A couple of years ago, when the Remedy studio was preparing to present her new project to the public, many expected to see the second part Alan Wake. The story of the writer, with a flashlight in the hand of the fighting against the forces of darkness, broke off at half -word, and a small addition American Nightmare Very little clarified.
Nevertheless, the Finnish team decided to engage in Microsoft together with Microsoft Quantum Break – ideologically new project that has nothing to do with the adventures of Alan Wash.
► In one of the locations, Wake makes his way through a flooded city. This is a dream or reality? In fact – something average.
Does this mean that the history of the writer will not be completed? And yes, and no: development Alan Wake 2 It began back in 2010, almost immediately after the release of the original, and even reached the stage of the early prototype, but then was frozen. The other day, Remedy showed her developments to reporters from Polygon. They are definitely worth your attention.
Attention: The article contains many Alan Wake spoilers downloaded by the game and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. Not familiar with the universe? Quit read and run to play!
This is not a lake, this is an ocean
The continuation begins exactly where the original broke off so sharply. Alan with great difficulty, but manages to save his wife Alice, abducted by a dark essence. However, the price of a temporary victory is high: the writer himself is locked in the house at the bottom of the lake, along with his manuscript capable of affecting the event.
Thanks to the altered ending of the story, the darkness was weakened, but not expelled, it still holds the Bright Falls and its individual residents under control. The place of Alan, concluded between a fictional and objective reality, is occupied by Mr. Scratch – a dark double and a serial killer, posing a threat to friends and close writer. And this means that it does not smell like a triumph here: having sacrificed himself, Alan only delayed the sad consequences.
► Concept art obsessed with the darkness of a resident of Bright Falls and a Raven-Overflow. The second was invented for continuation, but in the end appeared in American Nightmare.
It looks like the ending of one of the seasons of the intriguing series, is it not true? And for a reason – Sam Lake, the scriptwriter of the game, admits that Alan Wake was created with an eye on the constant development of an invented universe. And not only the main story arch, the interest for the developers is the line of Barry, the agent of Alan, the lines of the wife of Wage and other residents of the town. The thinly built plot was one of the strongest sides of the original, and Sam Lake himself was a brilliant storyteller who came up with the heartbreaking story of Kopa Payne Kopa Payne.
► Demonic bear as a boss? Why not.
All the more offensive to realize that the prototype of the second part almost does not shed light on the further development of events. He only collects the torn threads together: if the first part was, in fact, a personal story related to Alan and his wife, then the continuation planned to relate to the global theme of the struggle of light and dark principles. Wake's head plunged into the viscous abyss of darkness and now he should hardly get out into the light. This is really no longer a frightening lake near a small town, but a real ocean of darkness. It seems that this was the frightening meaning of the last words of the writer from the end of the original.
There are no shadows without light
Alan's ability to change reality with the help of his talent of the writer was thought of as one of the fundamental mechanics of continuation. If earlier the pages of his manuscripts were important only as objects for the collection, now their role has increased significantly. Wake quickly runs through his eyes for each sheet found, noting the future events for himself – in order to then wrap them in his favor.
So, the outcome of the upcoming car accident can be transformed from inevitable death to the ability to clear the way. To do this, carefully study the location and find key items on it. From a gameplay point of view, this correctly corrects the balance: many players complained that in the original there are too many fights and a little thoughtful study of the surrounding space.
► Almost 14 minutes of gameplay from the prototype of the game. In fact, the developers have other videos, but they are too raw and therefore less spectacular.
The catch is that not only Alan is able to change reality. This can also do Mr. Scratch – for example, turning against the writer a stream of darkness, from which he barely manages to escape by car. A mystical television program is also a threat: the announcer speaks of a possible invasion of aliens, and our hero is immediately trying to drag on board a flying saucer. Each line, every word, pure truth or cunning lies have a chance to come true – and surviving in such a supple world is very difficult.
► Many illustrations demonstrate the key mechanics of continuation – the fault of reality that Alan is able to control.
Especially if you take into account that the enemies enslaved by the dark essence did not think to disappear. Moreover, they were significantly wiser: they attack in crowds, easily jump over obstacles, and especially strong even tear off the doors of the cars and use it as shields. But the methods of combating them remained the same: to weaken with the help of light a flashlight and finish off with several shots. Unless, of course, there is enough dexterity and ingenuity.
With a world on a thread
As a rule, if the developers show prototypes of failed games, then they have no plans for their release. But show the operatingities Alan Wake 2 Completely safe. There are actually no spoilers in them, and many finds have already been used in other studio games. No wonder for more than five years!
For example, a location in the Arizona desert and some opponents – like a creature collecting his body from a flock of raven – have already lit up in Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. There are also the tricks of the violent Mr. Scratcha, and the opportunity to influence their decisions to the environment. Another thing is that these global ideas simply closely in a small downloaded project. Remedy themselves recognize this, complaining of a modest budget and a short time.
► locations in the second part were planned more diverse than in the original.
The topic of interaction with the environment will be better disclosed in Quantum Break – True, there we are already waiting for games with space and time. Sam Lake emphasizes that his team is working on a new project with unprecedented enthusiasm, and many existing ideas are honed, finalized and carefully driven to each other in an effort not to deceive the expectations of players. Quantum Break It was not without reason that they moved in 2016 – this will not only be polished the game, but also not to get lost among other autumn exclusives.
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So it turns out that the second “Alan Washka” was pulled into other games in pieces. And yet it is too early to put a cross on it. Firstly, the universe is open to new ideas, which Remedy have more than enough. Secondly, the developers love Alan so much that they consider themselves his fans. Thirdly, the rights to the brand belong to the developers themselves, and they may well find the publisher on the side. Therefore, the hope that we will see the denouement of Golden Lion Casino this intriguing story still remains.
Rather, wake up, Alan. We are already starting to miss.