10 Things To Know Before Playing Alan Wake 2

10 Things to Know Before Playing Alan Wake II

Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’re breaking through our writer’s block to face our fears in the Dark Place of Remedy’s newest release.

Backstory

Alan and his wife arrived in Bright Falls 13 years ago after Alan experienced an especially difficult case of writer’s block. While in their cabin, his wife Alice is taken by the Dark Place and the town becomes overrun with shadowy figures known simply as “The Taken”. As Alan searches for his wife, he uncovers the dark secrets of the cabin he was staying in as his own writings begin to affect the world around him and the little town of Bright Falls. Alan is eventually able to rescue Alice from the Dark Place but sacrifices himself in her place. Eventually the town of Bright Falls and the events of the first game catch the attention of the Bureau of Control and its director Jesse Faden as Alan continues his writings attempting to find a way to escape the Dark Place.

Brighter Falls

Along with the scope of the game, the town of Bright Falls has expanded as well. Remedy made no secret of their Twin Peaks inspiration when crafting the town of Bright Falls and its quirky residents. With Alan Wake II, the town has grown in the years since Alan first arrived, and players will be able to explore previously unknown areas of the town as well as meet all new residents and their strange connection to the events unfolding in the little community. As Alan continues trying to write his way out of the Dark Place, his writings also affect the real world and these events are reflected in Saga’s investigations and how the townsfolk interact with her.

Dual Protagonists

The two in Alan Wake II refers to more than just the sequel’s title. During your exploration of Bright Falls and the Dark Place, players will take on the role of not only the tormented writer but newcomer Saga Anderson, an FBI investigator called to the haunted town by a series of grisly murders. Remedy crafted the narrative of Alan Wake II so that players can play as Alan or Saga at any time and uncover the mysteries of their respective storylines before they converge near the end. This means that after the opening sections with Saga, players can play through the entirety of Saga or Alan’s campaign’s or choose when they want to pick up with one or the other. The game will also feature a dialogue tree similar to Control but it remains to be seen how much players will be able to affect the overall narrative with their choices.

Writer’s Room

During Saga and Alan’s respective investigations, they’ll acquire clues the player will need to piece together and each have their own investigation boards to work with. As Saga explores Bright Falls, she’ll find clues in the world and also piece things together from speaking to the many townsfolk but thankfully, instead of the player needing perfect recall to remember everything, they can retreat into Saga’s mind palace and assemble those clues on the “Clue Board” and allows players to connect the threads and uncover the mystery themselves rather than the game holding their hand. Alan also has access to his own version called the “Plot Board” where he can use the clues to rewrite reality around him. As soon as you exit Alan’s writer’s room, the world will change according to Alan’s new narrative.

Reality TV

An aspect of Remedy games that has made them stand out in the industry is their use of live action scenes within their games. While Quantum Break created an entirely separate TV series within their game, Control pulled back and had their live action segments mostly relegated to footage Jesse would find throughout the Bureau of Control. Alan Wake II manages to find a balance between the two and has integrated its live action scenes seamlessly into the narrative. An example given by creative director Sam Lake sees the player as Alan getting sucked into a television which transitions into live action and then returns once again to player control after the section is concluded. Alan Wake II will also see the return of the live action clips overlaying the gameplay seen in Control.

Puzzling Minds

Like nearly all video games, Remedy’s games have their fair share of puzzles for players to solve, but most of these were integrated as part of the overall narrative the player needs to solve to progress. While Alan Wake II will undoubtedly have its fair share of these as well, Remedy is also taking steps to integrate its puzzles more naturally into the world. Occasionally the player will come across a locked chest or puzzle with no clear solution. Hidden within the environment are context clues for the player to find but no indicators hinting to the player of their locations. Other times players will be given a single clue and need to follow another series of hidden clues to find their solution. With many of these puzzles being hidden within the game world, it's entirely possible for some players to completely overlook these until another playthrough.

Shattered Reality

Just like in the original Alan Wake, Alan’s writings will influence the real world as well. In the first game, Alan’s writings would offer clues to upcoming events, and in Alan Wake II, after 13 years in the Dark Place, the power of his words seems to have grown. His writings can now affect the citizens of Bright Falls, which in turn affects the way that Saga interacts with them while also affecting Saga as she is forced to live out both versions of reality. Her real one and the one Alan is creating... Likewise, when Alan explores the Dark Place, players can find the words “Don’t Write” scrawled on the walls and buildings reminding him of the power of his words.

Truly Horrific

Remedy themselves have called Alan Wake II the developer’s first true survival horror game and seeing the gameplay, it's not hard to see why. With both Bright Falls and the Dark Place seemingly completely open for the player to explore and uncover their respective mysteries, the game’s slower paced combat when compared to the first game as well as its oppressive atmosphere is sure to keep players on the edge of their seats. From what we’ve seen Remedy offers players a myriad of in-game clues to point them in the direction of the narrative but also gives them the option to explore off the beaten path. The game’s environments seem especially designed for sneak attacks and unexpected jump scares and the game’s open world nature means that players could wander into an area they are severely under-equipped for.

The Taken

The town of Bright Falls and the Dark Place aren’t the only thing that has seen an evolution in the 13 years since Alan’s disappearance. The Taken have become stronger and now come in multiple forms and variations to challenge Alan and Saga’s attempts to escape the escalating nightmare. While the original Taken were mostly the residents of Bright Falls as well as some shadow possessed objects, the Taken in Alan Wake II now come with their own special abilities such as increased speed and the power to create doubles. The Taken in the Dark Place are especially dangerous as the world seems to be populated by shadows and Alan never knows which one could spring to life and attack him. Get really comfortable with the dodge button, you’re gonna need it.

Stay in the Light

One of the original game’s greatest strengths was its use of light as not only a weapon but also a gameplay tool. This aspect of gameplay, like everything else in Alan Wake II, has been greatly expanded upon as well. While Alan and Saga will still need to use their trusty flashlights to dispel the darkness around the Taken before they can damage them, Alan’s use of light during exploration of the Dark Place can even affect the world’s reality around him. Using a special lamp, Alan can completely change the environment, revealing previously hidden areas and opening new pathways for exploration or finding solutions to puzzles. The significance of this lamp is still under wraps but watching Alan completely break reality by simply igniting the lamp is incredible to watch every time and we can’t wait to see what other powers the lamp may hold.


What nightmares do you think we’ll find in the Dark Place? Type out your ideas down in the comments. We promise they won’t become a reality. Probably.