I finished this not long ago on my steam deck. The story was engaging but the gameplay was a bit of a slog. Had to push myself to finish it but was probably worth it in the end.
I replay this game annually on my Steam deck. One of my Top 3 games of All time. The gameplay was definitely one of my favorite parts along with the story. But I can see why it wouldn’t be for everyone with how unusual it is sometimes. Have you played the second one? It goes much closer too a traditional survival horror game then the first with gameplay
I didn't play it when it came out so it's not carried by nostalgia (like the old Resident Evil games which have also aged badly but I still do enjoy). Will give the second one a go someday. If it's anything like the RE remakes I'll probably enjoy it.
I will say that I’ve only played the RE2 remake, but the entire time I was going through Alan Wake II the gameplay very reminiscent of that (at least imo)
I felt the same way, enjoyed the narrative of the first but the action felt like a bit of a chore after a while. The second one is a lot more fun from a gameplay perspective, in my opinion. Just be warned that it is pretty demanding for the steam deck
The first game is more of an interactive movie than anything. The kind of game you play on the easiest difficulty. But at least the story is engaging. Keeps you at the edge of your seat the entire time.
Alan Wake 2—on the other hand—not so much. The story is boring and dare I complain that it has too much gameplay. It feels more like a completely different franchise than a sequel. I have severe ADHD so I'm not a fan. They overcomplicated everything and removed the waypoint; I found myself constantly having to pause the game every 30 seconds or so to orient myself, and most of the time I forget what I was supposed to be doing in the first place.
People with normal brains will probably enjoy Al 2 way more than the original, but it's not for me.
You might enjoy Bramble: The Mountain King then. It's basically a walking simulator with a good (and spooky) atmosphere and a couple of simple puzzles sprinkled in.