True Detective meets Hearthstone: Unlocking the metaphysical Mind Place of Alan Wake II

07.12.2023 - 10:05 / gamedeveloper.com / Saga Anderson

In Alan Wake II, the latest reality-warping entry in the expanding Remedy Connected Universe, mind truly is matter.

Saga Anderson, one of the title's two protagonists, is an FBI agent with an uncanny ability to profile suspects and untangle the most convoluted cases. That knack is rooted in her ability to retreat into the Mind Place, a metaphysical construct within her subconscious that doubles as an interactive, narrative-driven character sheet.

Players can visit the Mind Place at the touch of a button and once there can flick between case files, analyze clues, and connect narrative dots by placing evidence on a case board to piece together a spate of homicides that have enveloped the sleepy town of Bright Falls and realms beyond.

It's also possible to profile suspects to unlock new conversation options that will have ramifications in the real world, peruse the local topography by poring over maps, follow a paper trail left by a certain writer, and upgrade weapons to increase your chances of surviving the nightmare unfurling before you.

The mechanic realizes the real-world notion of the Mind Palace, a modern interpretation of the 'method of loci' technique which posits it's easier to recall information that has been mentally associated with a physical location. In-game that means replacing quest logs, upgrade trees, and more with a setting that can be explored like any other.

To learn how developer Remedy conceptualized and iterated on the mechanic, we entered the studio's very own Mind Place to chat with lead narrative designer Simon Wasselin, senior gameplay programmer Alexander Balakshin, and lead UI/UX designer Riho Kroll.

The decision to create a fully realized Mind Palace for Saga was both functional and stylistic. Wasselin explains the studio started exploring the idea out of a desire to include a profiling mechanic and detective board in some form, but realized that implementing both would require some spatial tinkering. The team was also encouraged to double down on the concept after being presented with a "striking image" of Saga facing the corpse of a victim and interrogating them.

"If both elements (the board and profiling) were to be used heavily in Saga's gameplay loop, it was necessary to reduce the time to travel to these places otherwise the pacing would have been horrendous," says Wasselin. "Putting them 'in her mind' made a lot of sense."

One of the first iterations of the Mind Place was set in a hotel room that was designed to provide a cozy reprieve from the brutal world and tense gameplay of Alan Wake II. When concept artist Juhani Jokinen began working on the Mind Place, however, the setting shifted to a larger motel conference room that could more comfortably accommodate the