JBoc924As promised, today Gameinformer released the first image from next year’s new, XBLA-exclusive, Alan Wake game. You can view said image below.
But instead of just making a news story stating what I just stated in the previous paragraph, I’m actually going to be dissecting this image as much as I can. Because you know, I love you guys. And joining me is our very own Janus.
So, right off the bat, we see Alan Wake sporting a new look, sort of. It’s not a total make-over like what Dante’s received in DmC, but it’s more of an aesthetic change like say, from Leon in Resident Evil 2 to Leon in Resident Evil 4. Basically, Alan loves him some plaid shirts, and he’s rocking it with the swagger any acclaimed writer who’s been through hell and back would. He pretty much looks like he’s on his way to or out of Home Depot (Night Springs has one of those, right?). Oh, and he’s also holding what looks like a drill gun.
Wait what? Yes, Alan Wake’s holding a drill gun. It’s not just the fact that he’s holding said tool, but what’s more striking here is that this seemingly confirms that we’ll be able to use melee weapons. The first game lacked this ability– which didn’t hurt it either, but would’ve been nice to have. So now, we know one new feature that’s set to debut with next year’s title! The flashlight’s still there too, because it just wouldn’t feel right without it.
Another thing that would be cool, relating to this particular tool, is the possibility of being able to protect oneself from incoming foes by actually building or fixing fortifications. While I’m not expecting this to turn into Gears 3’s Horde Mode, it still would be kind of nice to see puzzles where we’re actually required to use everyday tools. Or perhaps, I’m just looking too much into this drill!
Now let’s shift focus to the environmental details we can pick out from this sole image. Let’s see, we got the Night Springs sign to the left of Alan, and two locales, that we’re most likely going to explore, behind him. First you got a diner all the way in the back. Alan Wake fans are no strangers to diners, but still, I’m eager in seeing what horrors we’ll confront in this particular one. Then you got the motel which may or may not be the one Alan is currently residing in. This then brings us to another query.
When will this take place? Remedy’s decision to not tack a 2 at the end of this title pretty much gives away the notion that no, this isn’t meant to be a narrative successor to the first game, and its DLC. Instead, I strongly believe this will be a spin-off or even a sort of elseworlds story perhaps. Why? Well, it’s set in Night Springs which, as you recall, is a fictional town featured in the in-game telvision program players are able to view in scattered television sets throughout the game. If you don’t know, Night Springs is pretty much Alan Wake’s version of the Twilight Zone. It was a neat homage and it seems that now it’s set to play an even bigger role.
So, how will this play out? Well, we know that Alan, thanks to his buddy ol’ pal Barry, has penned scripts to a number of Night Springs episodes way before he commenced his work on the Alex Casey novels. We also know that the fictional town of Night Springs is actually based on the very real (or is it?) town of Bright Falls, meaning that players who traversed the latter in the first game should feel right at home, for the most part, with this new download-only release. So, here’s what I think has happened: Alan Wake has been caught in his own creation, or rather, he’s been drawn into one of his own episodes of the show. That’s just my personal theory, obviously, so don’t go on and cry foul at me or verbally abuse me for that (I love you).
Additional Thoughts
Taking a good look at this picture, like Jorge has said, you see a lot of different things happening. At first glance it looks like our pal Al is just doing some construction work on that house that was destroyed in the first game. It’s set in about the same place as the first game, even if we are making that judgment based on a couple of logs and a shady-looking roadside motel.
My take on this is basically pretty similar to what Jorge has already mentioned here. The basic premise of Alan Wake is that he’s a writer trapped in his own creation, but he can’t remember ever writing it. Alan Wake got his start penning scripts for Night Springs, which he admitted in the first game he hated – that he thought it was beneath him. I always got the impression that Al was kind of an elitist, arrogant SOB in his first-outing. Perhaps his subconscious believes that being a construction worker, or not hiring someone else to do the job is beneath him? Seeing as how Al’s nightmare never seems to end, throwing him into yet another world he hates would be quite fitting.
A writer, when going through a first-draft (or even through the whole thing) will often place themselves in the role of the protagonist (admit it – you’ve probably done it too) which would explain his change in clothing and weapon of choice. It looks like a Craftsman from here, actually. With the amount of in-game advertising in Alan Wake – which is not necessarily a bad thing, anyway – it probably is. This actually has really big implications for the continuation of the Alan Wake series as a whole, as Alan Wake is an accomplished author with dozens of short-stories, published or not.
Alan Wake’s Night Springs could be a series in itself. Shorter, bite-sized Alan Wake games could be easier on the Remedy and Microsoft to release through Xbox Live where it wouldn’t matter if multiplayer were included. Costs could be cut by excluding physical media from the equation, not to mention they could still utilize the main game’s “Last Time,” flashbacks at the beginning of every chapter. In fact, it’s almost as if the main game was made to be delivered in small segments, chapter-by-chapter, so the idea of Alan Wake’s Night Springs being a multi-outing affair isn’t too far-fetched.
–Janus
Regardless, we’re set to learn more about the game early next month when the Video Game Awards show airs on December 10.
