When Epic launched Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), sometimes referred to by fans as Creative 2.0, players speculated about the new ways the platform could be used. Today, we can see one such novel application: a hearty recap of Alan Wake–Remedy’s 2010 psychological action thriller–just in time for next week’s Epic-published sequel, Alan Wake 2. Alan Wake Flashback is a collaboration between Remedy and Epic, as well as UEFN developers Spiral House and Zen Creative, and though it isn’t a complete remake of the original game, it works equally well as a 30-minute primer for the uninitiated or as a new perspective for fans already eager for the sequel 13 years in the making.
Ahead of its debut, I got to play the entire experience, bringing with me an admittedly deep knowledge of the game’s lore. In trying to see it through fresh eyes, however, I think it holds up as a concise introduction for those who want it. All the broad strokes are present, such as Alan and Alice’s sometimes rocky relationship, their trip to Bright Falls, and much of the weirdness that occurs after Alice disappears into Cauldron Lake. Players will re-experience these moments like a ghost out of time and space as they replay in front of their Fortnite avatar–yes, Peely, Ariana Grande, and Ant-Man can each finally visit Bright Falls.
The idea, Remedy’s Sam Lake told me, came early in meetings with Epic. “I remember joking about Alan Wake in Fortnite at the very first meeting with Epic Games Publishing. But also, it felt like such a no-brainer. I was thinking of the character model, maybe a cool dance as well, but then they came back to us with a very cool proposal: a playable sequence that would recap the story of the first game on top of the character model.”
