Jesse Faden shows up very briefly in the cutscene when Wake visits Tom's apartment. She's on a TV saying "Hello?" and then you see Casper Darling on the TV, also very briefly. Also, the female voice Saga hears on the phone in the dark place is obviously Alice.
You can also catch the same clip of Jesse and Darling popping up on TVs at different points in the game, i saw them at least twice outside of that Tom Zane cutscene. It happens so fast that sometimes you'll see a TV with an interact prompt but it won't do anything but that's because the clip already played and you can't save it or replay it.
Another clue to the fact Door is Saga's father goes along with the narrative storytelling happening in the music. In the Old Gods of Asgard song 'Anger's Remorse' there's lyrics that say "Dive through the dark To find the light on the other side You will find him there The piece you're missing The man I drove away" This is basically Tor telling Saga how to find her father.
For sure. There was a note about Door walking down to the lake, getting struck by lightning, and then disappearing. There's another note about Tor and Odin fighting some force over the lake over Odin's eye and Tor strikes lighting down at it. Then there's the father doll and clues through profiling. It makes sense. Which then may give Saga even more powers in the sequel by her having her mind place and "door" powers...which then in turn may make her daughter having even more powers possibly with her be erased and brought back into Alan's story. Who knows.
Ahti is a god, a river god to be specific, that's why he's 'the janitor'. Also I love how many nods to Quantum Break this game has it's not *directly* referred too, but Tim Breaker is played by Shawn Ashmore who played Jack Joyce and if you read his wall of conspiracies it mentions him "having dreams where he is another person with another name in another world" (Obvious reference to Jack Joyce) it also mentions how he sees "the red-haired woman" (Jesse) there, but she is 'different' (Reference to Beth Wilder because Courtney Hope played Beth Wilder as well) also Mr. Door is a Shifter (A being that can move through parallel timelines) just like Martin Hatch was and if Lance Reddick wouldn't have passed away he was actually going to play Mr. Door because basically they're the same person/character, but in another world. So like multiverse stuff essentially. ALSO Tim Breaker is just one letter away from being "Time Breaker" And knowing Sam Lake that is definitely NOT a coincidence. Sam is definitely sowing the seeds and setting everything up for the day when they have the rights to Quantum Break and can officially connect things and I can not wait for that day to get here.
I noticed that the ending of the game is mirrored about halfway in. The cutscene where Zane and Wake/Scratch write their story ultimately ends with Alan shooting Zane in the forehead and then after the video gives you control, Zane "wakes up" and wipes the bullet hole paint off his head. Forward to end game. Wake and Saga write their story. Saga shoots Wake/Scratch in the forehead. Post credits, Wake wakes up with no bullet hole. Its not a loop, its a spiral.
Anyone else notice the maid in your lodge that keeps knocking on one of the rooms over the course of the game and she gets progressively more aggressive lol. By chapter 6 she’s banging on the door screaming. Yet another mystery
I was in a "dark place", and there was a dark man there. His name was Mr. Door, and he told me that there are many worlds - side-by-side, on top of each other, some inside of others. In one world, there was a writer who wrote a story about a cop. In another world, the cop was real. Door said he himself was in all of them at the same time, endlessly "shifting" between them. - Dylan Faden. Back when I first played Control I thought Mr Door was just a reference to Martin Hatch from Quantum Break and I mean he still kinda is, but I had no idea he was going to be such an important character in Alan Wake and the greater Remedyverse.
The Taken always reminded me of Deadites from The Evil Dead. Like they're basically just normal people, but possessed by the Dark Presence, they even yell out nonsensical stuff in a demonic voice in the first Alan Wake which is very Deadite-like.
I love all the bootstrap paradoxes. Did Tom Zane write Alan Wake into existence or the other way around? Did Rose's fanfiction bring Alan back or did she do that because he wrote her? And that's before even thinking about the Sam Lake meta stuff of him being the writer of Alan Wake but also playing the role of Aleksi Käsi and Alex Casey the FBC agent and also himself playing Alex Casey in the movie in the game... and then we have Alice Wake. Did her art create Mr Scratch? Everything influences everything else!
