Sacrificing yourself for your spouse is a lose lose situation. You're separated from each other forever but one has to live on with this knowledge as well. I often think about how much my wife would suffer if I were to die and vice versa.
Yeah man, I feel ya. I think about that too. It’s terrifying. Worse than any horror game! Haha. Trying hard to pay off the mortgage so that my wife isn’t stuck with it if something happens to me.
@@EmmanuelTurner245225my grandfather lost grandmother back in 2011 or '12 they had been together since she was 18 (I think he was 4 to 6 years older) she passed away at about 92 to 94, he only survived 4 years... depending on how deep the bond is and how long they were together most partners rarely live for longer then 5 years after losing their significant other... but the pain in those left behind is difficult to bear leaving them vulnerable to emotional attacks where some people would drive others in bereavement to self harm (case in point my second cousins have been calling my mobile at all hours to try and drive me to self harm after my mother passed away 2 years ago), make sure you tell those you leave behind that you love them and are proud of them
I think Alan's and Thomas' ability to write things into existence isn't so strong as to create something from nothing, more a manipulation of probability and what created the issue at the beginning was probably because Thomas rewrote the past instead of the future, which allowed the dark presence into their reality. like wise I don't think Alan is fake, living fiction, but instead that he was born and raised normally and Thomas in the darkness sensed his existence and guided him. (Alan probably already had the talent to become the next Thomas and that is what I'm saying he sensed)
@@the_mystic_ghost4148 I say neither. Instead they were both headed to the end of the darkness destroying them and they are just writing the future into a path where the most people survive and it is destroyed.
@@the_mystic_ghost4148 in part, but they didn't actually create anything out of thin air, everyone existed, their powers were their own, the darkness existed. But Zane tried to rewrite the death of his Muse and the Darkness used her as a stepping stone into reality since neither she nor it should exist. Zane let the darkness latch onto himself and then erased himself, but he failed to erase either of them completely probably due to people like Jessie and Alan who resisted his power (also as I mentioned there seems to be a flaw to their power when it comes to rewriting the past). I would say that from that Zane learned that you can't write that which can't happen so he taught that to Alan subconsciously? So Alan only wrote about the future and manipulated probability to get all the actors to react in a way that would led him to saving his wife and sealing the darkness better. Oh course as we know that wasn't 100% since all three still exist so that's where Jessie will have to clean up the mess being someone the darkness can't manipulate since on top of being really strong like the other two, she was trained by her experiences in Control, while they were running blind.
It's actually canon that they don't just write things into existence, but rather rewrite things that already exist. It's confirmed in the AWE DLC in Control. It's why he used Jesse, she already caused an AWE event herself
Cease everything you're doing and play Alan Wake, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Quantum Break, and Control. They are phenomenal games, and worth playing even if you watch lore videos on them. The level of immersion you get is next level, and the lore you get from the collectibles and things written on the environment (like chalk boards) gives you a far superior understanding of the lore. You'll thank me later.
@@RandoLePerson the only problem was the level design. It is one of those things in a videogame which I try to like but it is lacking in such a material way that it is hard to justify liking it. Nothing really wrong primarily with level design but they should have included the markers if anyone needed those. With level design like this markers are necessary to give you a hint as to which room you are supposed to go. Don't make it mandatory but at least give casual players a choice
I think they created each other. Think about it, Zane wrote Alan's childhood memories, but it was Alan that wrote the event of finding Zane's page about the clicker from said childhood memories. They are stuck in some sort of time loop I guess
I wonder if Alan aged 10 years in the Dark Place? Or if he escapes into the real world will he still look the same? It would be interesting to see especially Alice’s reaction. Pretty sure she moved on by now and married someone else. Also I hope Sarah and Barry return in the sequel! They were great characters I’m glad they didn’t get killed off.
I have an alternate theory on Mr. Scratch. Firstly, I think Tom being a poet is actually incredibly important. Poetry is incredibly interpretive (flashbacks to any English class) and that means it can be manipulated. In American Nightmare Alan lays down the rules of manipulating reality pretty heavily; you can't undo what is done but you can fill in what is not said. For example, a scene can be written about two people; if you do not explicitly say "a third person is not present" then a third person can become present. And that is where The Dark Prescence thrives. In the "white space" between what is written. With poetry being so interpretive I believe Tom was easier to manipulate in terms of what he wrote. Think like a genie and a wish. He wrote Barbara back into existence. But he never explicitly said it wouldn't be her, inhabited by this darkness. For arguments sake, poetry is not as strong as normal writing. Alan, being a writer, can create entire worlds. But because he is a writer he is careful about writing exactly what he says, therefore making him a bit harder to control, but not impossible. That's why he subconsciously wrote himself into his own story and also broke himself out of it because he saw that The Dark Prescence was never going to give him Alice. So, back to what I said about Mr. Scratch. Tom created him, that's shown in-game. But he's not initially shown as evil. A bit, creepy? but not evil. So what made him evil? 1) Tom can't create an entire human and the interpretive "white space" caused the Dark Prescence to infect him (this invalidates the theories that he wrote Alan to life, but I'm not 100% sold on that). 2) The perception of Alan infected Mr. Scratch via Alice (probably not just tabloids because they said the lake itself is where the power is but that was my initial assumption until the very good point of Alice talking to Hartman said in this video) 3) Alan. And here's where I find American Nightmare can 100% be canon while not doing anything to the main story. While playing the DLC's for Alan Wake you see Alan descend into madness because he succumbs to his fear that he will never get out. When we successfully piece him back together, he continues to write because that is literally the only way he can maintain his sanity. He writes. And what does Alan do best? He writes himself into stories. The beginning of American Nightmare reads like a Night Springs episode (in fact Barry is watching it on TV). The only discerning characteristic we have for our hero is The Champion of Light; and our villain, The Herald of Darkness. Alan, being able to write between the "white space" can essentially pick who plays those two roles. Himself as the hero, but who can become the villain? Mr. Scratch. That way he doesn't manipulate a "real" person into a villain. In constructing this story he accidentally creates a real-life villain and fills in the blanks of the story. Essentially, to maintain his sanity, he just inserts himself into stories that he can (ones without specified characters) so he has SOMETHING to do besides be stuck in the dark place slowly succumbing to madness, again. He's losing himself in the stories, literally. And in doing so he can see Alice again, if only for a moment. With my theory American Nightmare both works within the story of Alan without actually MATTERING to the story as a whole. It's just his way of trying to keep busy during the years he's stuck and hone his craft so he can construct something that can save him (The Bureau of Control). I am sorry for my huge rant, I have thought about this for the last decade on loop.
