Alan Wake Explained - Did American Nightmare Really Happen? (Theory)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 тра 2020
- Hello everyone & welcome back to the latest video in my attempts to explain the Remedy Universe. In today's Video we will be returning to the Stand-Alone Spinn-off, American Nightmare!
As this game is much shorter and so far removed from the events of the main game, some have questioned if American Nightmare is Canon. It ends with Alan escaping and reuniting with Alice, but in Control is it confirmed he is still trapped in the Dark Place. So Did American Nightmare Really Happen?
Using some of the Manuscript pages as well as a loose definition of Reality, I attempt to break down the nature of the Story that bears the name, "Return".
Please feel free to have free discussion in the comments section below regarding the nature of American Nightmare.
Facebook: / gaminguniversity06
Twitter: / gaminguniversi6
Discord: / discord
#ControlRemedy #AlanWake #AmericanNightmare - Ігри
I think it was semi-real, as in it happened in a Dark Reality of Alan's mind. A failed attempt to escape the Dark Place. Yet to watch this, I'm excited!!!
I just also realized something... I agree with the dream thing with Barry (genius theory!), but there's a small detail: Jesse dreamed about the FBC. She mentioned that she saw the FBC seal in her dreams... Perhaps Alan planted that for her to be encouraged to come, and ultimately rescue him.
I agree. It was real just on a different tier of reality. I never got the idea that if it doesn't happen in the objective reality it isn't real. We get emotional over movies and games so I would say they are real in a certain sense.
And I want to clarify are you talking about Samantha? Because yes she was approached by an FBC agent in her dream who had an AWE badge and asked about the Shoebox.
@@GamingUniversityUoG that explanation fits perfectly.
And no, I mean Jesse Faden. In the beginning of the game, you go and find the seal of the FBC where she states a mini monologue saying that "I know this seal. I've seen it in my dreams." You can probably find it easily in a playthrough, it was in the room with only a static TV lighting the room in the intro/lobby part of the game.
That's right. Yeah I'm curious I'd that is related since she saw Bureau agents when her brother was taken. Likely she saw the symbol then and occasionally it shows up in her dreams.
That would be the easiest explanation but it may be something else too.
@@GamingUniversityUoG kk to hoo JJ boo 🤔🤔 hi uivb JJ î8i
Wow, it's really strange to watch this video in 2023. After Alan Wake 2, there's an understanding that this game was so influential and laid the groundwork for the sequel. Loops, overlaps, rituals. Just wow.
It's actually kind of nuts how much of this game ended up in AW2. Really shows that jot only Alan kept revising his story but Remedy as well.
It took so much from AM, after starting AW 2, I had to briefly stop and go replay AM to be all caught up.
As far as I've ever been concerned Alan and Alice sharing a moment at the end was 100% just the ending to her film, not something that happened; either fantasy or reality. It's just footage.
As far as Night Springs I think this is the best description for how that works BUT the one thing I'd add is that the entire time I was playing Control I expected to find clues that the OceanView Motel and Casino was in-fact in Night Springs. Coupled with the explanation here, I'm only further convinced that is the case.
I've always felt what happened was canon, and a sort of peek into the struggle of the Darkness trying to break Alan's mind over the years so it can fully escape.
I can't wait for AWE. The wait is almost physically painful at this point lol
The only comment I can add is Alan had Mr. Scratch's clothes on during the ending of the film before they faded to the plaid. Granted this could be a thematic license of the Dark Place. Hard to say.
That would be interesting if the Oceanview was seated on a soft spot like Bright Falls and this Arizona town are. That is one of the mysteries is where this motel physically is.
Same. It is definately canon. I wonder how many conflicts Alan had with the Dark Entities there.
I wonder if Alice's movie rewrote the story " seeing it all edited like that, its taken on a life of its own", im not sure if Alice really made the movie, or if Alan added it, but it effected the AWE. By changing the public's perception of Alan, the film wrote Mr Scratch out of existence. it brings more questions in my mind. do you need to be a parautilitarian to create AWE's when doing art near cauldron lake? i would think yes, only Tor, Odin, Thomas, and Alan have done it.
I think Serena was the one who helped to edit it down and make the final product.
Dr. Hartman made his lodge by the lake and invited all artists he could get to change things. As far as I know Alan was the only one who was able to have a large degree of success. Jake Fischer did a little but that story is up for interpretation.