Jack Joyce = Tim Breaker Martin Hatch = Warlin Door Tim goes off about "alternate universe" and all that. Assuming this is a way to reference to QB without having directly reference it since Microsoft still owns QB.
Happy news: It's happening! They just announced Old Gods of Asgard (Poets of the Fall) will be performing live at the Game Awards! I hope they play Herald of Darkness with the amazing dance, too.
Edit: nevermind, it comes up right before the wrap up. Door might show up in multiple stories in the future, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be a major character in the Night Springs DLC. There is a commercial in the Oceanview for a new season of Night Springs hosted by Mr. Door and written by Alan Wake. And he mentions that during his monologue in Masks.
While the combat is the weakest part. I still had a lot fun with it. All the weapons are satisfying to use but especially that crossbow. And I love the addition of melee as well. I think just 2 more enemy types (for a total of 11) would’ve given more players something to chew on.
100% agreed, you see the weaknesess of the game, but there are great weapons in there, crossbow and flare gun were my standouts and loved the identity they give to this game.
Only time I really had an issue with the combat was the fight on the beach. I had just unlocked the new shotgun and... they give you absolutely no ammo for it for that fight
The woods here were honestly one of the most terrifying horror game environments I’ve ever encountered.. the wind, sound and overall atmosphere was so nail biting
"When the bullet of light blew the darkness out of the crater of my skull, the dark presence was born from the remains feeding on the horror around it to grow " at the end of the game Alan says that. So it seems like he simultaneously created and destroyed the dark precence, putting it in a loop. Does that mean Alan in the future (AW2) he created the dark presence that past Alan (AW) fights in the first game? The way tome works, it seems like the past can be affected by the future. The way it is worded, though seems that way but idk
Zane looking like Alan is the part that confused me the most. Because in the first game no one mentions Alan looking like Zane. At the very least Cynthia Weaver, who was in love with Zane, would have mention something about resemblance between the two. So either the reality somehow shifted, merging Wake and Zane, or Remedy just retconned it. What an awesome game though. Can't wait to play more. Starting the new game+ tomorrow to see the new bits. I clicked on it immediately after finishing the game and already the initial monologue from Alan is different. So I was like "a spiral, so if I play again it will slightly be different, like the song". Awesome how they contextualize everything.
A lot of this stuff goes even deeper. Theres posters that tie Zane back to True Tom Rhymer from Remedy's first game Death Rally. Tom Rhymer is an actual real world legend that I wont get into, but heavily parallels some stuff here. I know they said that the other games arent "canon", but its almost like saying that is saying that they ARE canon with the way these games work. The characters are mirrored/echoed versions of each other. Alan/Tom/Scratch. Door/Hatch. Breaker/Joyce. Wilder/Jesse(esseJ i guess). Payne/Casey. The neighbor of the beast thing I think is just more of a joke thing since they add it to most of their games.
