Originally released on October 27, 2023, Alan Wake 2 is going to be celebrating its first birthday with a free Anniversary Update that rolls out starting tomorrow, October 22. While development on the game has been ongoing since its launch, the focus has been mainly on the two expansions, Night Springs and The Lake House. Remedy has been listening to player feedback, however, and has worked on changes and improvements that will go live with the free Anniversary Update for all players. The team says it contains the most significant additions to quality of life and accessibility options for Alan Wake 2 to date.
One of the most requested options rolling out in the Anniversary Update is the ability to invert the X axis (horizontal) on mouse and controller. Those who enjoy Alan Wake 2 on PlayStation will benefit from improvements to the DualSense controller, including gyro aiming/motion controls support. The haptics support has also been expanded to include healing items and throwables. The Anniversary Update also adds a Gameplay Assist menu with a variety of gameplay options, including the following toggles:
- Quick turn
- Auto complete QTE
- Button tapping to single tap
- Weapon charging with taps
- Healing items with taps
- Lightshifter with taps
- Player invulnerability
- Player immortality
- One shot kill
- Infinite ammo
- Infinite flashlight batteries
In our review of Alan Wake 2, we found the game to be just shy of a masterpiece due to some mediocre gameplay elements. However, it does offer one of the most unique gaming experiences available.