Alice still gets nightly encounters from Mr Scratch as it was explained in Control. It’s very clear Alice is still suffering from Alan Wakes disappearance.
I would like to believe that Jesse is to find her new "Head of Operations" or some other member of her inner circle @ the FBC. -OR-
Jesse helps Alan to be freed & then make ALAN WAKE 2!!!! This way we have 2 wonderful game franchises in a shared "Remedyverse" complimenting each other wonderfully.... that truly would be fantastic!!
I was talking to some people what Alan's job would be if he was rescued and recruited into the Bureau. It would be interesting if Jesse recruited all the heroes of Remedy.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Technically there already is a Remedyverse as I read somewhere even Max Payne easter eggs exist in other games. Remedy or Ubisoft should be the first company to make a Gaming Cinematic Universe (aka RCE)
It happened, we know that now. AW2 has parts of it throughout. We dont know if Mr Scratch is defeated/dead or not yet though. But its all an attempt to escape that failed.
Well, AN is canon, Sam Lake confimed in april of this year on Twitter. So it happened, but Alan defeated only one version of Scratch.
Lucky I came out on the right side of this theory back in the day lol
And now Alan need Jesse to free himself) What if Alan created FBC as a tool of his salvation?)
I have heard that theory going around a lot. Frankly I am not too much of a fan of it because it has been states the Reality Altering effects from the Birght Falls AWE were localized only to the area around the lake where reality is malleable. Nothing outside of it was changed.
For Alan to create the Bureau he would have had to change the entire country effectively which it outside the scope of his ability. I could be wrong though.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I think this also runs into the issue where if Alan wrote the FBC et all into existence to rescue him then he still couldn't be 100% sure if he had actually escaped or not. It has to be something that he hasn't thought of or imagined
Agreed. Personally I dont like the idea if Alan Is a puppet master behind the scenes of everything. It kind of cheapens it all. Plus as you state, if he created it then, then he can never be sure if the FBC existed within his fantasy or was real.
In the story the "Help from Without" would be similar to The Eagles coming to save Frodo and Sam.
@@GamingUniversityUoG it could be event situation writing however - Alan could write that someone who is unnamed who is powerful, mysterious, and of higher power and in position to save him. Perhaps writing the Oceanview Motel (since he did figure out it wasn't an ocean) as a pathway to her, and inadvertently leads to other worlds. Some other evidence comes from the Foundation, as a document mentions "a story still being written". It's unclear, but perhaps the connection of the Dark Place leaks into the FBC as well? The FBC as a place can be unwritten, but Jesse's arrival could be his own doing, or he lead her there in ways of dreams. Either way, I feel Alan played a part in this, just not too much to make Jesse feel irrelevant. She has free will, but the main objective that is going down to his for Alan's selfish want- his salvation.
guess what guys
alan might have made control happen
I hope you're right! I loved Control, and I loved finding the documents relating to Alan Wake. I am so excited about the second DLC for it, because I am just hoping to get more Alan Wake =). Thank you for this. I am hooked on your videos!
This would be so interesting if this were accurate. It would bring a whole layer to the franchise. Same here! I cannot wait for AWE!
Great video, as per usual!!!!
You're awesome thanks!
I always thought AN was canon. I felt with how the game uses consciousness and the creation of new realities with the power of the written word that it couldn't have been a random spin off. Plus nothing ever felt to out there in the game to officially separate it from the original.
I fully agree. I find it kind of sad that so many feel it is a pointless story in the setting. Thematically it is very relevant and helps to flesh out the universe in ways the Main Game didn't.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I feel the same way.
"Some have questioned if American Nightmare is Canon" You mean me? Haha
I agree with the difficulty of defining what is 'real' and what isn't - especially in a world with forces that can reshape reality, things are going to get a bit blurred. My interpretation is still a bit different, but that's the thing with these ambiguous stories, they can have many interpretations all equally 'real' in a sense.
With regards to freeing our boy I have to trust Remedy knew what they were doing putting Alan in the AWE logo. I worry we might be expecting a bit too much from some DLC...(even though Foundation was excellent).
I have two opinions for what to expect in AWE. Wither A it leads to the rescue for Alan or B it leads to the Bureau discovering what happened to Alan and it concludes with the cliffhanger of them deciding to find a way to get him. Either way im happy.
