Alan Wake 2 is a sequel to the very successful game Alan Wake which released many years ago. The game was developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It is supposed to be an action adventure with the premise – “Novelist Alan Wake tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance during a vacation in the small fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington, all while experiencing events from the plot in his latest novel, which he cannot remember writing, coming to life.” 13 years after the release of the original game, this sequel by Sony will take us back to the nightmares. Alan Wake 2 released on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on October 27, 2023. Following is the full plot summary of the game since it has already made its debut, so read at your own risk!
Alan Wake 2 – The Opening
FBI profiler Saga Anderson and her partner Alex Casey are dispatched to the town of Bright Falls to investigate a string of ritualistic serial murders. They investigate the fourth and latest victim, former FBI agent Robert Nightingale who had disappeared 13 years prior and was murdered by a group calling themselves “The Cult of the Tree”. In addition to Nightingale’s corpse, Saga finds a mysterious manuscript page that seems to predict the future. As they explore the town, they meet Sherriff Tim Breaker, who promises to assist them in the investigation. However, Saga notices that several people in Bright Falls act as if they have known her for a long time, despite this being her first visit to the town. Saga then performs an autopsy on Nightingale’s corpse and finds another manuscript page inside his chest. Nightingale’s corpse suddenly reanimates and escapes the morgue while Breaker mysteriously vanishes.
As they pursue Nightingale to Cauldron Lake, Alex admits that he had previously investigated a murder cult dedicated to bringing back the missing Alan Wake by reenacting the murders described in his books, and he knew Nightingale came to Bright Falls to pursue Alan. Saga encounters Nightingale, now converted into a Taken, and is forced to kill him, which causes the waters of Cauldron Lake to recede. Saga then finds Alan Wake washed up on the shore of the lake and takes him into custody while also discovering evidence that an organization called the Federal Bureau of Control has a presence in Bright Falls. Saga and Alex take Alan back to their field office, where he recounts how he managed to escape from the Dark Place.
While trapped in the Dark Place, Alan continually tried to write a way to escape. He then encountered an eccentric Finnish janitor named Ahti who pointed him toward a special angel-shaped desk lap which had the power to store and transfer light, which in combination with his writing ability allowed him to manipulate the Dark Place to better navigate it. Alan began navigating a dark, twisted version of New York City, following the trail of Alex Casey’s investigation of the “Cult of the Word” led by Alan’s evil doppelganger Mr. Scratch which brought him through the various scenes of the murders committed by the cult. Along the way, Alan also encountered Breaker, who was searching for the talk show host Mr. Door, believing he is responsible for trapping him in the Dark Place. Alan also occasionally made brief contact with Saga, the two of them trading vital information when they could. After being forced to kill Thomas Zane, who had gone insane from his captivity inside the Dark Place, Alan was contacted by an alternate version of himself, explaining that his repeated attempts to escape the Dark Place is causing him to experience time loops.
Present
Back in the present, Alan explains that he wrote a new novel, “Return”, that helped him escape the Dark Place. However, Scratch re-edited the manuscript into a horror story that is now taking effect in reality. Alan warns that Scratch is searching for the Clicker, which is the key he needs to completely free the Dark Presence, but the Clicker is also the key to permanently defeat it. With one of the manuscript pages mentioning the Cult of the Tree possesses the Clicker, Saga decides to follow its trail, and realizes that “Return” has rewritten her past so that her daughter Logan drowned in an accident.
Angered that Alan wrote her and Logan into his story, Saga recovers the Clicker but before she can get it to Alan, agents from the FBC led by Agent Estevez arrive and apprehend him. With no other options, Saga tracks down Odin and Tor Anderson, who know more about the Clicker. As she communicates with them and rescues Tor from a Taken Cynthia Weaver, she learns that Odin and Tor are actually her grand-uncle and grandfather respectively, and she inherited their seer abilities, allowing her to discern the changes to reality “Return” is causing.
Odin and Tor also explain that the Clicker doesn’t do anything by itself, but instead greatly enhances the creative power of the person using it, which is why it is important to Alan and Scratch. Saga then heads back to Bright Falls to get the Clicker to Alan, but finds out to her horror that the Alan that escaped the Dark Place isn’t the real Alan, but Scratch. Scratch escapes from captivity and attempts to take the Clicker from Saga, but is temporarily thwarted and banished thanks to the FBC’s technology. Realizing that the real Alan is still trapped in the Dark Place, Saga enlists the help of Alex, Odin, Tor, and Estevez to carry out a ritual to summon him to the real world.
Alan Wake 2 Ending and Post Credit Scenes
Meanwhile, Alan continues to try and find a way out of the Dark Place, eventually making his way to his old apartment. There, he discovers his wife Alice had been tormented with visions of Scratch, eventually leading to her suicide. In anger, Alan kills another version of himself that he believes is Scratch, but is horrified to learn he killed a version himself who was attempting to fix “Return”, perpetuating the loop. Back in the real world, the summoning ritual fails to summon Alan, and Saga comes to the realization that Alan and Scratch were always the same person, with Scratch being a version of Alan who is possessed by the Dark Presence. Scratch arrives at the summoning site and Saga is able to banish him from Alan’s body, only for Scratch to possess Alex instead, steal the Clicker, and throw Saga into the Dark Place.
With Scratch in possession of the Clicker, Alan concludes that the only way to stop him now is to write a completely new ending for “Return”. He returns to his Writing Room with Ahti’s help and tries to work out how to write a perfect ending that saves everybody while still staying consistent to the horror genre. Meanwhile, Saga fights off the Dark Presence’s attempt to overwhelm her with her own negative emotions and self doubt. She receives aid from an anonymous woman who directs her to the Clicker and a Bullet of Light. Saga takes the two items and escapes back to the real world. With the Clicker, Alan is able to banish Scratch from Alex’s body. Scratch returns to possessing Alan, and Saga shoots him with the Bullet of Light, seemingly killing both him and Scratch. Saga tries to call Logan to confirm her safety but the scene cuts short before any answer can be heard.
In a post-credits scene, a recording left behind by Alice reveals that she had managed to fully regain her memories of what happened to Alan. She had actually tricked Alan into thinking she committed suicide as part of a plan to help him eventually escape the Dark Place, explaining that the only way he can escape the loops is through “ascension”. Alan then revives from his gunshot wound and utters, “It’s not a loop, it’s a spiral.”
Alan Wake 2 is now available to play on PS5, Xbox X/S and PC!
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