Not only Dark Place requires a balance but there is also the fact that story Alan is writing has to make sense. He is the protagonist in a horror story and he is aware of that. He can't just go to the final act. And also I am sure whatever Alan is writing Darkness will try to corrupt and take advantage of it, so he needs to be extra careful.
Hearing how you pronounced "Barbara Jaga" (or however her name is written) immediately got me associating the name with "Baba Yaga". Just a fun little detail, Mb even intentional :)
One of the most brilliant stories I've ever known and one of the best & unique games I've ever played! Thank you for covering this. Waiting patiently for the sequel since Remedy pretty much has the most resources they've had in a while now 🤞🏻
Yep I saw the trailer & if that is Mr. Scratch at the end of it. Oh my Gods he has graduated from creepy to hands down terrifying & I'm excited to see what's going to happen next
Just got done playing Alan awake Remastered on the PlayStation 5 in preparation for Alan Wake 2. Which release a day before my birthday & I’m too excited!
I am playing A Dark Place (AWE) in Control and wanted to have a quick background of what Alan Wake is all about to understand how the 2 games were related. Fun to know Alan Wake is also a parautilitarian. Thanks for this video.
The are not related. That's been confirmed. It's just a bit of fun since the developers know the fans love AW. Duh.... it literally takes no time to Google this.
@@lindapollock9509 Gatekeeper alert. This is why it's irritating to enter fandoms sometimes. 🙄 Did you even play the Control DLC? Because if you did, you'd know Alan Wake is literally mentioned there and is alluded to be a parautilitarian like the Director. They're in the same universe which makes them relevant to each other, but independent of one another.
@@lindapollock9509 It literally takes no time to google indeed and Remedy confirmed that it's the same universe and they are related. I don't know what were you on about. There's a whole dlc where alan appears in the game, not even just mentioned, he is there. They did confirm that there's no relation between alan wake and quantum break despite the references in the game.
@@the_mystic_ghost4148 Alan found a page of manuscript talking about his past and the clicker written by Thomas Zane. It heavily implies that Alan himself was written into existence by Zane.
it will either be resolved in Alan wake 2 with Jesse coming to Bright falls after receiving the mysterious distress call from the future or part of Control 2 with Jesse heading to Bright falls as part of the fallout of whatever insanity she will be dealing with. Alan is definitely a Parautilitarian, maybe not as strong as Jesse but still pretty powerful, lol good thing she isn't an artist and hence probably can't use the lake to such an extent. Zane and the brothers are probably also pretty powerful with the brothers either more powerful or far less powerful hence them not having the same kind of ending in their fight against the dark presence. Now another question: Is the light presence a real otherworldly being like the dark presence, the hiss and hadron or is it what is left of zane or maybe like Polaris an aspect of zane and/or Alan's power?
Cant say whether he is a weaker para utilitarian or not, several times we are told in Control that "psychic" powers are developed differently between persons. Alan seems to have a tremendous power on altering reality but got no control over it.
@@LASCH_B10 it kind of suggests that the power level is innate or awakened but the level of control is trained. Hence why alan can't control it. Think of the upgrade chart of Control as Jesse learning to harness the different powers. She also has so much power that most items attempts to stop her just become tutorials of how to use the most basic level of their power (my head cannon for the tutorials) stronger objects that wipe out whole squads of parautilitarians are just boss battles to her and apocalyptic ones like the darkness and hiss are hard/tedious. She literally does have a few issue with a mixed hiss/shadow creature but the issue was mostly location. Suggesting she is stronger after training since it's a mid game DLC compared to Alan but Alan is probably nearly or exactly as powerful untrained. Remember that in Control it also says that one of the previous Directors could only use the same objects Jesse uses to fling an object a single yard slowly... and that was a record! he was seen as incredibly powerful for it. but there is merit to the idea of developing power since my Jesse could be very different from yours. but the base power is the same.
No offense but I don't agree with the conclusions you jump to. Alan can't write himself out because there has to be balance? Alice can't leave unless Alan takes her place? That's funny I don't remember anyone having to leave in order for Alice to go in. Guess balance only matters when it's convenient. Secondly there's no indication Zane wrote Alan in to existence. The object in the shoebox, including the clicker, were wrote in there by Alan himself in the pages of Departure. My interpretation is Zane and everything he does in the game isn't Zane at all, just a fictitious version of him Alan created himself in order to have help.
I love this game, and yeah I didn't really understand the story the first playthough but it was intense and scary from start to finish. Watching this video, you explaining stuff I missed. I really hope they do an official Sequel game soon. Alan Wake is an awesome game. Thank you for making this video, I hope others like me find this lore video, and finally understand what we were going through lol. Subscribed and liked.
I love this alternate realities and dimension themes baked into horror paranormal elements like SH. The only way to escape the reality that our own existence is plain and set in stone. Sadly games with this much thought and effort put into it's background, plot and whole Universe are very rare compared to the usual cheap thrills and basic storytelling.
