Following the climactic conclusion of Alan Wake, a new downloadable content is now upon us taking players into another nightmare that they will have to endure. The Signal DLC is the first of the few downloadable content that Remedy Alerts has planned to release on Alan Wake before the sequel comes out in a couple of years. Offered as a free download for anyone who purchased the Limited Edition of Alan Wake, we now delve into the Signal DLC and experience an unforgettable nightmare.
Alan Wake The Signal DLC will be released this July 27th on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Those gamers who still have their voucher code on hand can redeem it on the day of release.
Let’s take a look on the HOTs and the NOTs of one of my most favorite Xbox 360 exclusives.
HOT
The Nightmare Continues
Without spoiling the ending for you, the Signal takes Alan Wake to just after the climactic conclusion of the game. Just after the defeat of the Dark Presence, Alan Wake finds himself into one of the dreams that he must survive if he wants to find out the truth. With the help of Thomas Zane, he will be helping Alan Wake get out from his horrible nightmare by guiding him with the GPS that Alan found earlier in the game. Through the Signal that Thomas Zane gives Alan, he must find it before something happens to him. For fans who loved the story of the main game, the DLC continues just after the end of the main game.
New Collectibles
Tired of collecting Manuscripts and Thermoses? In the Signal DLC, players will no longer need to hunt for those two things. As the Signal DLC shows Alan in a nightmare, what Alan needs to find out this time are ten alarm clocks and standees. Upon collecting all of them, achievements will be revealed. Finding all of them is possible in one playthrough but expect to spend time searching every inch of Bright Falls and the Dark Place.
Decent Length
For a DLC, The Signal offers a decent length. I logged around two hours of playing through the game under Normal difficulty. The DLC offers the same experience as the one in the main game. The controls are the same, and weapons are scattered throughout Bright Falls. To get the weapons and tools to survive in this nightmare, Alan must uncover the words from the story that he’s working on that are scattered. It might sound confusing, but all will make sense when you play it. I don’t want to spoil much the story for you.
New Achievements
There are a total of eight achievements that can be unlocked in the game. Half of them can be unlocked by just finishing the episode, and the other half will be more of a challenge to attain. The total of Gamer Score that fans can achieve are 250 Points. Finding all of the Alarm Clocks and Standees are one of the requirements to get two of the four achievements. The other achievements are objectives such as finishing the final boss in a minute and a half.
NOT
Since this is a continuation from the first game, The Signal offers nothing that disappoints me. It delivers the same experience and enjoyment that I received from playing the original game.
VERDICT
For fans who received the Signal DLC for free via the Limited Edition promotion, you are the lucky ones as the Signal DLC will give players the same dark, eerie atmosphere as found by playing the main game.
When the DLC launches this July 27th, purchasing the DLC is one of the best purchases you will do for this month. The Signal DLC shows how much can the Alan Wake story expand. Now Remedy, we want the next episode and the sequel to this game!
