Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Remedy Entertainment

Release Date: 7/27/2010

Available Exclusively On

DLC tends to get criticized a lot for either price, length, or the amount of content it has, and developers have a hard time striking a balance between the three. The Signal (which is the first of the extra chapters that came free if you bought a new copy) suffers from this as well since it is so short, clocking in at about 2–3 hours. Yes, it’s really just a 1-2 sitting play-through, but it does provide a good addition to the already award-winning story.

Alan Wake is inside his own story once again, but the real him is writing ways to kill himself in the stories. Why he’s doing this is unclear until the very end, but each time you advance through the chapter, it gets more and more violent. There aren’t really any changes or additions except finding supplies, and sometimes enemies and environmental hazards are hidden as words that you may burn up with your flashlight (like at the end of the main game). It’s interesting and makes you really feel like you’re in a story, so this subtle addition adds to the experience.

Other than that, there are no new characters, weapons, or anything else, so just kick back and enjoy the quick little story. You do run into Barry again, but other than that, there’s no one else in the game, which is a disappointment. Another issue The Signal falls under is backtracking areas you already played in the main game. Plus, The Signal is very combat-heavy and can get extremely difficult at times.

The Signal is a must-play for fans of the game, but if you didn’t dig the main game too much, you should pass. If the game were more robust and added deeper and richer content, it would be so much better, but Remedy took the safe route and stuck with the main game’s ideas only.