Highlights

  • Remedy Entertainment's connected universe, which started with Control, is expanding with Alan Wake 2, laying the foundations for future projects involving characters and events from other Remedy properties.
  • Alan Wake 2 introduces Alex Casey, a character who references the Max Payne series in an amusing way, with Casey sharing similarities with Max Payne in the first game and even being voiced by the same actor.
  • In the Dark Place, a supernatural realm in Alan Wake's journey, Alex Casey takes on the persona of Max Payne, with a similar appearance, voice, and attitude, essentially becoming the same character in all but name.

With the release of Control back in 2019, Remedy Entertainment confirmed the existence of its own connected universe. Much like its Hollywood inspirations, Remedy's own connected universe has had pretty humble beginnings, with Control only really establishing that Alan Wake is set in the same universe. But with the recent launch of Alan Wake 2, it seems like Remedy's connected universe is only just getting started.

During the course of Alan Wake 2's 20-ish hour runtime, Remedy lays the potential foundations for a number of future Remedy-connected universe projects, encompassing both the characters and events of Control, Alan Wake, and potentially some other Remedy properties. And while Remedy's past projects like Quantum Break and Max Payne aren't directly connected to the shared universe, or at least not yet, there are some major connections between Alan Wake 2 and them, especially the latter.

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How Alan Wake 2's Alex Casey Connects to Max Payne

Back in the original 2010 Alan Wake, Alex Casey was Remedy's way of referencing its old Max Payne series in a pretty tongue-in-cheek way. In that first game, Alex Casey is the New York City detective protagonist of Alan Wake's world-famous crime novels, and through various collectibles, players would discover that he shared quite a few similarities with the titular New York detective protagonist of Max Payne.

In Alan Wake 2, however, things get a tad more complicated. Set 13 years after the first game, Alan Wake 2 opens with FBI Agents Saga Anderson and Alex Casey heading to the town of Bright Falls, where a recent series of murders has just occurred. Though he shares the same name and occupation as Alan Wake's fictional hero, that seems to just be a coincidence, and one that's apparently joked about frequently during his daily life.

Alan Wake 2's Alex Casey Has a Familiar Face and Voice

While Alex Casey was a mere reference to Max Payne in the first game, Remedy takes things a few leaps further with his appearance in Alan Wake 2. Long-time Remedy fans will immediately notice that Alex Casey bears a striking resemblance to the original face model used for Max Payne, and that's because both characters use Sam Lake's likeness, the Creative Director of Remedy Entertainment. But that's not the only similarity Casey and Payne share. Alan Wake 2's Alex Casey is also voiced by James McCaffrey, the same actor behind all of Max Payne's video game appearances.

Alan Wake 2's Alex Casey Is a Hard-Boiled New York Cop

When players first meet Alex Casey in Alan Wake 2 he seems like a fairly normal, but stoic FBI agent. But Alex Casey's Max Payne-like personality soon comes out when players meet a version of the character in the Dark Place. Found very early on in Alan's journey through the Dark Place, Alex Casey appears due to Alan's paranatural writings, which have turned him into a character in the Dark Place that Alan can manipulate through his art.

Here, Alex Casey essentially becomes Max Payne, with an even gruffer voice, a much more aggressive attitude, and plenty of lines of dialogue that feel ripped right out of Max Payne's more melodramatic moments. This iteration of Alex Casey also wears an outfit that's extremely similar to the detective's New York look in Max Payne 3, with a long leather coat, black tie, and dress trousers. So while Alex Casey may not technically be Max Payne in Alan Wake 2, he's essentially the same character in all but name.