Remedy games are more suggested than told. There is a lot that goes on in the world simultaneously and the hints and dialogues are super important to figure out what is happening. Also the story is not entirely told in a way it's heavily implied that it will be continued but since it's a relatively small studio they are building their own universe (one of the great ones ever) gradually. Can't wait for Alan Wake 2 and Control 2
I absolutely hated the gameplay for Alan Wake (remaster), I am initially not a fan of the franchise at all but with the release of the second title, I'm here to understand the story to give the sequel a chance to win me over to the franchise. The story seems riveting and I hope the sequel will have smoother gameplay.
The story is basically twin peaks. The black lodge and Alan being trapped there pretty much rips off agent cooper being trapped there. Mr scratch is agent coopers doppelganger.
I just played this game so I can play Alan wake 2 after. I'm 30 seconds in and just heard you talk about the great gameplay. Am I the only one who absoultely hated the gameplay? Story was ok and maybe I'll learn some things from this video that'll make me think more of it but God almighty I fucking hated playing this game. Edit: Would be hilarious if Alan Wake 2 plays just like the original. Will probably cry Edit 2: just coming back to say that while alan wake 2 has the same gameplay mechanic, it's amazing, and I'm really enjoying it
The balance part makes no sense to me, what and why was Alice sent to the dark place and what was the balance there? Alan went to balance Alice leaving, but what left when Alice went in?
I'm currently playing Quantum Break and a lot of clues are emerging from it. Specifically the chalk board in the university. It is so worth reading through because it adds new perspective to your already fantastic video! There is a sentence on that chalk board that won't leave my mind pretty much theorising that Zane and Alan wrote each other and it was speculating that maybe one of them is not real. But I am slowly starting to feel like Zane might actually be Alan Wake. Like he wrote himself into a new life/version? I guess we will just have to wait and find out when the second game comes out!
Its theorised that Zane wrote Alan into existence. Alan technically is real but that Zane most likely created the events that led to his birth. Zane is probably also like Jessie able to use objects of power.
I played this game in 2010 and 13 years later, I played it again... I was still as confused as I was back then. I truly love the game, but there are definitely plenty of parts that left me scratching my head. Thanks for the explanations.
I remember watching my brother play this game when I was a kid . I loved it so much . Hearing there’s another coming out I had to download the remaster and play it for myself . This is one of the greatest stories I’ve played and the remedyverse is so interesting
am I the only one who prefers how the original alan wake game plays and looks over the remaster? Plus I had a lot of problems with the remaster and graphical problems (high end pc, but ig these issues are something they don’t care to fix 🤷🏻♂️)
So Alan wrote about Control and Quantum Break. But after he got success with his novels he got stuck , unable to create another story, Came to a hunted lake that somehow tests him and shows him his deepest fears and his own shadow side (mr scratch) and must face the chaos within himself to get back to reality, so basically he is in a psychosis. But also he is a character in the story of Zane. I swear Remedy does like to play with their universes like russian dolls. What I don't understand is how he would get out? Clearly to face your demons isn't enough. Maybe Alan just doesn't acknowledge that he is also evil? Like Jekyll and Hyde they are the same person. So to end the suffering is to end yourself? Or it is another kind of ending? At this point it's like I am writing nonsense.
Thank you so much for this, I played control but never got around to playing alan wake. And I'd rather have an explanation done by someone I enjoy watching as it is.
Zane leaving the clicker in the box as a failsafe and, Alan remembering the clicker as a memento from his father implies that Zane is his father. If one were to view it symbolically or metaphysically, Zane wrote someone to inherit his role - as a fail safe - against the darkness. Until someone or something else could imprison or destroy the entity, like Jessie and or the FBC...
the only problem with that is zane has a whole history with barbara and cynthia weaver, he didnt know Alans mother at all. he probably wrote in a way that could fit whoever was going to visit the lake, not specifically alan
lol no Zane is not Alan’s father. Using the powers of the lake. Zane wrote specific circumstances about Alan Wake, who was probably not born yet. Since whatever is written with the powers of the lake comes true, Alan Wake had to fulfill said scenario for the story to come true. Basically he wrote the specific scenario about Alan’s childhood
This game was great! I got it when it first came out, and I still own it. A lot of people don't like having a physical library collection, but I'm the opposite, and if anything has a special edition, I make sure it goes in the library
One of the flashbacks takes place in New York during a snow storm. I've always imagined that Max Payne would go on his killing spree later that evening.
Alan Wake/Control is the best Stephen King adaptation without actually being created by him, i think this (hopefully) growing franchise is really the closest we will get to the feeling of King's books
When this game first came out i didnt get the chance to play it, i just never got around to buying the game, then gods bless the remaster arrived and Control. I was so happy to finally play it. i love how he narrates everything and the power to re-write reality. I hope in Alan Wake 2 he can somehow be saved.
Throwing this out there, is it Alan and Thomas writing these things into existence or is it the typewriter itself? I vaguely remember a typewriter being referenced in Control that had powers to bring what was written into existence. Or did Control just make me paranoid of random objects? After playing Control I kept an eye out for every refrigerator that looked odd lmao
Alan Wake was so ahead of its time in the best way with how Remedy made the game. It's combat was engaging and fun(even though it *can* be a bit frustrating at times), and the way that Alan "narrates" through most of the cutscenes instead of just talking was a super cool touch that I really hope they bring back in AW2.
I just got a copy of Control for my Xbox X, which comes with the two DLC expansions. It seems to me that, “AWE,” is one of those clever acronyms that will have a meaning within the game, but that is clearly meant to stand for, “Alan Wake Expansion,” to the gamers who know about the Alan Wake canon. I never played the game, though I love that such games are out there, more creative and imaginative than the typical CoD or dungeon crawler fare that guarantee sales. I wanted to glean as much as I could about Wake, in hopes that the Control DLC makes some kind of sense to me when I get there. So, thanks for this comprehensive and entertaining summary. Sounds like I missed out on a truly unique gaming experience. I can certainly see why gamers value Alan Wake so highly and why they’ve gotten so excited at the prospect of the long awaited sequel finally looking like it might become a thing.
