Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Solid"

Alan Wake: The Signal starts abruptly after the ending of Alan Wake and is labeled as a "Special Feature 1". What a special feature means in AW's case is a new element to the story that doesn't answer older questions, but gives new ones to this side-story. It seems that these special features won't have really anything to do with possible sequel stories itself, instead they're offering a perspective as to what Alan's going through since we last saw him.

* AW Spoilers* The Signal revolves around Alan going through areas that, to him, feel like a dream. He's not exactly sure how he got there and where to go next until Thomas Zane tells him to follow "the signal". *Spoilers end* The Signal doesn't exactly offer a great amount of detail into the meaning of anything questionable in the first one but instead tailors to make a smaller story as Alan tries to get a grip on his nightmarish reality and will leave you full of excitement to see how the next DLC ends.

One of the great new staples to see in The Signal is the varied new gameplay elements. Remedy's able to utilize more ideas to vary gameplay. Certain scenes will involve in a boiler room, where you can set up traps using your flashlight or another scene involving a huge landmass with dozens of random streetlights.

Whatever the situation may be, The Signal offers a great amount of new ideas that should certainly be impletemented in possible sequels. It would've been nice to get some closure on certain issues, but with this DLC you get an enjoyable 1 1/2 hour thrill ride for free* (*if you bought the game new).

Pros:

-New light/dark gameplay mechanics
-Free for those who bought Alan Wake new
-A much better challenge to even seasoned shooter vets.
-Creepy atmosphere

Cons:

-No real tangible collectibles
-Not exactly much story. Seems to be saved for the next one.