Alan Wake 2 New Game Plus "Final Draft" Explained

02.11.2023 - 11:47 / screenrant.com / Alan Wake / Alex Casey / New

is getting a New Game Plus feature called Final Draft, but what exactly that all means isn't yet clear. At present, has no NG+. Players can run through it, beat the final boss of , watch the credits roll, and start a new game, but nothing will change the second time around. Enemies will be in the same places with the same stats, and Alan and Saga will have their base game abilities. They won't carry over anything from the first playthrough.

[Warning: This article contains a minor spoiler for Alan Wake 2's ending and epilogue.]

There's something similar to a NG+ mode in the original, in which players only unlock the highest difficulty level — Nightmare — after their first time completing the game. It doesn't change much about the core game otherwise; however, 's NG+ does unlock some additional collectibles in the form of extra manuscript pages, which augment the main narrative. 's NG+ seems to work similarly in some regards, but in others, it's a totally different concept.

Related: «Remedy's Magnum Opus»: Alan Wake 2 Review

's Final Draft is in part a typical New Game Plus mode, with a couple of crucial differences. Similar to the first 's NG+, Final Draft unlocks Nightmare difficulty. If the balance changes are anything like the first game's, enemies will take more shots and darkness will take longer to burn away. However, the original game still throws a ton of supplies at the player in Nightmare mode, so the trick to beating it is simply not to be stingy with what's available.

However, to even the playing field in Final Draft's Nightmare mode, players will be able to keep all their upgrades they've obtained during their first runs. This includes Charms, Words of Power, and all weapons unlocked in .

In a departure both from the first and the typical NG+ formula, 's Final Draft mode will also include changes and additions to the game's narrative. These will play out in two ways: in additional manuscript pages, and in videos seen on TV screens throughout the world of. New manuscript pages in Nightmare mode are a recurring mechanic from the first. In the original game, these added more context to the core story, revealing things that might've been considered spoilers on a first playthrough.

But in the sequel, they'll apparently add a new dimension to the narrative. What that'll look like isn't totally clear. They may introduce a new character, explain more about Saga's and Logan's backstories, or delve into Alice's involvement behind the scenes. They may even be pulled from some of Alan's older writing before,, and the events of the first, further exploring the character of Alex Casey and his origins in the writer's mind.

TV screens are also a factor in the original. They usually display episodes of,