How Alan Wake 2 rewrites the world to escape the Dark Place

Remedy has long been a studio that wears its influences on its sleeve. From the hard-boiled police files of Max Payne to the New Weird foundations of Control, movies, TV shows, and books have long served as inspiration. This is no different in Alan Wake 2, which blends horror and detective fiction in creatively unsettling ways. We talked to Remedy to find out why these genres work so well together, discuss some of the game’s cultural touchstones, and how they bleed their way into the survival horror story, characters, and gameplay.

Total War: Pharaoh , by Creative Assembly, arrives on October 11th. Players will have the chance to take on the role of a leader from one of three different origins: Egyptian, Canaanite, or Hittite. The time period chosen by the developers focuses on the Bronze Age collapse of Ancient Egypt. The preview build I had access to was limited to choosing the Ramesses campaign; the progress ended after 50 turns, and the game build was a month old. Given those limitations, I still enjoyed my time with the game as I am a fan of this time in history, and this rendition of Ancient Egypt was fun to explore.    

Alan Wake 2 director Sam Lake has revealed that the upcoming survival horror game will be longer than the studio’s previous release, Control. Speaking with Kinda Funny Games, Lake stated that Alan Wake 2 would be twice as long as Remedy’s other titles.

Deliciously pulpy horror storytelling was at the heart of the original Alan Wake. It returns for the sequel, too, but the Stephen King-isms look to be confined to The Dark Place; the New York-styled nightmare cage the titular writer is trapped in. Out in the real world (or at least what seems like the real world) – the domain of our second protagonist, FBI agent Saga Anderson – developer Remedy Entertainment has crafted a new collage from pieces of its favourite detective stories. The eerie shadows of True Detective, Seven, and The Silence of the Lambs creep through Alan Wake 2’s gorgeous digital depiction of the Pacific Northwest.

Alan Wake has been trapped in the Dark Place for 13 years. He’s ditched his slouchy hoodie for a button-down, but kept the funny jacket with the old-fashioned elbow patches. Inky hair frames his face as he wanders through a hostile dream world, clutching a puzzle-solving lamp and a revolver. This is the other side of Alan Wake 2’s story, running parallel to FBI agent Saga Anderson’s Pacific Northwest trek to investigate a series of ritualistic murders.

Alan Wake 2 finally arrives next month, and this time around, the tortured author won’t be alone. Alan Wake 2 actually features two playable characters – Alan himself and FBI agent Saga Anderson. This has led to some concern that Alan was perhaps being edged out of his own game, but it seems those fears are largely unfounded.

Fans of the franchise have highly anticipated Alan Wake 2. It’s a game that’s been in the works for Remedy Entertainment for quite a few years, too. However, the video game has finally been approved, and the developers are now finally getting ready to reach the finish line. With that said, we know the game will be arriving next month, and while we wait for the game to reach the marketplace, there is a new video drop from IGN highlighting an early mission for Alan Wake 2.

Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 has received extensive new gameplay, focusing on new protagonist Saga Anderson. The early mission sees the FBI agent venturing through Watery, gathering information and clues before going to a theme park called Coffee World. Check it out below, courtesy of IGN.

The scariest thing to video game developers isn’t ghosts or monsters, as the new Alone in the Dark game has been pushed to 2024, partly to avoid an incredibly busy October gaming season, where it would have competed with Alan Wake 2 and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This is a wise decision, considering how packed 2023 has been as a whole, especially as Alone in the Dark also needs extra polish time.

THQ Nordic has delayed its Alone in the Dark reboot until next year.

Update:

While September is packed with big games, October looks no less epic, especially with titles like Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 on the horizon. The developer recently showcased Wake in The Dark Place, a nightmare reality based on a person’s subconscious. In his case, it’s a replica of New York City.