I never played the original Alan Wake but ended up playing the remake that came out last year AFRER playing and beating Control several times INCLUDING the add-on DLC Bright Falls AWE. Control is an AMAZING game! Especially if you play it on Playstation 5. I really loved how after knowing some things about Alan Wake from Control being able to play Alan Wake afterwards. It was fun to lean about some of the things I've learned playing Control but more importantly playing the DLC Bright Falls AWE. VERY fun games! If you've never played Control DO SO! It's awesome and especially play the 2 DLC's: The Foundation & Bright Falls AWE
Great vid! Been binging your videos recently. I just wish you added the Stephen King references here since he's a big influence to the story. Particularly his novel Duma Key. Still, another great vid. I enjoy the storytelling behind these games even if I'm not a gamer myself.
I've tried watching people play both Alan wake and control but gave up because I just got confused 😆. Thanks for making this, I might watch it alongside a playthrough so that I dont get spoilers.
One of the best story and in-game atmosphere of all time. How can they say the dark palce have to maintain balance so Alan had to replace Alice? Since Alice was not part of the dark place in the first place?
Am I the only one who thinks it doesn’t make sense Alan can’t leave the dark place? How is he supposed to be taking the place of his wife, who didn’t belong to it originally? She was a foreign body, which should upset the balance, so how does replacing her with _another_ foreign body _maintain_ the balance? That’d be like a surgeon replacing the tumor he just removed from you with a plastic bag of saline “cause we gotta maintain the balance.” ( ﾟヮﾟ)
I personally feel Alan Wake is an amalgamation of "Address Unknown" from Max Payne, Lost Highway and lastly (to state the obvious) Twin Peaks. The reality and fiction part is a decision Sam lake has left to us i feel.
ALAN WAKE 2 STORY EXPLAINED IS HERE! ua-cam.com/video/nYboXPsTRts/v-deo.htmlsi=QmeVn0ZOD-8VkYdY
"I guess we'll need a alan wake 2"
Oh boy this aged perfectly...almost like he wrote it in to happen...
I’m
@@Haylanmusic You're?
@@paperfox5292 We're?
Our*, comrades
I just hope alan wake 2 is just as good.
Barry was such a good character. Gotta love it when they are driving in the car together and they have the Alan cut out in the back seat 🤣
Initially he looked like any other annoying comical relief side character, but thankfully Remedy knows how to make likable and quirky characters.
Sacrificing yourself for your spouse is a lose lose situation. You're separated from each other forever but one has to live on with this knowledge as well. I often think about how much my wife would suffer if I were to die and vice versa.
Yeah man, I feel ya. I think about that too. It’s terrifying. Worse than any horror game! Haha. Trying hard to pay off the mortgage so that my wife isn’t stuck with it if something happens to me.
@@GamingHarryYT That's a wonderful thing to do. I just found your channel and am going on a binge now!
@@EmmanuelTurner245225my grandfather lost grandmother back in 2011 or '12 they had been together since she was 18 (I think he was 4 to 6 years older) she passed away at about 92 to 94, he only survived 4 years... depending on how deep the bond is and how long they were together most partners rarely live for longer then 5 years after losing their significant other... but the pain in those left behind is difficult to bear leaving them vulnerable to emotional attacks where some people would drive others in bereavement to self harm (case in point my second cousins have been calling my mobile at all hours to try and drive me to self harm after my mother passed away 2 years ago), make sure you tell those you leave behind that you love them and are proud of them
I'll take care of her for you 👍
@@Thee_Raiden🤡
I think Alan's and Thomas' ability to write things into existence isn't so strong as to create something from nothing, more a manipulation of probability and what created the issue at the beginning was probably because Thomas rewrote the past instead of the future, which allowed the dark presence into their reality. like wise I don't think Alan is fake, living fiction, but instead that he was born and raised normally and Thomas in the darkness sensed his existence and guided him. (Alan probably already had the talent to become the next Thomas and that is what I'm saying he sensed)
The biggest mystery: Did Thomas write Alan into the story? Or did Alan wrote Thomas into the story?
@@the_mystic_ghost4148 I say neither. Instead they were both headed to the end of the darkness destroying them and they are just writing the future into a path where the most people survive and it is destroyed.
@@liamnehren1054 makes no sense.... SOMEONE wrote it all right?
@@the_mystic_ghost4148 in part, but they didn't actually create anything out of thin air, everyone existed, their powers were their own, the darkness existed.
But Zane tried to rewrite the death of his Muse and the Darkness used her as a stepping stone into reality since neither she nor it should exist.
Zane let the darkness latch onto himself and then erased himself, but he failed to erase either of them completely probably due to people like Jessie and Alan who resisted his power (also as I mentioned there seems to be a flaw to their power when it comes to rewriting the past).
I would say that from that Zane learned that you can't write that which can't happen so he taught that to Alan subconsciously? So Alan only wrote about the future and manipulated probability to get all the actors to react in a way that would led him to saving his wife and sealing the darkness better. Oh course as we know that wasn't 100% since all three still exist so that's where Jessie will have to clean up the mess being someone the darkness can't manipulate since on top of being really strong like the other two, she was trained by her experiences in Control, while they were running blind.
It's actually canon that they don't just write things into existence, but rather rewrite things that already exist. It's confirmed in the AWE DLC in Control. It's why he used Jesse, she already caused an AWE event herself
Never played most of the games but love hearing your explanations of the stories. Keep up the good work
Cease everything you're doing and play Alan Wake, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Quantum Break, and Control. They are phenomenal games, and worth playing even if you watch lore videos on them. The level of immersion you get is next level, and the lore you get from the collectibles and things written on the environment (like chalk boards) gives you a far superior understanding of the lore. You'll thank me later.