We wish we could write a novel to truly explain this question. But you're just going to have to trust us and we'll try to condense our reasoning. We have Dissociative Identity Dissorder and it is wild to us that no one has made the connection with Alan Wake 2. The entire game and story screams severe trauma, that's a given, but it also screams that we're playing in a D.I.D Systems headspace. Alan has multiple alters based on himself (Tom and Scratch to name but 2) and then the multiple Casey's and Saga's as well as Tor and Odin and more. The entire game felt like we were in someone else's headspace, meeting and fighting alters, trying to regain memories lost to trauma in order to heal and move forward. The fact Alan is trying to stop Scratch getting out is like stopping an alter fronting cause they'll cause harm. The names in the game too are so D.I.D based cause allllll the names are so on the nose. We have an alter, Spike who's a pain alter (Spike, of pain) or one that's a Shadow, called Shadow and it's sibling Hollow. Cause, well this is what we mean when we say about condensing. Would love to fully explain this but just trust us, on the nose names is a big check. It was wild and we genuinely feel like you almost need complex PTSD/D.I.D in order to truly appreciate it. From the jump scares that are ALWAYS based around intrusive thoughts in the game (pay attention to what you see in the jump scare). Or the amnesia and trying to make sense of order of events, or having subtle things like facts changing just enough (Peoples jobs or ages changing), it just screams like someone whom has D.I.D was like "I bet I could make one hell of a mind fuck story out of my healing journey". The metaphors are everywhere, even killing "bad" alters like Alan does, only for him to realise HE is a "bad" alter (cause no alter in a system is truly bad, persecutors like Scratch are to force change) it just screams it. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Door was actually Dr. Door, his shrink and it "isn't a loop, it's a spiral" is because he's stuck in a pysch ward and he thinks he's in a loop but he's actually in a spiral as in spiralling when you're having a very bad mental health day.
This very nice interpretation and works nicely. I have not experienced that but seems so true as you describe it. I like how you can analyze and experience this story in so different ways. Names in these games are truly meaningful. Alan wake in finnish can be translated to "starting to wake up" and of course a.wake->awake. All the name trickery is funny to think. I myself think this story as fighting against your own demons. Alan previous addiction and dealing with publicity and stardom and all the problems it does to relationship with Alice. All the characters tell this in many ways and at the player have reached the "botton" or time when the choice is needed to happen. Either descend/die/lose or ascend/live/heal/win.
I've been writing 20 years, and thats too on the nose. Cliche metaphors use that doesn't reflect writes of Remedy's caliber. The point is to use these ideas you write about as a REFLECTION to the AVERAGE AUDIENCE. To say hey think of multiple personalities or schizophrenic disorder, but now imagine a world where these things are actual manifestations that are tangible in reality. It's hack writing to do, and then I woke up and it was a dream. Or at the end of Alan Wake 3 have him walk into a diner and narrate, it was just me alone all along, confused by the broken parts of myself. No, there is real dark entities is their world, and using art and creative behavior as a GATEWAY, these powerful evils creep in through the subconscious and master your mind and will. It's not a loop it's a spiral. There are actually physically distinct version or Alan walking around. It's not memento. It's just that the nature of how time works in the dark place, a good writer can use the symbols of personality disorders and signpost for players to grasp the actual reality of the rules of the that world. Good writers don't ever use cheap metaphors as the ACTUAL REVEAL OF REALITY in a story. It's a tool used to display the rules of that world. Mr Scratch is not the same Alan that wins with Saga in the end. They exist independently at different parts of the story being written. Each with their own drives and will. The dark presence uses psychological disorders metaphorically in terms of what the player is supposed to understand. It's not like Hellblade. A game specifically made to showcase a story about a Celtic Warrior who is schizophrenic. Alan Wake 2 is a horror story, where mental disorders are used symbolically ONLY, in order to give understanding to the player. It's gaslighting 101.
Very interesting perspective, thank you for providing it. I've also noticed how often there is another "version" of the same person, but I've attributed it to different drafts of the story Alan/Sam is writing (and them overlapping each other). In story like this it's also necessary to think about the real-life process of writing it, and about the state of mind of the real-life writer. Where he's getting the inspiration from and if there's some autobiography going on. Just image for a while what has to motivate you to create something like this (gigantic effort), to overcome every obstacle game development throws at you, put so much effort into details and ability to connect them. Some of it could be even totally undecipherable for anyone else except the writer, because it makes sense only in his mind/is his unique experience.
