Highlights
- Fans of Alan Wake can rejoice as the long-awaited sequel, Alan Wake 2 , is finally set to release after thirteen years.
- The main plot of the first game involves a writer and his missing wife, ensnared by an entity called The Dark Presence that consumes the town of Bright Falls.
- The Dark Presence takes the form of an old woman and infects various objects and people, requiring players to use light as a weapon to defeat them. The entity's origins and powers are intertwined with a realm known as The Dark Place.
Over thirteen years after the first installment was released, Alan Wake 2 will finally see the light of day. Fans of the franchise have been eager to see what became of the famous writer, given how the first game ended. With the large gap between the previous installment and Alan Wake 2, fans may need a refresher on some of the game's important elements.
The main plot of Alan Wake focused on a writer whose wife went missing. As the story progresses it turns out that both of them had been ensnared by an entity known as The Dark Presence which was slowly consuming the town of Bright Falls. Alan Wake would use darkness itself as a gameplay mechanic as players used flashlights, floodlights, and flares to stun enemies controlled by The Dark Presence. The actual nature of the game's main antagonist is somewhat involved.
What Is The Dark Presence in Alan Wake?
The Dark Presence is an entity that existed in a realm known as The Dark Place. The creature's origins are somewhat unclear, but The Dark Place itself seems to exist adjacent to Cauldron Lake. The creature targets artists and tries to use their work to empower itself, so it can break free of The Dark Place and do whatever it is it wants to the rest of the world.
In the game, the creature primarily takes the form of an old woman but can possess or infect just about anything in the game. The primary enemies of Alan Wake were very chatty people and various inanimate objects that have been infected by The Dark Presence. The only way to defeat them is to shine a light on them to take away their shields before finishing them off with bullets.
The power that comes from The Dark Place gives artists the ability to alter reality, which empowers The Dark Presence as well. For the famous writer, this took the form of the manuscript pages found throughout Alan Wake that often tell the story of the game before it happens. One of the game's big twists was that the protagonist had to write a full story that ended with him defeating the entity, which was made into a reality thanks to the nature of the alternate realm. The game also revealed that the heavy metal band The Old Gods of Asgard and poet Thomas Zane were also subjected to The Dark Presence's manipulation but were all able to defeat it at a cost.
How The Dark Presence Leaked Into Other Games
The game would not be the last time the Dark Presence affected the game's world. The game's ending implied that The Dark Presence was still around, though perhaps weakened for the time being. Alan Wake 2's gameplay trailer didn't show anything related to the entity but it's very likely that the creature will still try to break free.
The infection that The Dark Entity causes was also seen in Control's Alan Wake DLC. In the expansion, it was revealed that one of Alan Wake's antagonists, Doctor Hartman, went mad and threw himself to either the Dark Place or the Dark Presence. He was consumed by it and turned into the creature that players had to fight in Control, which involved the use of lights to stun the creature and make it vulnerable to attack.
The marketing Alan Wake 2 has otherwise been vague. Because of this, it's not entirely clear how The Dark Place or The Dark Presence will affect the story and gameplay. However, it is probably safe to assume that players did not see the last of the entity in the first game, and it will likely cause trouble for the world for some time.
Alan Wake 2 releases October 27, 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