@@monkeysk8er33 Alan wake is awesome
@@monkeysk8er33 not all of us can afford these games or consoles itself
That’s the same comment under any of his other videos.
@@John_Joel_Glanton because it's RELEVANT asshat goes to you buddy
Control was such a good game it made me have to complete Alan Wake. I still believe Control is such an underrated game though!
Control is an AMAZING game. One of my all time favorites
Control is an industry darling, a fan favorite, and a smash hit from a RoI standpoint. Who is underrating control?
I agree
@@RandoLePerson the only problem was the level design. It is one of those things in a videogame which I try to like but it is lacking in such a material way that it is hard to justify liking it. Nothing really wrong primarily with level design but they should have included the markers if anyone needed those. With level design like this markers are necessary to give you a hint as to which room you are supposed to go. Don't make it mandatory but at least give casual players a choice
@@Dr_Won_Hung_Lo same
I'm honestly not sure if Zane created Wake to finish what he started, or if Wake created Zane to help him save Alice.
I think they created each other. Think about it, Zane wrote Alan's childhood memories, but it was Alan that wrote the event of finding Zane's page about the clicker from said childhood memories.
They are stuck in some sort of time loop I guess
Animators: How much Dutch angles do you want for the game?
Devs: YES
😂
I wonder if Alan aged 10 years in the Dark Place? Or if he escapes into the real world will he still look the same? It would be interesting to see especially Alice’s reaction. Pretty sure she moved on by now and married someone else.
Also I hope Sarah and Barry return in the sequel! They were great characters I’m glad they didn’t get killed off.
Kinda like castaway
They did get killed off though.
Huh? No they didnt.@phantomblade9167
I have an alternate theory on Mr. Scratch.
Firstly, I think Tom being a poet is actually incredibly important. Poetry is incredibly interpretive (flashbacks to any English class) and that means it can be manipulated.
In American Nightmare Alan lays down the rules of manipulating reality pretty heavily; you can't undo what is done but you can fill in what is not said.
For example, a scene can be written about two people; if you do not explicitly say "a third person is not present" then a third person can become present. And that is where The Dark Prescence thrives. In the "white space" between what is written. With poetry being so interpretive I believe Tom was easier to manipulate in terms of what he wrote. Think like a genie and a wish. He wrote Barbara back into existence. But he never explicitly said it wouldn't be her, inhabited by this darkness.
For arguments sake, poetry is not as strong as normal writing. Alan, being a writer, can create entire worlds. But because he is a writer he is careful about writing exactly what he says, therefore making him a bit harder to control, but not impossible. That's why he subconsciously wrote himself into his own story and also broke himself out of it because he saw that The Dark Prescence was never going to give him Alice.
So, back to what I said about Mr. Scratch.
Tom created him, that's shown in-game. But he's not initially shown as evil. A bit, creepy? but not evil.
So what made him evil?
1) Tom can't create an entire human and the interpretive "white space" caused the Dark Prescence to infect him (this invalidates the theories that he wrote Alan to life, but I'm not 100% sold on that).
2) The perception of Alan infected Mr. Scratch via Alice (probably not just tabloids because they said the lake itself is where the power is but that was my initial assumption until the very good point of Alice talking to Hartman said in this video)
3) Alan. And here's where I find American Nightmare can 100% be canon while not doing anything to the main story.
While playing the DLC's for Alan Wake you see Alan descend into madness because he succumbs to his fear that he will never get out. When we successfully piece him back together, he continues to write because that is literally the only way he can maintain his sanity. He writes. And what does Alan do best? He writes himself into stories.
The beginning of American Nightmare reads like a Night Springs episode (in fact Barry is watching it on TV). The only discerning characteristic we have for our hero is The Champion of Light; and our villain, The Herald of Darkness.
Alan, being able to write between the "white space" can essentially pick who plays those two roles. Himself as the hero, but who can become the villain? Mr. Scratch. That way he doesn't manipulate a "real" person into a villain.
In constructing this story he accidentally creates a real-life villain and fills in the blanks of the story. Essentially, to maintain his sanity, he just inserts himself into stories that he can (ones without specified characters) so he has SOMETHING to do besides be stuck in the dark place slowly succumbing to madness, again. He's losing himself in the stories, literally.
And in doing so he can see Alice again, if only for a moment.
With my theory American Nightmare both works within the story of Alan without actually MATTERING to the story as a whole. It's just his way of trying to keep busy during the years he's stuck and hone his craft so he can construct something that can save him (The Bureau of Control).
I am sorry for my huge rant, I have thought about this for the last decade on loop.
Its pretty cool how You've interpreted all this.
@AbsolAhm thank you so much!
G. Harry: “Still massively confused?”
Me: “Yes..yes I am.”
G. Harry: “No worries.”
Me: “Oh thank the gods!”
Seriously this was an amazing video!
There is only one god
@@loaihilali9200 heh... The Elohim has entered the chat.
@@mapoosianmakrak1487 heh Kronos has entered the chat. *wait a minute...;*
@@mathiuseden9605 Uranus has left the chat of his own free will
I remember hearing people discussing this game and just thinking about what a mind-turn it can be the first time you go through it
Not only Dark Place requires a balance but there is also the fact that story Alan is writing has to make sense. He is the protagonist in a horror story and he is aware of that. He can't just go to the final act. And also I am sure whatever Alan is writing Darkness will try to corrupt and take advantage of it, so he needs to be extra careful.
Hearing how you pronounced "Barbara Jaga" (or however her name is written) immediately got me associating the name with "Baba Yaga".