Is Mr Door supposed to be a continuation from Lance Reddick’s character from quantum break ? Just from the night springs dlc; is Lance Reddick a variant of Mr Door
I also had some cards I could not pin on the board. Bug? DLC? Or just some clue I missed but was necessary to open up a new part of the whole picture? Not really a big deal anyway, it was a cool game
I think my favorite UA-cam moment of 2023 was seeing Tyrone Magnus get 4 streams into playing and then the title of the last stream was “IM DONE WITH THIS BORING ASS GAME!”😂 absolutely loved this game
Very cool and unique vision but as a survival horror game... not great tbh. Combat got repetitive, not enough enemy variety, I was swimming in ammo & health by the end and had to actually discard many items. I also got a ton of technical problems on PS5, from visual weirdness to full-on progression-breaking bugs. The ending was unfulfilling and there was no closure... tell me what happened to Logan and David damn it!!
@@elementInfinitium all valid criticisms except the ending. It stays very true to the first game where you never found out what happened to Alan, Alice, Barry, Nightingale, Rose etc. Having these questions hinted at or answered in later Remedy games is great for the overall sense of mystery i feel
play on hard, its the equivalent of normal for other 3rd person/survival horror games. Enemy variety was comparable to RE2 remake, it felt repetitive since they combined both campaigns in 1 playthrough vs RE2 where they segmented off each campaign as its own thing. Jumpscares were fine, they justified it narratively as the dark presence's way of entering your mind to take you over. Agree with the bugs though, they need to fix that I experienced some myself. Ending is anything but, its very true to the narrative as well as its prequels, and genre inspirations. Game is survival horror but closer to the flavor of TLOU than RE or Silent Hill
Agreed regarding the game aspect. Think the reliance on combat in fundamentally flawed, as the intrigue is the interesting part. Makes me think they could have learned something from Outer Wilds regarding the actual gameplay
Nothing wrong with someone being passionate and expressing their passion. I don't see an 'actor' I just see a happy guy who wants to share his happiness and love for games with the world. Huber is literally my fave crew member on Easy Allies for that reason. His passion is infectious and just listening to him gush about his favorite games gets ME hyped. Also probably helps we share a lot of tastes, but that is besides the point. P.S. You'd be hyped and 'over excited' too if you waited 13 years for a game and then it came out and ended up being one of the best games you ever played and exceeding all your wildest expectations. I know how he feels. Alan Wake II is a one-of-a-kind experience.
@@CtheIronblooded I'm not saying he's an actor and I know there's no acting I just can't find a better word to describe the way he reacts which in my opinion is a little bit exaggerated. I'm not just talking about this video btw.
Love Koskela brothers spreading the concept of kalsarikännit to the world. lit. translates as underwear-drunk, which is when you stay at home drinking in your underwear. "It's not sad if it's intentional" 😅
Jesse Faden shows up very briefly in the cutscene when Wake visits Tom's apartment.
She's on a TV saying "Hello?" and then you see Casper Darling on the TV, also very briefly.
Also, the female voice Saga hears on the phone in the dark place is obviously Alice.
You can also catch the same clip of Jesse and Darling popping up on TVs at different points in the game, i saw them at least twice outside of that Tom Zane cutscene. It happens so fast that sometimes you'll see a TV with an interact prompt but it won't do anything but that's because the clip already played and you can't save it or replay it.
Another clue to the fact Door is Saga's father goes along with the narrative storytelling happening in the music. In the Old Gods of Asgard song 'Anger's Remorse' there's lyrics that say
"Dive through the dark
To find the light on the other side
You will find him there
The piece you're missing
The man I drove away"
This is basically Tor telling Saga how to find her father.
For sure. There was a note about Door walking down to the lake, getting struck by lightning, and then disappearing. There's another note about Tor and Odin fighting some force over the lake over Odin's eye and Tor strikes lighting down at it. Then there's the father doll and clues through profiling. It makes sense. Which then may give Saga even more powers in the sequel by her having her mind place and "door" powers...which then in turn may make her daughter having even more powers possibly with her be erased and brought back into Alan's story. Who knows.
Yakko being killed by Scratch in the moment was devastating, but in retrospect it is so funny that Scratch just wanted his jacket to look cool.
