Alan Wake 2 was already an incredible experience at launch for PS5 and Xbox players, but its latest update turns the dial up even further. Alongside the expected bug fixes and performance improvements, Alan Wake update 1.15 adds a brand-new chapter select feature that is perfect for Trophy and Achievement hunters.
Remedy Entertainment went all out with Alan Wake 2, delivering one of the best horror games on PS5 and Xbox. While its narrative is absolutely gripping the first time through, its chapter structure was often a roadblock for Trophy and Achievement hunters looking to find every collectible. After all, if you missed one in a previous chapter, you’ve had to restart.
That’s no longer the case with the latest Alan Wake 2 update, 1.15, which brings with it the much-requested chapter select feature. Arriving on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the chapter select function will allow you to boot into any mission and chapter you’d like – so long as you’ve previously beaten it. For reference, these are the ten Alan Wake 2 chapters you can choose from using the new chapter select feature:
- Prologue – The Cult
- Return 1 – Invitation
- Return 2 – The Heart
- Return 3 – Local Girl
- Return 4 – No Chance
- Return 5 – Old Gods
- Return 6 – Scratch
- Return 7 – Summoning
- Return 8 – Deerfest
- Return 9 – Come Home
Interestingly, using the chapter select feature will load a pre-made save, rather than one based on your own progression. This means that your item progression and inventory state are pre-determined by the developers for each mission. In other words, you can’t pick and choose your kit, though don’t need to worry about keeping track of supplies.
Don’t worry though, this won’t override a previous manual save of the mission you choose to load up – your previous manual saves are intact. However, Remedy does give a warning to “keep at least one manual save with your previous progression if you wish to retain it”.
As Remedy rightfully notes, this will make Trophy and Achievement hunting on PS5 and Xbox respectively, much, much easier. “We know we’ve made it a bit complicated with some collectibles having to be picked up in a single run”, Remedy admits, regarding how it was possible to miss collectibles and require you to restart the game again to get another chance.
Again, alongside this great new addition are several other improvements, such as the option to choose between low and normal horror flash intensity, and fixing progression issues. These will make the experience just that bit smoother – whether you’re playing through for the first time or replaying a chapter to go for the prized 100% completion.
So, if you’re looking to revisit the now-iconic Old Gods of Asgard scenes, you can jump straight to chapters 4,5, and 7 for some on-demand jamming. While you wait for the update to download, take a look at how Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will make this iconic scene even more heartbreaking, or how Xbox’s Avowed is fantasy Fallout New Vegas rather than Skyrim.