Just a fun little detail, Mb even intentional :)
One of the most brilliant stories I've ever known and one of the best & unique games I've ever played! Thank you for covering this. Waiting patiently for the sequel since Remedy pretty much has the most resources they've had in a while now 🤞🏻
The story is a mess lol… But yes this game is AMAZING! I love it so much
Alan wake 2 is outtt...!
This is one of my favorite games of all time. Thank you for covering the story. With the remastered version out my fingers are crossed for a sequel
Alan wake 2 is confirmed yayy.
Your wish came true
Yep I saw the trailer & if that is Mr. Scratch at the end of it. Oh my Gods he has graduated from creepy to hands down terrifying & I'm excited to see what's going to happen next
Just got done playing Alan awake Remastered on the PlayStation 5 in preparation for Alan Wake 2. Which release a day before my birthday & I’m too excited!
Fun fact about that band, Old Gods of Asgard, is in reality band called Poets of the Fall
Thanks for this content I am not good at playing games like this so I would just watch it from you..
Yes. Exactly
Same
Haha damn girls dont like survival horror? Like resident evil , silent hill , evil within . Etc
Git goood
you are a master at explaining bizarre scenarios. thanks for all your hard work!
Thank you kindly!
Getting a PHD in Physics is easier than understanding this shit
I am playing A Dark Place (AWE) in Control and wanted to have a quick background of what Alan Wake is all about to understand how the 2 games were related. Fun to know Alan Wake is also a parautilitarian. Thanks for this video.
The are not related. That's been confirmed. It's just a bit of fun since the developers know the fans love AW. Duh.... it literally takes no time to Google this.
@@lindapollock9509 Gatekeeper alert. This is why it's irritating to enter fandoms sometimes. 🙄
Did you even play the Control DLC? Because if you did, you'd know Alan Wake is literally mentioned there and is alluded to be a parautilitarian like the Director. They're in the same universe which makes them relevant to each other, but independent of one another.
@@lindapollock9509 It literally takes no time to google indeed and Remedy confirmed that it's the same universe and they are related. I don't know what were you on about. There's a whole dlc where alan appears in the game, not even just mentioned, he is there.
They did confirm that there's no relation between alan wake and quantum break despite the references in the game.
@@lindapollock9509 there's no way you are serious
There reference about Bright Falls AWE in the base game of Control, the DLC just confirmed that Alan Wake and Control are in the same universe.
The biggest mystery: Did Thomas write Alan into the story? Or did Alan wrote Thomas into the story?
I have the answer it is....... Yes
The concept of needing someone to release it created people who would be able to
First.
@@TheN1ghtwalker Interesting. Please elaborate
@@the_mystic_ghost4148 Alan found a page of manuscript talking about his past and the clicker written by Thomas Zane. It heavily implies that Alan himself was written into existence by Zane.
Is no one seriously going to talk about how amazing and terrifying the photo of Mr. Scratch is?
Your voice is so calming and I love your content! Keep it up!
I know right
It really is. So easy on the ears!
There was another Alan wake game called Alan wake American nightmare that concludes Alan's story
Another brilliant video! I just love this series, you do such a great job, the perfect balance between informative and entertaining. Keep them coming!
Background sound keeps throwing me off
Will this be on the test?
Yes
We back cause Alan Wake 2. I love this game
it will either be resolved in Alan wake 2 with Jesse coming to Bright falls after receiving the mysterious distress call from the future or part of Control 2 with Jesse heading to Bright falls as part of the fallout of whatever insanity she will be dealing with. Alan is definitely a Parautilitarian, maybe not as strong as Jesse but still pretty powerful, lol good thing she isn't an artist and hence probably can't use the lake to such an extent. Zane and the brothers are probably also pretty powerful with the brothers either more powerful or far less powerful hence them not having the same kind of ending in their fight against the dark presence.
Now another question: Is the light presence a real otherworldly being like the dark presence, the hiss and hadron or is it what is left of zane or maybe like Polaris an aspect of zane and/or Alan's power?
Cant say whether he is a weaker para utilitarian or not, several times we are told in Control that "psychic" powers are developed differently between persons. Alan seems to have a tremendous power on altering reality but got no control over it.
@@LASCH_B10 it kind of suggests that the power level is innate or awakened but the level of control is trained. Hence why alan can't control it.
Think of the upgrade chart of Control as Jesse learning to harness the different powers.
She also has so much power that most items attempts to stop her just become tutorials of how to use the most basic level of their power (my head cannon for the tutorials) stronger objects that wipe out whole squads of parautilitarians are just boss battles to her and apocalyptic ones like the darkness and hiss are hard/tedious.
She literally does have a few issue with a mixed hiss/shadow creature but the issue was mostly location. Suggesting she is stronger after training since it's a mid game DLC compared to Alan but Alan is probably nearly or exactly as powerful untrained.
Remember that in Control it also says that one of the previous Directors could only use the same objects Jesse uses to fling an object a single yard slowly... and that was a record! he was seen as incredibly powerful for it. but there is merit to the idea of developing power since my Jesse could be very different from yours. but the base power is the same.
@@liamnehren1054 yeah Jesse had Hedron + The Board to help her master her innate potential, so it’s hard to say who has the most innate ability.
All will be revealed in 17 days
I just keep binging your videos 😊😊
Thanks! Enjoy 😀
@@GamingHarryYT nice video love this game
Who's here after Alan Wake 2 getting announced ?
Alan Wake needs to be it's own tv show. They had a mini series which could have been done by the CW in special effects easily. I'm so here for it!!
No offense but I don't agree with the conclusions you jump to. Alan can't write himself out because there has to be balance? Alice can't leave unless Alan takes her place? That's funny I don't remember anyone having to leave in order for Alice to go in. Guess balance only matters when it's convenient. Secondly there's no indication Zane wrote Alan in to existence. The object in the shoebox, including the clicker, were wrote in there by Alan himself in the pages of Departure. My interpretation is Zane and everything he does in the game isn't Zane at all, just a fictitious version of him Alan created himself in order to have help.
