It’s a long-standing horror tradition to unsettle audiences by using flash jumps: terrifying images or short clips that interrupt the action on screen only to disappear as quickly as they arrived. It was the way to troll people online in the mid-2000s; play a regular video and then cut to a disturbing image with a scream over it that would blow your eardrums out. Alan Wake2 uses them in spades, with haunting close-ups of Mr. Scratch be covered with a loud music stitch. I find them effective, but they are not for everyone.
Fortunately, in a recent Alan Wake2 update (1.15) the developers added a feature that allows the player to tune these horror flashes. The adjustments aren’t robust, but you can now choose between low and normal visuals and audio intensity.
I tested the new functions by turning both image and sound to low. Thanks to an added chapter select feature also included in this update, I was also able to jump into an area that I knew had a major jump scare, especially one that even got me. I started a Saga chapter and went to the Valhalla Nursing Home to talk to Cynthia Weaver, who you first encounter staring out the window. It is also the first time she reveals that she is possessed by a flash jump.
Image: Remedy Entertainment/Epic Games publishing via Polygon
The new setting doesn’t remove this reveal completely, but it slows it down, removes a lot of the flashing light, and lowers the volume of the music quite a bit. The close-up of her face appears to be moving in slow motion. I admit it doesn’t look as seamless as the regular one, but for someone who can’t play Alan Wake2 because of these moments it is a great alternative, similar to the arachnophobia settings in games Deadly company And Grounded turn spiders into floating orbs. It’s not the most natural-looking replacement, but it’s better than the original.
I know a lot of people who wanted to play Alan Wake2 but that wasn’t possible because of these jump scares. It’s definitely a horror game, but it’s not ‘scary’ from start to finish. It has a lot of comedy, kitschy moments and a great atmosphere. I always thought it was a shame that they couldn’t experience “We Sing” the way it was meant to be. And now they can! Thanks to the new chapter select feature, they can also play that level again and again.
Of course, there are plenty of bug fixes included in the update. Some of my favorites include: “Audio added for the impact when the Espresso Express hits the player. Please don’t try it. Coffee World already has enough issues” and “fixed the player character so that they use weapons as expected.”