The majority of the 20 minute live demo version we got to see had Alan exploring the woods in an effort to find local law enforcement and try to save his wife. Unfortunately he has to deal with the forces of darkness. In this case we mean that literally as Alan fights off apparitions and even machines that are powerful under the cloak of darkness.

That means Alan has to use light as a weapon. Having a flashlight is handy for stunning creatures and allowing them to be shot by normal weapons. An even powerful item is a outdoor flare that is super bright and can basically wipe out a score of the smoky, etheral . . . things that can throw axes at you.

Alan even has to deal with machines that come to life, including a massive front loader crashing into a cabin and a ditch digger. It's actually a little funny to see our protagonist have to deal with these kinds of threats. However those threats are very real and deadly to Alan who has to hope that his flashlight doesn't run out of battery power at the wrong time.
The graphics for Alan Wake are among the best we have seen for a game like this. Obviously light and shadow play a big part in the game and those elements are used very well in the visuals. Character and item models are very detailed and the overall dark and foreboading mood that's needed in this kind of action-adventure hybird is front and center here.

Our E3 2009 demo ended with Alan Wake driving to a lighthouse and, well, things are coming for him. The cliffhanger ending of our demo just made us want to head back and see what happens next. With Alan Wake coming next spring for the Xbox 360 (Remedy is not really talking about the PC version yet but we know it's coming) we at least have a ballpark date to shoot for.