"Guess we will need an Alan Wake 2."
Well, you are in luck, sir . . . .
Anyone else here after the Alan Wake 2 announcement? Lol
Alan Wake 2 releases in 3 days!
Love your way of storytelling. I bet this channel's gonna grow exponentially.
I love this game, and yeah I didn't really understand the story the first playthough but it was intense and scary from start to finish. Watching this video, you explaining stuff I missed. I really hope they do an official Sequel game soon. Alan Wake is an awesome game.
Thank you for making this video, I hope others like me find this lore video, and finally understand what we were going through lol.
Subscribed and liked.
Alan Wake 2 just got a release date this year !!!! I guess we'll get to know whether he will escape this nightmare finally or not
Alan wake was one of my favourite games on xbox 360 back then, thanks for making this video ❤️
I love this alternate realities and dimension themes baked into horror paranormal elements like SH. The only way to escape the reality that our own existence is plain and set in stone. Sadly games with this much thought and effort put into it's background, plot and whole Universe are very rare compared to the usual cheap thrills and basic storytelling.
Remedy games are more suggested than told.
There is a lot that goes on in the world simultaneously and the hints and dialogues are super important to figure out what is happening.
Also the story is not entirely told in a way it's heavily implied that it will be continued but since it's a relatively small studio they are building their own universe (one of the great ones ever) gradually.
Can't wait for Alan Wake 2 and Control 2
15:26 old scratch is also a nickname for the devil so Mr scratch is most likely a play on that.
I absolutely hated the gameplay for Alan Wake (remaster), I am initially not a fan of the franchise at all but with the release of the second title, I'm here to understand the story to give the sequel a chance to win me over to the franchise. The story seems riveting and I hope the sequel will have smoother gameplay.
The story is basically twin peaks. The black lodge and Alan being trapped there pretty much rips off agent cooper being trapped there. Mr scratch is agent coopers doppelganger.
I just played this game so I can play Alan wake 2 after. I'm 30 seconds in and just heard you talk about the great gameplay. Am I the only one who absoultely hated the gameplay? Story was ok and maybe I'll learn some things from this video that'll make me think more of it but God almighty I fucking hated playing this game.
Edit: Would be hilarious if Alan Wake 2 plays just like the original. Will probably cry
Edit 2: just coming back to say that while alan wake 2 has the same gameplay mechanic, it's amazing, and I'm really enjoying it
We need a video on Alan wake 2.
Game just came out. No we don’t
@@GradietPanda12345yes we do
The balance part makes no sense to me, what and why was Alice sent to the dark place and what was the balance there? Alan went to balance Alice leaving, but what left when Alice went in?
Wow. I feel for Alan. Imagine just trying to find your wife. And the plot, the lake, the game are all just like, "How about no." 🤣
Alan Wake 2 now has a teaser if you guys haven't checked it out yet.
Wait if the dark place needs balance how did Alice get sucked at all?
I want this game for the switch hopefully one day
Love your vids. Keep up the great work
I'm currently playing Quantum Break and a lot of clues are emerging from it. Specifically the chalk board in the university. It is so worth reading through because it adds new perspective to your already fantastic video! There is a sentence on that chalk board that won't leave my mind pretty much theorising that Zane and Alan wrote each other and it was speculating that maybe one of them is not real. But I am slowly starting to feel like Zane might actually be Alan Wake. Like he wrote himself into a new life/version? I guess we will just have to wait and find out when the second game comes out!
Its theorised that Zane wrote Alan into existence. Alan technically is real but that Zane most likely created the events that led to his birth. Zane is probably also like Jessie able to use objects of power.
I wanna play quantum break I only have playstation :(
So... who got freed to balance Alice being taken to the dark place?
And alan wake 2 story is just 2 hours longer😂
I played this game in 2010 and 13 years later, I played it again... I was still as confused as I was back then. I truly love the game, but there are definitely plenty of parts that left me scratching my head. Thanks for the explanations.
I remember watching my brother play this game when I was a kid . I loved it so much . Hearing there’s another coming out I had to download the remaster and play it for myself . This is one of the greatest stories I’ve played and the remedyverse is so interesting
Nit called the remedyverse
am I the only one who prefers how the original alan wake game plays and looks over the remaster? Plus I had a lot of problems with the remaster and graphical problems (high end pc, but ig these issues are something they don’t care to fix 🤷🏻♂️)
So Alan wrote about Control and Quantum Break. But after he got success with his novels he got stuck , unable to create another story, Came to a hunted lake that somehow tests him and shows him his deepest fears and his own shadow side (mr scratch) and must face the chaos within himself to get back to reality, so basically he is in a psychosis. But also he is a character in the story of Zane. I swear Remedy does like to play with their universes like russian dolls. What I don't understand is how he would get out? Clearly to face your demons isn't enough. Maybe Alan just doesn't acknowledge that he is also evil? Like Jekyll and Hyde they are the same person. So to end the suffering is to end yourself? Or it is another kind of ending? At this point it's like I am writing nonsense.
Thank you so much for this, I played control but never got around to playing alan wake. And I'd rather have an explanation done by someone I enjoy watching as it is.
Zane leaving the clicker in the box as a failsafe and, Alan remembering the clicker as a memento from his father implies that Zane is his father. If one were to view it symbolically or metaphysically, Zane wrote someone to inherit his role - as a fail safe - against the darkness. Until someone or something else could imprison or destroy the entity, like Jessie and or the FBC...
the only problem with that is zane has a whole history with barbara and cynthia weaver, he didnt know Alans mother at all. he probably wrote in a way that could fit whoever was going to visit the lake, not specifically alan
lol no Zane is not Alan’s father. Using the powers of the lake. Zane wrote specific circumstances about Alan Wake, who was probably not born yet. Since whatever is written with the powers of the lake comes true, Alan Wake had to fulfill said scenario for the story to come true. Basically he wrote the specific scenario about Alan’s childhood
@@EthanRom _s y m b o l i c a l l y_
This game was great! I got it when it first came out, and I still own it. A lot of people don't like having a physical library collection, but I'm the opposite, and if anything has a special edition, I make sure it goes in the library
i watched this and didnt understand anything
I never realized how much this game had in common with the Silent hills
Ahti, the finnish god of the sea, is the janitor in Control. Allen calls the dark place a sea.
