Highlights

  • Alan Wake 2 is Remedy Entertainment's most complex game yet, featuring multiple timelines, two central protagonists, different realities, and Norse mythology.
  • The Mind Place mechanic in Alan Wake 2 allows players to organize case notes and evidence, but it can slow down the pacing of the game if not managed efficiently.
  • The Mind Place also acts as a helpful tool for players to recap the plot and keep track of important events and characters, contributing to a clearer understanding of the story.

For the last 27 years, Remedy Entertainment has continued to give the world some of the most cerebral, experimental video games on the mainstream market, and Alan Wake 2 may just be the developer's most complex to date. While Death Rally and Max Payne weren't the most complicated games out there, 2010's Alan Wake did go all-in on the supernatural thriller genre, including plenty of pretty out-there concepts. Then Quantum Break tried its hand at some complex time-shift mechanics, and Control doubled down on Alan Wake's wonderfully strange supernatural themes.

But while Remedy's past few games have all dabbled with some often confusing concepts, none come close to Alan Wake 2, a game that features multiple timelines, two central protagonists, a few different realities, and some Norse mythology sprinkled in for good measure. But somehow Alan Wake 2's story remains fairly clear throughout its 20-hour runtime, and a lot of that has to do with its Mind Place mechanic.

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Alan Wake 2's Mind Place Has Its Upsides and Downsides

alan wake 2 saga case board in the mind place

Alan Wake 2 features two central protagonists, the titular writer Alan Wake, and FBI Agent Saga Anderson. Players swap between both of these characters throughout Alan Wake 2, both traveling on their own separate, yet connected journeys, and both equipped with their own unique arsenal and set of skills. One of the tools at Saga Anderson's disposal is her Mind Place, a psychological technique that allows Saga to keep track of all the major events she encounters in Bright Falls, and the various characters she meets along the way.

Alan Wake 2's Mind Place Can Drag the Pacing Down a Bit

While the Mind Place has several functions such as upgrading weapons, reading collectibles, and profiling characters for more information, the vast majority of the player's time in the Mind Place will be spent organizing all of Saga's various case notes via the Case Board. Here, players will be given a number of files, each one correlating to a major case or event that's happened in the game so far. Every time Saga discovers a new piece of information or evidence in reality, it'll be added to her Mind Place Case Board in the form of a photograph.

Players are then tasked with sorting these photographs into specific categories on the board. For instance, in her search for the mysterious Cult of the Tree, Saga's Case Board will pose several questions about the cult's symbols, their psychology, and their goal. Evidence photographs need to be allocated by the player into one of these questions, and when enough are sorted, Saga makes a deduction that reveals a bit more about the game's story. This whole process needs to be repeated throughout Alan Wake 2, and if the player lets their evidence pile up then it could take a good chunk of playtime to sift through everything, dragging the game's pacing down a lot in the process.

Alan Wake 2's Mind Place Acts as a Fun Way to Recap the Plot

However, as mentioned up top, Alan Wake 2 doesn't have the most straightforward plot in a video game. Without spoiling too much, Alan Wake 2 gives players mysteries inside of mysteries inside of mysteries, all interconnected in various mind-bending ways. Though Remedy does a great job of keeping things as linear and clear as possible, it's easy for even the most avid fan to get lost in Alan Wake 2's many different characters, organizations, threats, and themes. That's where the Mind Place really shines. With every photograph that Saga sorts onto the Case Board, the player is reminded of the game's most important events and characters, which goes a long way in keeping everything clear.

Without spoiling the ending of Alan Wake 2 , the Mind Place is also used in an extremely creative way towards the end of the game, acting as one of the best examples in gaming of when a great story is made even greater by its implementation of core mechanics, and its willingness to bend those in a creative and unique way.

So while Alan Wake 2's Mind Place can be a bit of a chore to use at times, its inclusion in the game was definitely a smart move on Remedy's part. With a story as complex and interlapping as Alan Wake 2, the Mind Place is a necessary inclusion, helping to keep things clear at all times.