APE OUT is a glorious game. If you're on the fence about buying this game like I was, get the ♥♥♥♥ off that fence, its monkey time baybee!!

The basic gameplay mixed with the amazing level design make for a very enjoyable experience. The experience of this game is only heightened by the beautiful visuals and style, as well as the soundtrack, which on it's own sounds like complete garbage, but in the context of the game, adds a whole new level of enjoyment. Although short, (I finished all 4 chapters in 2 hours) This game has a huge amount of replay value, whether you're going for 100% completion or just hopping in to replay the levels for fun. APE OUT has proven to be a great addition to my library and my only regret is waiting so long to buy it.

Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake has become a cult classic of a game since it's release for many reasons. Criminally underrated and bringing lots of new and fresh ideas to the genre, it was bound to happen. Though the game isn't without its flaws of course.

The game is set in the fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington. The atmosphere and detail in the town and it's surrounding forests are incredible. and even on this original release of the game, hold up to the test of time shockingly well. The art direction was obviously a focus when crafting the game world, which is good, because a game like this needs to be as immersive as possible to work, and I'd say it succeeds in that aspect. As for the story, being a game developed by Remedy, you know you're getting a good one. The game is formatted like a TV show with six episodes, with bumpers in between, it's a super charming and relevant framing device that elevates the quality of the product. There are also two DLC chapters that come with this release of the game, they're called Specials are are two parts of one feature length conclusion to the story told in the base game. You can think of them like a movie released after the TV show had aired, and the quality of these DLCs are so comparable to the base game it makes me wonder why they weren't included in the first place. Overall, Alan Wake excels at taking a concept and expanding upon it throughout the runtime. The story is tight, keeps you engaged, and has a satisfying conclusion by the end of it. (leaving room for a sequel of course, Because lets face it baby, these days you gotta have a sequel.)

The Gameplay is unique for a third person shooter, most, if not all, enemies will have to be weaken with light, whether that be shining your flashlight at them, coaxing them under a street lamp, or blowing something up near them, before they can be attacked with your gun and killed. Some enemies will require more light and more bullets to go down, and sometimes it's advisable to not even bother and just run past the enemies, the choice is yours. This unique gameplay loop however also falls into this games greatest weakness. The selection of weapons are slim, being a revolver, shotgun, and rifle, and the flashlight upgrades may aswell not even be there. Other than that, you'll pick up flares to keep enemies at bay, and eventually flashbangs to clear crowds of enemies instantly. But atleast in my playthrough the flares were used as a last ditch effort, and the flashbangs were better saved for boss fights or when you find yourself getting overwhelmed instead of viable combat options. This leads to the gameplay getting rather repetitive by the time it comes to a close and I found myself pushing through it solely to bookend the story that was playing out, and found the playing of the game somewhat grueling. It's always a little bit disapointing when a game leaves you happy with it's conclusion, but not wanting any more. After completing the story and it's specials, I have little desire to play through it again.

Despite this, I am excited for the upcoming sequel, as it will expand the story of this title and hopefully enrich a good story even further. I found this game to be incredibly charming, with likable characters, a capable enemy to rival. and of course, a masterclass story to tie it all up. I'd recommend Alan Wake to anyone who enjoys a good singleplayer action game, or wants to immerse themselves into a well realized world with mysteries and secrets to discover.