Among the gems of this year’s end is Alan Wake II, eagerly anticipated by an entire community, offering an intense and notably remarkable experience. The game has garnered attention, particularly for its writing and fan service, and this is by no means coincidental.
It took thirteen years for players to dive back into the world of Alan Wake (though Control was indeed released in the meantime, set in the same universe). Alan Wake, released in 2010 on Xbox 360, had already built a solid reputation for its dark ambiance, intricate storyline, and a cliffhanger that left the narrative hanging for over a decade.
Two console generations later, Remedy has finally unveiled Alan Wake II, and the impact is undeniable: more ambitious and diverse than its predecessor, it delivers a gripping horror adventure, a breathless pace, and exceptionally polished writing.
Developers Challenge and Fan-Powered Details
Alan Wake‘s story is intricate, and the Remedy-verse is equally so. Alan Wake II had to take everything into account and even justify numerous elements, especially after such a long wait from the audience.
This challenge was met by the Finnish company. The co-directors of the game, Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley, recently appeared on the Friends Per Second podcast, where an obvious question was posed to them: how do they remember all the details, even the minutiae, from the first game?
Surprisingly, Sam Lake revealed that the studio had sometimes consulted the fans themselves. “I admit it, I trust these people” said the mastermind of the game, referring to the dedicated fans of the first Alan Wake. “Sometimes, we know that we said something about a specific topic in the first game, but we don’t remember the exact details” he added. Thus, the writers relied on the internet’s wikis, which are highly documented though unofficial.
Of course, Wake and Rowley emphasized that the entire narrative team had consistently worked on the story of this sequel, following internal documentation. However, it is undeniable that the community’s work was used judiciously.
