If you played the first Alan Wake and felt it had too much shadow fighting, running away and the like, you might be happy to know that won’t be a problem in Alan Wake 2, as Remedy Entertainment confirmed that it will feature “less combat” than the first game.

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This was mentioned by Alan Wake 2 Co-Director and Lead Writer Sam Lake in the latest issue of PLAY magazine (#29). In addition to less combat, the game’s pace is “slowed down” compared to the first game as well, though this was done as a way to shift the genre from the first Alan Wake being more of an action–adventure game, to the sequel being closer to a survival-horror. This was all done to make combat encounters more meaniingful.

The first game was an action adventure game – it had horror elements, but it was an action adventure game. And there were elements there that we wanted to fix, if you will – the fact that the combat is very samey and there is a lot of it through the whole experience. [We decided that shifting to] survival horror [for the sequel made] a lot of sense – less combat, the pacing is slowed down – it allows us to do more with the story and be more ambitious with the story.

When there is less combat, every combat encounter is a bigger event. – Sam Lake, Alan Wake 2 Co-Director and Lead Writer

Having played the first Alan Wake, I completely understand where Lake is coming from. In the first game, you were assaulted non-stop by shadow monsters, which became unbearable at times given resources weren’t all that plenty. Let’s hope that in Alan Wake 2, the combat encounters are meatier and a bit more varied too.

Alan Wake 2 will be released this October 17 on the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.