Had to get that Mr. C jacket lol
As a finnish person I find how you write "Yakko" hilarious
"Jaakko" lol.
Ahti is a god, a river god to be specific, that's why he's 'the janitor'.
Also I love how many nods to Quantum Break this game has it's not *directly* referred too, but Tim Breaker is played by Shawn Ashmore who played Jack Joyce and if you read his wall of conspiracies it mentions him "having dreams where he is another person with another name in another world" (Obvious reference to Jack Joyce) it also mentions how he sees "the red-haired woman" (Jesse) there, but she is 'different' (Reference to Beth Wilder because Courtney Hope played Beth Wilder as well) also Mr. Door is a Shifter (A being that can move through parallel timelines) just like Martin Hatch was and if Lance Reddick wouldn't have passed away he was actually going to play Mr. Door because basically they're the same person/character, but in another world. So like multiverse stuff essentially.
ALSO Tim Breaker is just one letter away from being "Time Breaker"
And knowing Sam Lake that is definitely NOT a coincidence.
Sam is definitely sowing the seeds and setting everything up for the day when they have the rights to Quantum Break and can officially connect things and I can not wait for that day to get here.
His name is Tim E. Breaker
I noticed that the ending of the game is mirrored about halfway in. The cutscene where Zane and Wake/Scratch write their story ultimately ends with Alan shooting Zane in the forehead and then after the video gives you control, Zane "wakes up" and wipes the bullet hole paint off his head.
Forward to end game. Wake and Saga write their story. Saga shoots Wake/Scratch in the forehead. Post credits, Wake wakes up with no bullet hole.
Its not a loop, its a spiral.
Anyone else notice the maid in your lodge that keeps knocking on one of the rooms over the course of the game and she gets progressively more aggressive lol. By chapter 6 she’s banging on the door screaming. Yet another mystery
I skimmed them but I think the notes in the open room behind that lady gave context to the situation? She was searching fkr someone?
Yeah, and here I was sure it would turn out to be important by the end.
It'll be cool if this is one of the things that's different in new game +
I was in a "dark place", and there was a dark man there. His name was Mr. Door, and he told me that there are many worlds - side-by-side, on top of each other, some inside of others. In one world, there was a writer who wrote a story about a cop. In another world, the cop was real. Door said he himself was in all of them at the same time, endlessly "shifting" between them. - Dylan Faden.
Back when I first played Control I thought Mr Door was just a reference to Martin Hatch from Quantum Break and I mean he still kinda is, but I had no idea he was going to be such an important character in Alan Wake and the greater Remedyverse.
The Taken always reminded me of Deadites from The Evil Dead. Like they're basically just normal people, but possessed by the Dark Presence, they even yell out nonsensical stuff in a demonic voice in the first Alan Wake which is very Deadite-like.
In American Nightmare there are radio interviews with Barry where he talks about being the manager of Old Gods of Asgard on their comeback tour.
Killing Cynthia was heartbreaking
I love all the bootstrap paradoxes. Did Tom Zane write Alan Wake into existence or the other way around? Did Rose's fanfiction bring Alan back or did she do that because he wrote her? And that's before even thinking about the Sam Lake meta stuff of him being the writer of Alan Wake but also playing the role of Aleksi Käsi and Alex Casey the FBC agent and also himself playing Alex Casey in the movie in the game... and then we have Alice Wake. Did her art create Mr Scratch? Everything influences everything else!
WE SING was legit a Top 5 gaming moment of all time for me. Truly spectacular!
I'm so glad this came out, when I finished it I was craving a discussion and I thought there might not be enough allies to justify it in time.
Jack Joyce = Tim Breaker
Martin Hatch = Warlin Door
Tim goes off about "alternate universe" and all that. Assuming this is a way to reference to QB without having directly reference it since Microsoft still owns QB.
perfect timing, I literally finished it few minutes ago!
