Remedy discusses how Initiation 4: We Sing in Alan Wake 2 was designed

27.02.2024 - 21:53 / destructoid.com / Sam Lake / Alex Casey

After 13 long years, Remedy’s Alan Wake finally received a sequel, and it has been a success, managing to sell a million units by December 2023.

Unlike its predecessor, Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror title with a mind-bending narrative and settings that are downright psychedelic at times. The creators of the game answered questions from fans in a Reddit AMA on February 27, and as one might expect, plenty wanted to know more about Initiation 4: We Sing. They got their answers from Nathalie Jankie, Marko Muikku, and John Crossland.

Chucking a musical sequence into a survival horror game is unconventional, but Remedy managed to pull it off, with Sam Lake and Ilkka Villi pulling off their best moves to the sound of the fictional band Old Gods of Asgard. It’s not just a musical, however, and just like the Ashtray Maze in Control, the inclusion of combat helps to seal the deal in terms of making it an unforgettable experience.

The chapter was designed by lead mission designer Anne-Marie Grönroos who divided it into four parts. Using an early version of the infectious Herald of Darkness song, gameplay beats were added. In some cases, the lyrics didn’t suggest any gameplay beats, so the lyrics were changed to match the gameplay beats that were designed first.

Through the song, players get a recap of the events of the first game, and a summary of Alan’s life. However, it’s also a “mini mirror of Wake trying to escape the Dark Place.” Hence the chapter features “fake enemies in the first part, shadow enemies in the second part, Bright Falls style combat in the third part, Plot Board in the fourth part; more or less in the same order they’re introduced in the actual Dark Place.”

According to Muikku, getting the gameplay right for the section took a long time, mainly because there was the desire to introduce the Flare Gun which easily blasts enemies away, giving players a break from the horror and a chance to just enjoy the absurd show.

Initiation 4 follows a design philosophy that permeates the entire game. According to Muikku, one of Remedy’s biggest challenges was to “successfully glue narrative and gameplay together into a cohesive package.” We see this during the musical which provides a narrative recap of the first game while still throwing enemies Alan’s way.

Jankie considers Initiation 4 to be a vital part of the game, although some may feel it’s out of place for the game’s genre. She describes it as bold, creative, and “a testament to what Remedy as a studio stands for.”

Sam Lake appears in the game as Alex Casey. However, he’s not the only Remedy team member that was scanned in. Crossland reveals that he tried to get as many devs as possible in, and even his mother makes an appearance. Some