Remedy probably wants you to buy Alan Wake today, but it’s cool with you buying Heavy Rain too.
Remedy Entertainment finds itself in an odd position: Its psychological thriller Alan Wake is being continually compared to Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain – they’re both exclusives to the Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively, they’re both heavily story-driven, noir-esque thrillers – but it doesn’t think that the two games are anything alike.
Speaking with Destructoid, Alan Wake writer Mikko Rautalahti discussed the comparisons, and whether or not Remedy felt pressured to “beat” the unusual PS3 title.
“I don’t think comparisons [to Heavy Rain] are motivated by what the game actually is – it’s just because we’re an Xbox 360 exclusive title,” said Rautalahti. “I do feel a certain degree of pressure, because it often feels like there are expectations that simply don’t have anything to do with the actual game we’re making. I mean, the games are almost completely dissimilar. The game mechanics are different, the pacing is different, the storytelling is different, the setting is different, the premise is different.”
“I can’t believe that anyone would bother to seriously make this comparison if either one of these games was a multiplatform title.”
That said, Rautalahti doesn’t think Heavy Rain is a bad thing to be compared to. “[W]hile we’re on the topic, I have to say that I loved Heavy Rain. It’s a great experience, and I think anybody who hasn’t played it should play it, if only because it does things in its own way without compromises or excuses, and that’s always a welcome change of pace in this industry.”
It’s nice to hear such words of praise from one developer to another. Hey, maybe both games could be good!
