If you're super-excited for the release of Alan Wake 2 later this month, but can't quite recall the events of the first game (entirely reasonably seeing as the original version came out over a decade ago), Fortnite of all places might have the answer. Epic has whacked a free playable 20-minute Alan Wake recap episode that should serve as a refresher while offering a bit of spooky battery gobbling fun along the way.

Alan's first adventure, released all the way back in 2010, sees the eponymous writer taking a working holiday with his wife, Alice, in the beautiful Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls. Needless to say, it doesn't take long for things to go awry, and, soon, Alan - with occasional help from his agent BARRY - is monologuing his way through the night, blasting malevolent beings to smithereens with his torch and revealing the next big spooky event 10 seconds before it happens because he can't keep his mouth shut.

Or at least that's how I remember it. Presumably Epic's newly released Alan Wake: Flashback - a 'reimagining' of the original tale, developed in collaboration with Remedy Entertainment, Spiral House, and Zen Creative - will do a better and more reliable job of filling you in on all the important story beats ahead of Alan Wake 2.

Alan Wake: Flashback is available to play now on all platforms where Fortnite exists (you'll obviously need to download Fortnite first, and then use Island Code: 3426-5561-3374 to access the Alan Wake episode if you can't find it in the menu), and Alan Wake 2's long-awaited Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and Epic Games Store launch is set for 27th October.

Eurogamer's Victoria Kennedy was extremely impressed by Alan Wake 2 and its two distinct protagonists when she went hands-on with the game last month. "Alan may indeed be stuck in a hell of his own creation," she wrote, "but I believe this sequel has the potential to be a dark yet heavenly release for Remedy fans, old and new."