Happy news: It's happening! They just announced Old Gods of Asgard (Poets of the Fall) will be performing live at the Game Awards! I hope they play Herald of Darkness with the amazing dance, too.
I love how much they are fanboying out about the game haha
Makes sense though the game is so dope
Edit: nevermind, it comes up right before the wrap up.
Door might show up in multiple stories in the future, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be a major character in the Night Springs DLC. There is a commercial in the Oceanview for a new season of Night Springs hosted by Mr. Door and written by Alan Wake. And he mentions that during his monologue in Masks.
While the combat is the weakest part. I still had a lot fun with it. All the weapons are satisfying to use but especially that crossbow. And I love the addition of melee as well. I think just 2 more enemy types (for a total of 11) would’ve given more players something to chew on.
100% agreed, you see the weaknesess of the game, but there are great weapons in there, crossbow and flare gun were my standouts and loved the identity they give to this game.
Only time I really had an issue with the combat was the fight on the beach. I had just unlocked the new shotgun and... they give you absolutely no ammo for it for that fight
The woods here were honestly one of the most terrifying horror game environments I’ve ever encountered.. the wind, sound and overall atmosphere was so nail biting
"When the bullet of light blew the darkness out of the crater of my skull, the dark presence was born from the remains feeding on the horror around it to grow " at the end of the game Alan says that. So it seems like he simultaneously created and destroyed the dark precence, putting it in a loop. Does that mean Alan in the future (AW2) he created the dark presence that past Alan (AW) fights in the first game? The way tome works, it seems like the past can be affected by the future. The way it is worded, though seems that way but idk
Zane looking like Alan is the part that confused me the most. Because in the first game no one mentions Alan looking like Zane. At the very least Cynthia Weaver, who was in love with Zane, would have mention something about resemblance between the two. So either the reality somehow shifted, merging Wake and Zane, or Remedy just retconned it.
What an awesome game though. Can't wait to play more. Starting the new game+ tomorrow to see the new bits. I clicked on it immediately after finishing the game and already the initial monologue from Alan is different. So I was like "a spiral, so if I play again it will slightly be different, like the song". Awesome how they contextualize everything.
I like where bloods going. We need an avengers 1 type game where worlds full on collide for a finale
A lot of this stuff goes even deeper.
Theres posters that tie Zane back to True Tom Rhymer from Remedy's first game Death Rally. Tom Rhymer is an actual real world legend that I wont get into, but heavily parallels some stuff here.
I know they said that the other games arent "canon", but its almost like saying that is saying that they ARE canon with the way these games work. The characters are mirrored/echoed versions of each other. Alan/Tom/Scratch. Door/Hatch. Breaker/Joyce. Wilder/Jesse(esseJ i guess). Payne/Casey.
The neighbor of the beast thing I think is just more of a joke thing since they add it to most of their games.
Can’t wait for New Game +, it’s supposed to have a whole new “alternative narrative” according to Remedy
I loved this game. Looking forward to the new game + and DLC.
We wish we could write a novel to truly explain this question. But you're just going to have to trust us and we'll try to condense our reasoning.
We have Dissociative Identity Dissorder and it is wild to us that no one has made the connection with Alan Wake 2.
The entire game and story screams severe trauma, that's a given, but it also screams that we're playing in a D.I.D Systems headspace.
Alan has multiple alters based on himself (Tom and Scratch to name but 2) and then the multiple Casey's and Saga's as well as Tor and Odin and more.
The entire game felt like we were in someone else's headspace, meeting and fighting alters, trying to regain memories lost to trauma in order to heal and move forward.
The fact Alan is trying to stop Scratch getting out is like stopping an alter fronting cause they'll cause harm.
The names in the game too are so D.I.D based cause allllll the names are so on the nose.
We have an alter, Spike who's a pain alter (Spike, of pain) or one that's a Shadow, called Shadow and it's sibling Hollow. Cause, well this is what we mean when we say about condensing. Would love to fully explain this but just trust us, on the nose names is a big check.
