One of the more exciting moments during the PlayStation Showcase on May 24th was a new trailer for Alan Wake 2. The sequel to 2010's Alan Wake sees Remedy Entertainment reuniting with their struggling writer protagonist after he made several surprise appearances in the developer's latest release Control. This will be Remedy's first sequel since 2003's Max Payne 2, and their first AAA release since Control in 2019.
The gameplay featured in the new Alan Wake 2 trailer could excite even those who are unfamiliar with the series, but the real treat is all the sneaky details packed into the almost 2-minute video that will be very familiar to fans of the series. This is nothing new for Remedy, who love hiding details in their games as well, but what they chose to hide in their latest trailer may say a lot about what players can expect from the developer's next release. Spoilers ahead for the first Alan Wake.
10 Special Agent Robert Nightingale
The latest trailer is narrated by Alan Wake himself, and at one point he discusses what drew the FBI to Bright Falls 13 years after the first game's conclusion. "The victim was one of their own," Wake says, "FBI Special Agent Robert Nightingale."
Players familiar with the first game should recognize that name. Agent Nightingale chases Wake through most of that game's campaign until he is eventually consumed by the Dark Presence. The FBI agent's possessed form was last seen staring out across the town's annual Deerfest, but it appears he's remained in Bright Falls all this time.
9 Deerfest
In the opening moments of the trailer, there is an idyllic shot of Bright Falls, the main setting of the first game and presumably the second as well. In that shot, a banner hung from a streetlamp is promoting the 81st Annual Deerfest.
The first game also takes place around the time of Bright Falls' Deerfest. If this banner is any indication, Alan Wake 2 will likely take place around the same time of year, in mid- to late-September. This banner also confirms the 13-year time jump from the first game's conclusion, as that game took place during the 68th Annual Deerfest.
8 The Cult Of The Tree
In Alan Wake 2's debut trailer, shown at the 2021 Game Awards, there was a shot featured of a murder scene in the forest with a symbol prominently carved into a tree: three triangles vertically overlapping each other. That symbol is the insignia of the Cult of the Tree, a group that operates in the town of Watery, a rival to Bright Falls.
The cult has only been mentioned in passing, most recently in Control's "AWE" DLC, but this latest trailer finally provides a glimpse at its members. They are the intimidating figures in deer masks and robes seen stalking Agent Anderson – the game's new playable character – in the trailer's first half. Those figures are wearing the cult's symbol around their necks.
7 The Town Of Watery
The neighboring town of Watery, which is in constant competition with Bright Falls, has seen many references across Remedy's titles. It hosts a festival in September to compete with Deerfest called Moosefest, and in the first Alan Wake, there is a radio program talking about how that event set a record for attendance that year. It is also where the Cult of the Tree operates.
However, Watery also comes up in Control. The Federal Bureau of Control employs an enigmatic janitor named Ahti who frequently helps Jesse Faden throughout the campaign. After Jesse completes his side quest, Ahti decides to take a vacation. He will later send Jesse a postcard from Watery, a strange choice of location given the town is frequently described as "run down."
6 Ahma
Yet another connection between Control's Ahti and Watery, only this one is much more obscure. In Remedy's 2019 game, Ahti is seen drinking a beer called Ahma, although he never mentions anything about it or why he seems to prefer it.
It appears there may be a connection between Ahma and the town of Watery. In the scene in the trailer where Agent Anderson is engaged with a member of the Cult of the Tree in a convenience store, there is a row of drink coolers in the background branded with the Ahma logo. This connection is further reinforced in ads featuring a bottle of Ahma in Alan Wake Remastered.
5 The Oceanview Hotel
In the later part of the trailer, there are several shots that, rather than Bright Falls or Watery, seem to be set in New York. One of those shots features a neon sign in the background for the Oceanview Hotel.
For players familiar with Control, the Oceanview Motel is a place of power used frequently by Jesse Faden to travel between locations within the Oldest House, although it also connects to multiple other dimensions. The presence of the Oceanview Hotel in Alan Wake 2 may suggest a similar portal through dimensions, perhaps one connected to Bright Falls.
4 New York
As was mentioned above, several scenes seem to take place outside of Washington State – where Bright Falls is located – and will instead be set in New York City. This holds significance for a number of connections involving Remedy's other games.
First and foremost, New York is where Alan Wake normally lives. He and Alice are based out of The Big Apple, and there are flashbacks in the first Alan Wake that are set in their big city apartment. However, New York City is also the location of the Oldest House, the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control. This may suggest that the connections between Jesse Faden and Alan Wake will grow stronger Alan Wake 2.
3 Manuscript Pages
A major storytelling element of the first Alan Wake game is the loose manuscript pages scattered throughout the game world. These pages were written by Alan himself (although he doesn't remember writing them) and the events described on the pages all happen to him in real life.
In the latest Alan Wake 2 trailer, Agent Anderson is seen holding a manuscript page while talking to her partner Agent Casey. "The text is about us," she says, referencing what is written on the pages. It seems that, once again, Alan Wake's writing is changing reality.
2 Agent Casey
The other FBI agent arriving in Bright Falls alongside Agent Anderson is just bursting with Easter Eggs. For one, he is modeled to look strikingly similar to Alan Wake 2's creative director, Sam Lake (who was also the likeness for Max Payne), but this isn't the first time an Agent Casey has appeared in Remedy's games.
Agent Casey is also a character in a series of books by Alan Wake, which is referenced in Alan Wake Remastered. In Quantum Break, a game about time manipulation, an Easter Egg called "Return" features FBI Agent Casey who is investigating the disappearance of Alan Wake in Bright Falls in 2010. Finally, in Control, a document details an FBI Agent Casey requesting files regarding the Bright Falls AWE.
1 The Dark Place
In the final moments of the first Alan Wake, the titular author discovers a way to save his wife Alice from an alternate dimension called The Dark Place by writing a new ending to his reality-warping manuscript. However, in saving her, Alan also strands himself in The Dark Place.
Based on the scenes in the Alan Wake 2 trailer – as well as documents and videos from Control's "AWE" DLC – it seems that Alan is still trapped in The Dark Place 13 years later when the sequel takes place. However, Jesse Faden's strange visions of Alan Wake during that DLC suggest that he is trying to write his way out of the parallel dimension, and this new trailer's conclusion seems to suggest he will succeed.
Alan Wake 2 will release on October 17th, 2023, and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.