Alan Wake's American Nightmare is a third-person shooter game, a follow-up to 2010 Remedy Entertainment title Alan Wake. However, it is not a full-fledged sequel to the game but rather a spin-off. The game’s tone and style are much more light-hearted and comedic than in the original, and the color palette is significantly brighter.
The game’s story takes place two years after the original game in a fictional town Night Springs, Arizona. The series protagonist, Alan Wake, must defeat his dark doppelganger, Mr. Scratch to escape the Dark Place. American Nightmare’s gameplay is very similar to that of the original game; however, this time it is much more action-oriented, rather than story-driven. Its combat is centered around the same chief combat mechanic – focusing the flashlight on enemies on making them vulnerable to weapon.