Alan Wake 2 DLC shows that every game needs a great theme song

2023 Alan Wake – The Wonderful World of Madness is an impressive horror game that blends media and tells a metatextual story about the creation of art. It is a wonderful feat of game design. It also has one of the catchiest songs ever put into a video game, unforgettably accompanied by a spectacular interactive performance. So it should not have surprised me that Night springsthe game’s DLC also has a song that I listen to all the time. But the DLC has one special feature: This is a real theme song, and I think every video game needs one these days.

Night springs is a cheeky piece of DLC for an already meta-heavy game. It plays out as episodes of an in-game Twilight Zone parody, written by Alan Wake himself and hosted by the mysterious Mr. Door. This gives each of the three episodes a canonical explanation without them actually having to make sense. With no obligation to stay consistent with existing lore, Remedy really lets loose, in ways you wouldn’t expect even after playing Alan-Wake 2And since the entire DLC is a TV show, it only makes sense that there would be a theme song.

The theme, simply titled “Night Springs,” is a synth-pop song that quickly creeps into your head. The lyrics talk about many of the strange events that can happen in the series’ titular town, like being trapped in a time loop or finding a solar system in a bowl of soup. Each of these sounds like it could be its own bite-sized episode, and they all fit right in with the stories we’re playing through.

After completing the first episode, “Number One Fan,” the theme song plays for the first time, and it feels so good to hear the pop anthem after gunning down enemies as a psychotic (but incredibly lovable) waitress in a pink world. Now I listen to the theme song and think about how much fun the DLC is. It’s just a feedback loop of good times between the song and the game.

Not that I needed any more proof that things are better with a theme song, but this year’s indie journalism satire sim Times & Galaxy has one too. Spoiler alert, it’s awesome. Before you even build your unique robo-reporter in the game, an animated intro plays with a catchy tune. What works about this theme song is the way it introduces you to the basic idea and cast of the game. You’ll be reporting on a series of stories from different fields (arts, politics, and more), and you’ll do so alongside the staff of the titular newspaper. Give it a listen and try not to get too excited about the game. I, for one, have sung the lines “Space is a lonely nothingness. We’ve covered the whole thing. From the trash heaps of Aug to undiscovered places” more times than I can count (or care to admit).

All I’m saying is that no game would be made worse by adding a theme song. gloriole?Add some lyrics to the choir soundtrack! Red Dead Redemption?Give me some cowboy music! Elden Ring?You’d have more fun if you could sing a catchy tune while dying to the same boss over and over again. So please, let’s get more theme songs into video games.

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