One of the flashbacks takes place in New York during a snow storm. I've always imagined that Max Payne would go on his killing spree later that evening.
Just finished the remaster on PS5 and I'm both blown away and confused. Remedy is an amazing gaming Dev. I played control 3 times and the DLC.
Alan Wake/Control is the best Stephen King adaptation without actually being created by him, i think this (hopefully) growing franchise is really the closest we will get to the feeling of King's books
When this game first came
out i didnt get the chance to play it, i just never got around to buying the game, then gods bless the remaster arrived and Control. I was so happy to finally play it. i love how he narrates everything and the power to re-write reality. I hope in Alan Wake 2 he can somehow be saved.
Throwing this out there, is it Alan and Thomas writing these things into existence or is it the typewriter itself? I vaguely remember a typewriter being referenced in Control that had powers to bring what was written into existence. Or did Control just make me paranoid of random objects? After playing Control I kept an eye out for every refrigerator that looked odd lmao
Alan Wake was so ahead of its time in the best way with how Remedy made the game. It's combat was engaging and fun(even though it *can* be a bit frustrating at times), and the way that Alan "narrates" through most of the cutscenes instead of just talking was a super cool touch that I really hope they bring back in AW2.
I was born in 2010
I’ve been playing this game 4 a week now & am enjoying it very much, can’t wait to hear Harry’s breakdown of this story #AlanWake #GamingHarry 💯💪🏽💪🏽🔥🔥
i just 100% Control, half way through Alan Wake - i’ve watched 3 lore videos and still have not a clue what’s happening lmao
As Always, very nice work. Keep up the good work and the excellent quality
I just got a copy of Control for my Xbox X, which comes with the two DLC expansions. It seems to me that, “AWE,” is one of those clever acronyms that will have a meaning within the game, but that is clearly meant to stand for, “Alan Wake Expansion,” to the gamers who know about the Alan Wake canon. I never played the game, though I love that such games are out there, more creative and imaginative than the typical CoD or dungeon crawler fare that guarantee sales. I wanted to glean as much as I could about Wake, in hopes that the Control DLC makes some kind of sense to me when I get there.
So, thanks for this comprehensive and entertaining summary. Sounds like I missed out on a truly unique gaming experience. I can certainly see why gamers value Alan Wake so highly and why they’ve gotten so excited at the prospect of the long awaited sequel finally looking like it might become a thing.
pumping out bangers lately!
I never played the original Alan Wake but ended up playing the remake that came out last year AFRER playing and beating Control several times INCLUDING the add-on DLC Bright Falls AWE. Control is an AMAZING game! Especially if you play it on Playstation 5. I really loved how after knowing some things about Alan Wake from Control being able to play Alan Wake afterwards. It was fun to lean about some of the things I've learned playing Control but more importantly playing the DLC Bright Falls AWE. VERY fun games! If you've never played Control DO SO! It's awesome and especially play the 2 DLC's: The Foundation & Bright Falls AWE
Yes i played Control last year for the first time and this year i bought the DLCs and replayed the whole story. One of my favourite games for sure!
Great vid! Been binging your videos recently. I just wish you added the Stephen King references here since he's a big influence to the story. Particularly his novel Duma Key. Still, another great vid. I enjoy the storytelling behind these games even if I'm not a gamer myself.
I've tried watching people play both Alan wake and control but gave up because I just got confused 😆. Thanks for making this, I might watch it alongside a playthrough so that I dont get spoilers.
Good game Alan Wake is I love this game it's so awesome. Keep up the good work mate I love your videos mate 😊😎👍
Love how this games are heavily inspired by Twin Peaks
Very well explained
Are you also going to cover alan wake 2 ? 😃
Yeah. Currently editing it. It’s over 2 hours long though 😂
@@GamingHarryYT
Ow dear
So its even more complex then the first game ?
Thank you for doing this! I hope you keep doing lore and order.
Nice work, Harry. I've always wanted to play this game.
Maybe Thomas Zane is "Sane" version of Alan
"no... I'm the real Alan Wake(2010)" was my favorite line from the game
Would be great if u did one of these videos for Control. That game is loaded to bursting with lore.
Yes
One of the best story and in-game atmosphere of all time. How can they say the dark palce have to maintain balance so Alan had to replace Alice? Since Alice was not part of the dark place in the first place?
And Alan Wake 2 is here !!!
Still mind bending...
Did you see the Alan Wake hint on the computer screen at the end of the Control AWE DLC? After defeating Dr. Hartman?
Am I the only one who thinks it doesn’t make sense Alan can’t leave the dark place? How is he supposed to be taking the place of his wife, who didn’t belong to it originally? She was a foreign body, which should upset the balance, so how does replacing her with _another_ foreign body _maintain_ the balance? That’d be like a surgeon replacing the tumor he just removed from you with a plastic bag of saline “cause we gotta maintain the balance.” ( ﾟヮﾟ)
That ticking noise you have in the background is BEYOND ANNOYING!!!
I personally feel Alan Wake is an amalgamation of "Address Unknown" from Max Payne, Lost Highway and lastly (to state the obvious) Twin Peaks. The reality and fiction part is a decision Sam lake has left to us i feel.
So convoluted haha.. I love the vibe of Remedy games though, definitely playing the next one