It was wild and we genuinely feel like you almost need complex PTSD/D.I.D in order to truly appreciate it.
From the jump scares that are ALWAYS based around intrusive thoughts in the game (pay attention to what you see in the jump scare).
Or the amnesia and trying to make sense of order of events, or having subtle things like facts changing just enough (Peoples jobs or ages changing), it just screams like someone whom has D.I.D was like "I bet I could make one hell of a mind fuck story out of my healing journey".
The metaphors are everywhere, even killing "bad" alters like Alan does, only for him to realise HE is a "bad" alter (cause no alter in a system is truly bad, persecutors like Scratch are to force change) it just screams it.
I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Door was actually Dr. Door, his shrink and it "isn't a loop, it's a spiral" is because he's stuck in a pysch ward and he thinks he's in a loop but he's actually in a spiral as in spiralling when you're having a very bad mental health day.
This very nice interpretation and works nicely. I have not experienced that but seems so true as you describe it. I like how you can analyze and experience this story in so different ways. Names in these games are truly meaningful. Alan wake in finnish can be translated to "starting to wake up" and of course a.wake->awake. All the name trickery is funny to think.
I myself think this story as fighting against your own demons. Alan previous addiction and dealing with publicity and stardom and all the problems it does to relationship with Alice. All the characters tell this in many ways and at the player have reached the "botton" or time when the choice is needed to happen. Either descend/die/lose or ascend/live/heal/win.
I've been writing 20 years, and thats too on the nose. Cliche metaphors use that doesn't reflect writes of Remedy's caliber. The point is to use these ideas you write about as a REFLECTION to the AVERAGE AUDIENCE. To say hey think of multiple personalities or schizophrenic disorder, but now imagine a world where these things are actual manifestations that are tangible in reality. It's hack writing to do, and then I woke up and it was a dream. Or at the end of Alan Wake 3 have him walk into a diner and narrate, it was just me alone all along, confused by the broken parts of myself. No, there is real dark entities is their world, and using art and creative behavior as a GATEWAY, these powerful evils creep in through the subconscious and master your mind and will. It's not a loop it's a spiral. There are actually physically distinct version or Alan walking around. It's not memento. It's just that the nature of how time works in the dark place, a good writer can use the symbols of personality disorders and signpost for players to grasp the actual reality of the rules of the that world. Good writers don't ever use cheap metaphors as the ACTUAL REVEAL OF REALITY in a story. It's a tool used to display the rules of that world. Mr Scratch is not the same Alan that wins with Saga in the end. They exist independently at different parts of the story being written. Each with their own drives and will. The dark presence uses psychological disorders metaphorically in terms of what the player is supposed to understand. It's not like Hellblade. A game specifically made to showcase a story about a Celtic Warrior who is schizophrenic. Alan Wake 2 is a horror story, where mental disorders are used symbolically ONLY, in order to give understanding to the player. It's gaslighting 101.
Very interesting perspective, thank you for providing it. I've also noticed how often there is another "version" of the same person, but I've attributed it to different drafts of the story Alan/Sam is writing (and them overlapping each other).
In story like this it's also necessary to think about the real-life process of writing it, and about the state of mind of the real-life writer. Where he's getting the inspiration from and if there's some autobiography going on. Just image for a while what has to motivate you to create something like this (gigantic effort), to overcome every obstacle game development throws at you, put so much effort into details and ability to connect them. Some of it could be even totally undecipherable for anyone else except the writer, because it makes sense only in his mind/is his unique experience.
I started wondering after meeting Zaine if he was even ever real or if Alan is aswell. If one created the other making one of them fictional maybe
the whole time i thought it was going to be revealed that Saga was Loki.
Rose didnt get old at all. I asked myself when I saw her, "Is she really the same person?"