Maybe since I grew up on Neverending Story and Kingdom Hearts but I would personally consider if we go down the thought train that this manuscript accidently became Barry's Nightmare, it is still real although the consequences are more of a personal nature rather than affecting objective reality.
It really is a semantically difference.
Didn't Sam Lake state that American Nightmare technically wasn't canon?
Love your work!
🔥The Champion of Light🔥
I can't wait to see him rise again.
Maybe American Nightmare was an experiment of sorts on Alan's part. We're all pretty sure Alan has many ideas on how to escape the Dark Place and this standalone spin-off was one of them. The shoe box could've been written for Samantha to find to get the FBC involved and get things moving on a permanent escape. The part at the end with Alice was a reminder of what he's fighting for and to just calm things down after the craziness from Mr. Scratch and the Dark Place in general. He needed to feel warmth and love and the only source of that is Alice.
That's somewhat my thoughts too. He has tried many methods of escape and money have worked. This is one of them.
The Darkness in Alan Wake is the same as the Hiss in Control the difference between Alan and Jesse Faden is that Alan used his writing to defeat the Hiss/Darkness but as he said his medium is limited by writing rules "drama, symbolism" and his weapon could be used against him because words could be misunderstood or have their meaning twisted by people of ill fantasy but in Jesse case it's totally different because she is Polaris host , the dynamit who could explode the Hiss and control any object of power
I’m FINALLY diving into the AWE expansion as I type this
I FIGURED IT OUT
Hartman in an audio file mentions if truth is light, ignorance is darkness - until the light burns away the darkness
ALICE WAKE’s reel shed light on the mystery of Alan Wake’s persona. THE TRUTH BURNED AWAY THE DARK.
I got Alan Wake day 1 when I worked at gamestop. I love the game and played it many times over finding everything and trying to explore out of bounds ect. I glad to see more people are enjoying the game and coming to love the story/universe it began to build.Fast forward to Control. we are looking at an amazing story driven world with so many connections to Alan Wake and Q.B. I really Hope we get more backstory and setups. I really hope with all the good press it gets and teh fans love we get a true, fully packed Alan Wake 2 after we get of of controls DLC completed!
I've been an Alan wake fan since it was released too! It is an incredible experience. Personally, my hypothesis is depending on how well received the AWE dlc is that they may move forward with AW2. There is some circumstantial evidence that they may be doing an HD remaster on current gen consoles for the original. We'll have to see.
What do you think of the sequel?? 😁
@@dereklucht4811 so far I am loving it. I will be exploring it in depth for sure.
You're really really good at this.
I really appreciate it!
My interpretation of American Nightmare is it did happen and Alan killed Mr. Scratch but was unable to escape. Mr. Scratch was eventually restored, though. Which is to say that it is sort of like a Doctor Doom vs. Fantastic four fight. Its important but just one more battle in a long series of them.
It was arguably the most important
Alice's film dispelled Mr. S$#%^$= AND ruined his ability to physically manifest in the REAL world
Obviously
If Mr. Scratch were still able to manifest in the physical world the FBC file would have been a LOT more colorful than 'people having strange nightmares involving a being that looks like Alan Wake.'
My guy, I am lost. You are so good at compiling and making sense of all this. If you find the time, could you look into what is going on with the Old Gods of Asgard.
Alot seems off about them.
Loki's noted "mysterious disappearance".
Is it Ahti's headphones, the song or the lyrics of the song and it's effects that allow you to pass through the maze?
Since Barry is the manager of the band in American Nightmare is it safe to assume the band has gone through a cycle of death and rebirth not unlike Ragnarok.?
Absolutely! The Old Gods may be my favorites Characters in the franchise. I am also curious about Loki. Bob Baldur died due to Lukemia. Due to Remedy and them trying to parallel Mythology, I hope Loki didn't have something to do with Bob's death in some weird way.
That observation for Barry revitalizing the Band is interesting. It is entirely possible.
Considering he is absolutely alive and trapped in the dark place in Control im going to say yes it happened. Luckily it seems he has retained the ability to alter reality with his writing. He managed to keep his supernatural abilitys due to his contact with the Darkness or if its him being trapped by Mr Scratch is unclear. He is still trying to get out tho.
For the longest time it was a little up in the air. As long as Alan is in the Dark Place or near a stable portal leading to it, such as Cauldron Lake, he can do crazy things.
