sell the meta nature of it all. Each episode is its own self-contained story that wraps up in about 30 to 60 minutes, all with their own version of that classic Remedy charm.
Rose’s episode is the most overtly funny of the three, presenting a world in which she is a pillar of the community and famous for her award-winning fan site. When she gets word that “the Writer” is in danger, she grabs her shotgun and rifle and goes on a bloody, but light-hearted, rampage to rescue him. This one is the most explicitly action-packed of the episodes, with several combat encounters with “haters,” this episode’s version of the Taken, as you explore the woods following the trail of Writer’s evil twin.
There’s some laugh out loud moments, particularly during the hilarious climatic boss fight, which sets it apart from the other episodes while still feeling in tone with the larger Alan Wake tapestry. Your mileage with this one may vary depending on how much you like the game’s combat (fortunately, I enjoy it), but it’s played like a power fantasy. You are given way more ammo than you need, so it’s forgiving enough that you can see the absurd story to the end.
One of the bigger surprises from the trailer was seeing Jesse Faden walking around Coffee World, so I was excited to see what the North Star episode was like. Since this is an alternate universe, she doesn’t have all the powers from her game, but it’s still a treat to hear her unique brand of voiceover reacting to the world of Alan Wake.
In this episode, she discovers a strange, coffee-based conspiracy at the Kosekla Brothers’ famous theme park. It’s a classic combination of weirdness and menace that Remedy excels at, and it plays out with a few fun narrative twists and turns. There’s even a small variation on the gameplay mechanics at the end that makes for a tense scenario to cap it off. This one feels most in line with the mood of the base game, particularly Saga’s sections, but it adds in a healthy dose of Control flavor to sweeten the deal.
The final episode, Time Breaker, is the most meta of all, with callbacks, although not overt references, to Quantum Break. You take “the Actor” through many different universes, including a stop at the iconic Oceanview Hotel, spanning surprising genres as your jump. While there’s a lot of the classic flashlight and gun gameplay we’re used to, a few interesting variations on the gameplay await you in this chapter that are best left unspoiled. It’s exciting and creative, always taking you somewhere unpredictable.
The reuse of levels was a bit of a bummer for me, as I expected to travel to new places like in the DLC chapters of Control, but Remedy did a great job adding new touches to existing worlds that made them feel fresh to explore. I loved the pink color palette that repainted all the areas in Number One Fan, and the new little wrinkles added to Coffee World added even more creepiness to a level that was already one of my favorites.
It’s very clear that Night Springs is Remedy just having fun. The variety of genres that it explores allows them to stretch their creativity, leaning into their strengths in worldbuilding and storytelling. It was a little disappointing to revisit areas from the main game, but with the charming theming surrounding it, it’s hard to get too mad. If you’re a fan of the world and characters of Alan Wake, this does a great job of presenting them in a new light, but nothing in Night Springs feels absolutely essential to the overall picture of the main game. I was hoping for a bit longer of a return to the world of Alan Wake II, but each of the stories is entertaining enough that I would definitely recommend this DLC to anyone who wants a little more of that Remedy magic.
Night Springs is available now for Alan Wake II on PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.
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