Alan Wake 2 gameplay reveal trailer shows our hero and an FBI agent trapped in a horror story

Monsters wear many faces this October.

A gameplay trailer was shown for Alan Wake 2 during the PlayStation Showcase this evening, and we were also given a release date.

Out on October 17, as Wake's voice actor pretty much confirmed, the game finds Alan Wake missing since 2010 while on a vacation in the Pacific Northwest with his wife. Here, he came face to face with a force of supernatural darkness, bringing the writer's horror story to life.

After saving his wife, Alan was trapped, but not dead. He has endured the hell of the Dark Place for 13 years. Here, his nightmares, fears, and stories manifest as reality around him. For 13 years, he has been fighting to stay sane and write a story that would change reality around him for him to escape. So far, he has failed.

In the game, there are two worlds and two parallel stories to follow, and two playable hero characters: Alan Wake and FBI Agent Saga Anderson, a profiler with a reputation for solving impossible cases.

The two are connected in multiple unexpected ways and critical parts of the story. Saga is a newcomer when it comes to the supernatural lore in Wake’s world, and a point-of-view character to lead new players into the Alan Wake universe.

There are three distinct locations to explore in the Pacific Northwest region of the game, where the town of Bright Falls is located. It is also home to the annual Deerfest. Nearby is the run-down city of Watery, Cauldron Lake, and the area if fit for exploration. The story promises to be layered with surprises buried inside it,

Alan Wake 2 will be made available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game will be supported post-launch with both free content as well as two paid expansions: Night Springs and the Lake House.