Now that AWE is out, I look back on this video as one of his failed attempts of escape.
@@GamingUniversityUoG oh i get it. i wasn't criticizing truly
Oh no you're perfectly fine lol. Just wanted to put my two cents in. I enjoy having discussions on this stuff, especially from those who look at it differently. Hearing other opinions helps to expand my own thoughts.
Brilliant episode. Ending made me think that either AWE DLC will be a finish to Alan Wake story OR one of the biggest segue to another game (Alan Wake 2!) in the video games history plus confirming one big universe of Remedy games (Quantum Brake included). I`m shimmering. I gotta finish Control now.
My hope is that AWE will focus on the Bureau investigating the events or at least going over the investigation of the Bright Falls AWE. Whether they rescue Alan in that dlc or they end it with the cliffhanger of, "let's go get our boy." I'm good either way! Imagine the FBC returning to Bright Falls and leading a Threshold Recon team into Cauldron Lake.
I guess you hit right on the spot lol
I want Alan Wake 2.
Based upon AWE, Alan Wake 2 looks like it is occurring in 2022
Another outstanding video many thanks
Absolutely!
@@GamingUniversityUoG 🙂👍🏻
After watching this video, I can say that Alan is fantisizing about escaping the dark lake, is true. I mean we have seen it in the AWE that Alan is still trapped with his other self mr. %@%#^# (yes I know this video was before the awe dlc trailer but its amazing that you predicted it)
I hope that Jesse will play a bigger role than some 2nd-ery character considering that control has the biggest number of mysteries and this number can be equal to Alan wake (probably) also jesse can travel to multi-dimension via the lakeview motel (even if she doesn't know where she is going)
I kind of want to see the tomb of the previous directer break and then jesse fights against the previous directer which will somehow have significance to Alan Wake 2 // Alan Wake universe.
Would it not be amazing to have the power of Retcon? The power to write that something in your reality didn't happen and something else did, or even just think it so? if a person had that power, would one even know when it had been used?
Depends on what it is. For me, yes It would be nice to change things but I'm me because of everything that happened in my life. Change something and i may not be the same person anymore. Change can be good or bad.
And generally no I would argue no one would notice if we go by the many worlds interpretation. In American Nightmare alan mentions that only those who have been touched by the powers to reshape the world are aware of the new reality. Everyone else can't.
It is similar to time travelers immunity. Anyone who travels through time exists outside of time and therefore not bound to any changes made. Everyone else is. That's how Chrono Trigger works.
I would use it to retcon Covid out of existence.
Very well made video! I'd love to know what the song is though :D
Thanks a bunch! Which song though? The one during is the opening screen ambience and the end screen is Frog'a Theme from Chrono Trigger
Nice job. I wish Alan wake was on PlayStation
I had finally played this game, so far I love it! and my thoughts are this started out as a DLC for Alan wake 2 explaining how Alan came back to reality
There are some aspects from the original AW2 promotional material that ended up into this and Quantum Break.
And yeah in enjoyed it too! It feels really smooth to play. I think some were put off by the time cycle system.
@@GamingUniversityUoG although at the moment i never realized how aggravating taken are to fight
That frog theme from Chrono Trigger at the end is allways good to hear.
Haha yeah Frog/Glenn is my favorite in that game followed by Lucca. His theme is amazing!
@@GamingUniversityUoG Glenn and Magus were my favorites.
Man that game takes me back to good old high-school days
Also max payne is a character created by alan, hes alans universe's john mclane, ,its like how steven kings books all link together, its wild as hell and hes based on the detective/fib agent as well as the director in control im still tryin to extrapolate how they link
I have another thought in how Max Payne connects but it is all interrelated. I love how this franchise goes nuts with how it is connected.
@@GamingUniversityUoG yea its wild
alan wake is getting a dlc called night springs
okay now I have to finish control
Maybe the TV at the end of the game is an object of power like the Benicoff TV? His doppelganger and unconscious self also use TV screens to communicate with him (I can't refer to the quantum brake one since they're not legally connected)
Eh we still use Quantum Break as tangentially canon. Just not the same universe. Multiverse shenanigans
@@GamingUniversityUoG Sure. Since Control and Alan Wake are so detailed as to include exposition for things such as fast traveling and collectibles, I think the TV's and radios will also be explained.
interesting video.
i havent played anny Alan Wake games.
