Summary
One of the biggest hooks ofAlan Wakewas its core concept of a writer who’s able to shift reality using their own stories. Inthe firstAlan Wake, this concept is explored fairly well, essentially acting as one of the game’s main mysteries and informing a set of collectible manuscripts that players can use to get an edge over encounters that are still yet to occur. ButAlan Wake 2really takes things to the next level.
Alan Wake 2dives head first into this core concept of writing and narratives, and what goes into making a story. As should be expected from a recent Remedy Entertainment title, it doesn’t take long beforeAlan Wake 2dives into meta-narratives and themes, and very quickly the narrative grows into a story within a story, and that story is even given some additionalInception-like layers. In the process of delivering such a meta story,Alan Wake 2implements some classic literary devices, and there’s one in particular that’s used to great effect throughout the game: cliffhangers.
Alan Wake 2 Makes Great Use of Cliffhanger Endings
Alan Wake 2’s Cliffhangers Fit the Horror Novel Premise Perfectly
Though it starts off as a simple detective drama,Alan Wake 2starts to throw more and more supernatural elements at the player almost immediately, along with a handful of Sci-Fi concepts, some of which are surprisingly complex. But one ofAlan Wake 2’s biggest narrative elements is its meta storytelling, in which the events of the game’s story seem to poke fun at themselves in a self-aware way, as if the characters within the story know that they’re in a story and know that they’re confined within the genre’s usual tropes and plot beats.
Without spoiling too much,Alan Wake 2’s plotends up falling into the same general rhythm as a horror novel or horror video game, just like the first game was based around the confines and tropes of a psychological thriller. WhileAlan Wake 2therefore uses a wide range of classic horror beats for its own story, there’s one classic technique that runs throughout the game, and that’s cliffhangers.
Each and every chapter ofAlan Wake 2ends with a dramatic cliffhanger. These cliffhangers are always accompanied by an abrupt cut to black, a deep booming sound, and the words “End of Chapter” boldly stated on screen. A song then begins to play, used to signify an intended break in the game’s pacing. From here, it’s up to players whether they continue, or choose to call it a night, just like they would ahorror novel or TV show.
Alan Wake 2has a total of 11 intermission songs, all of which have lyrics that relate closely to the game’s story and themes.
Alan Wake 2’s Cliffhangers Keep Players Invested
But by far the best aspect ofAlan Wake 2’s cliffhangersis that they always come at the perfect time. The vast majority ofAlan Wake 2’s cliffhangers are delivered immediately following a major reveal, or following an exciting set-up for the next chapter. For instance, an early cliffhanger inAlan Wake 2sees Saga exit the Overlap and find the titular writer washed up on Cauldron Lake’s shore, leaving some huge questions hanging in the air. And later on in the game, the chapter comes to a dramatic finale when Saga finally takes back an Object of Power that she’s been hunting for, setting up some big things for the next mission. These cliffhangers are a great way of keeping players invested in the story and clued into the narrative’s most pivotal moments.
Alan Wake 2
WHERE TO PLAY
A string of ritualistic murders threatens Bright Falls, a small-town community surrounded by Pacific Northwest wilderness. Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases arrives to investigate the murders. Anderson’s case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare beyond our world, writes a dark story in an attempt to shape the reality around him and escape his prison. With a dark horror hunting him, Wake is trying to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.Anderson and Wake are two heroes on two desperate journeys in two separate realities, connected at heart in ways neither of them can understand: reflecting each other, echoing each other, and affecting the worlds around them.Fueled by the horror story, supernatural darkness invades Bright Falls, corrupting the locals and threatening the loved ones of both Anderson and Wake. Light is their weapon—and their safe haven — against the darkness they face. Trapped in a sinister horror story where there are only victims and monsters, can they break out to be the heroes they need to be?
