Alan Wake II is a mind-bending thrill, Jusant is a calming meditation, Catan comes to the Nintendo Switch.

Alan Wake II thrills by exploiting expectation and breaking convention

Alan Wake II is part survival horror, part narrative experiment, and all kinds of interesting.

This is a sequel, to Remedy Entertainment’s 2010 Xbox exclusive, which introduced the titular character and the notion of the “Dark Place” and the dark entities that come from there.

I found the combat and level design in the first game “a bit tedious”, but there’s none of that drag here.

Instead, you’ll be scrambling to keep up with what is an ever changing experience. You’re thrown from one environment to another, from one frame of reference to another, from one storyline to another.

You begin in the role of Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a series of ritualistic murders in the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls (that Twin Peaks is an inspiration for the Alan Wake games has been acknowledged by creative director Sam Lake).

But you also play as Alan Wake, an author who seems to have the ability to write reality into, or out of, existence. And in sections of the game you can opt to play as either protagonist, and the experience shifts with the character.

This is a web of narrative that creative director Lake and the Remedy development team have become expert at crafting, and the characters and events in Alan Wake II seem to tuck neatly into the larger Remedy universe that includes the 2019 phenomenon, Control.

In Alan Wake II, this universe becomes more comprehensive and connected, expanding on its cosmic horror core.

Light, as in the first game, is critical. In 2010 I wrote that, “it’s the atmosphere, it’s a gameplay mechanic, it’s a plot device, it’s a metaphor.” That’s all true in this sequel, but there’s more survival horror gameplay in the sequel. Your resources are limited, and while the light can protect, it’s doesn’t heal like it used to. And it can wane, with disastrous – monstrous – consequences.

Alan Wake II was developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic. It’s available now for PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. Rated mature.

Meditative Jusant a charming puzzle platformer

Jusant is a French word that refers to receding tide, and it establishes the world that you step into when you begin this game as a young explorer. The world is dry, desert-like, but it’s filled with the remnants of a marine culture: boats, anchors. remnants of sail.

Faced with a pillar of stone, the obvious thing is to climb it, and that’s what Jusant is all about. The goal is to find paths up the pillar, revealing snippets of the lives that used to inhabit the hollows, nooks, and crannies of the stone.

It’s lovely and meditative, and there are hidden places for you to find and explore.

Jusant is available now for PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S and is part of Xbox Game Pass. Rated everyone.

Catan Console Edition launches on Nintendo Switch

Earlier this year I wrote about the board game, Catan, being developed as a console game.

Now it’s coming to the Nintendo Switch, and cross-play is enabled, so you can play online against players on any system.

Starting Thursday, you can get a 10 percent discount on the “super deluxe” edition, which includes an expansion called, the Helpers, and boards used in the World Championships.

Catan Console Edition lands on Nintendo Switch on November 9. It’s also available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Rated everyone.