It was like getting to be in twin peaks. It was sublime
The calls Saga received in the dark place were from Alice Wake fellas. But good news, NG+ is confirmed to have new Dr. Darling stuff :)
FYI Mr.Door is Saga's dad
Is Mr Door supposed to be a continuation from Lance Reddick’s character from quantum break ? Just from the night springs dlc; is Lance Reddick a variant of Mr Door
I also had some cards I could not pin on the board. Bug? DLC? Or just some clue I missed but was necessary to open up a new part of the whole picture? Not really a big deal anyway, it was a cool game
Martin Hatch from Quantum Break is the same character as Warlin Door in my opinion
Been nice if u could've gotten Sam lake to interview for the spoilermode
Incredible game!
Michael's enthusiasm for this series is infectious lol, love him
great game and spoiler mode ❤
GOTY for me.
I think my favorite UA-cam moment of 2023 was seeing Tyrone Magnus get 4 streams into playing and then the title of the last stream was “IM DONE WITH THIS BORING ASS GAME!”😂 absolutely loved this game
Huber's enthusiasm is infectious lol
Best in the biz!!
Very cool and unique vision but as a survival horror game... not great tbh. Combat got repetitive, not enough enemy variety, I was swimming in ammo & health by the end and had to actually discard many items. I also got a ton of technical problems on PS5, from visual weirdness to full-on progression-breaking bugs. The ending was unfulfilling and there was no closure... tell me what happened to Logan and David damn it!!
Also hated the cheap jump scares. They were more annoying than scary. And actually gave me a migraine so badly I had to stop playing for the day.
@@elementInfinitium all valid criticisms except the ending. It stays very true to the first game where you never found out what happened to Alan, Alice, Barry, Nightingale, Rose etc. Having these questions hinted at or answered in later Remedy games is great for the overall sense of mystery i feel
You obviously played on easy or normal. Try it again on hard.
play on hard, its the equivalent of normal for other 3rd person/survival horror games. Enemy variety was comparable to RE2 remake, it felt repetitive since they combined both campaigns in 1 playthrough vs RE2 where they segmented off each campaign as its own thing. Jumpscares were fine, they justified it narratively as the dark presence's way of entering your mind to take you over. Agree with the bugs though, they need to fix that I experienced some myself. Ending is anything but, its very true to the narrative as well as its prequels, and genre inspirations. Game is survival horror but closer to the flavor of TLOU than RE or Silent Hill
Agreed regarding the game aspect. Think the reliance on combat in fundamentally flawed, as the intrigue is the interesting part. Makes me think they could have learned something from Outer Wilds regarding the actual gameplay
i'm glad that people like the game because i love remedy but damn this game is very slow and boring from what i saw i'm glad i didnt buy it.
I love easy allies but sometimes I just stop watch because of Huber's overacting. It's so annoying and cringy.
There is no acting, only Huber. Trying to stop him is like trying to stop the wind. -Bloodworth
Nothing wrong with someone being passionate and expressing their passion. I don't see an 'actor' I just see a happy guy who wants to share his happiness and love for games with the world. Huber is literally my fave crew member on Easy Allies for that reason. His passion is infectious and just listening to him gush about his favorite games gets ME hyped. Also probably helps we share a lot of tastes, but that is besides the point.
P.S. You'd be hyped and 'over excited' too if you waited 13 years for a game and then it came out and ended up being one of the best games you ever played and exceeding all your wildest expectations. I know how he feels. Alan Wake II is a one-of-a-kind experience.
you dont watch easy allies a lot do you? Huber has always been like that. Thats one of the reasons what makes easy allies special
@@angelom304 I know he's always like that. Sometimes I just think it's too much.
@@CtheIronblooded I'm not saying he's an actor and I know there's no acting I just can't find a better word to describe the way he reacts which in my opinion is a little bit exaggerated. I'm not just talking about this video btw.
Love Koskela brothers spreading the concept of kalsarikännit to the world. lit. translates as underwear-drunk, which is when you stay at home drinking in your underwear. "It's not sad if it's intentional" 😅