I would definitely recommend it. It will feel a bit dated compared to control but the story and presentation is top notch
So, was Alan in the objective reality outside of the Dark Place during AN? Was he really in the desert or was it all taking place inside the dark place/Alan's mind? The way I understood it was that Mr Scratch was sending him messages from the real world in the TVs and the whole thing was inside the Dark Place. Also, what about the NPCs that we encountered? Are they real people or just Alan's imagination? The last girl we meet at the Drive-In says she knows Alice. Also, what about the radio shows with Barry and Old Gods? Alan mentioned that radio signals can sometimes pierce through the thresholds, so I assume they were from the real world? Sorry for all the questions lol but I'm really confused still
You're good. It is a mixture of receiving stuff from the outside through use of radio and tv. Some of it was Alan's fantasy where he used a real person alice knew but cast her in a fictional role for this story. I see it as a real thing that happened in the Arizona desert but the entire town vanished after the story. Much like the cabin vanished in the lake.
I like to think that this is the Ending to Alan Wake's saga BUT that's the thing, it is the ending. We have no idea how we got there or what events lead to it. Its like a movie starting on the ending and then flashbacking to the beginning.
See my thought process is not whether American Nightmare is canon, but whether or not the characters he met were real people. Does Serena actually know Alice and did she tell her about meeting Alan?
The Serena we meet is based upon a real person yes. Her and Alice were friends in some capacity. Dr. Meadows and Emma are up I'm the air.
In the first of AN U can see the cabin !
I play max Payne 2 recently and in one of the address unknown episode that we see on max's TV , it says that main character has mad and murderer double named mira and the main character escaped to a motel , it's just like AN first level
I just recently started playing Max Payne earlier this year and I noticed that too! Those two comparisons plus Jesse meeting esseJ in the mirror. These doubles are all over Remedys work.
@@GamingUniversityUoG their attention to these details make me crazy
Thanks for your great information that giving us , I really love remedy and it's IP . Most of all, MAX PAYNE and ALAN WAKE
I wish one day max returns to it's real owner !
American Nightmare is canon because in Alan Wake 2 when Alan is going through the subway tunnels we see safety signs but instead of the usual safety instructions it's text from American Nightmare, about how Alan affected the overlap in Desert Shore.
I can't believe they lost the code goodbye American Nightmare
It’s weird that they never added this to the remaster.
Kind of sad considering how much world building was accomplished here.
I wonder if the awe dlc is an abbreviation for Alan wake something
In Quantum Break they have 2 different acronyms for AWE. Altered World Event and Alan Wake Experience.
The universes are infinite
Did it happen? Yes
Did it matter? Perhaps
All that Is, will Be and all that will Be, Is.
I think the best thing this story did was help further 'define' the nature of the setting
Wow, been watching these videos and im amazed at how convoluted they come across. I find interesting the fact that i understand the point the video creator tries to convey even more difficult to understand than the games themselves.
Love your videos, but could do without the loud spooky music in the background. They’re serious and informative, you don’t need it ❤
That's why I think alice wake isnt real. She seemed like the playing piece in the overall reason alan disappeared and in American nightmare, it looks like mr stretches is stuck in the ash tray maze.
The moment remedy themselves confirmed Mr Scratch is still one of the key ideas for AW2 I assumed it did not happen, and if it did, it didn't matter.
Or perhaps... He just never died.
He was made from Zane, the Dark Presence, and urban legends. Stories from the anonymous bring him to life.
Is this a sequel or a DLC I don't understand when I had a xbox 360 I downloaded this as a demo after playing the full game
It is kind of a side game set at some point between Alan Wake and Control. My theory is it is ine of his failed attempts to escape.
@@GamingUniversityUoG that makes sense
I like to believe that this In this game, Alan was able to stop the darkness (mr. scratches) from return to the real world. Only years later close to the events of Control does he escape and starts killing again as seen in the Alan Wake short in QB. However QB the game isn’t canon, only that video.
Even if this is a failed attempt st escape, this mistake could have released scratch. So it still matters in a way. But yeah he gets another escape attempt later for AW2
Having a sound effect over scratch is the most annoying shit, just say it you slip up on it anyways
Whatever it was, it was way better than AW1, it never got boring, it was scary due to the constant action and the arcade mode, while being short - is the most badass part of the franchise.