Alan Wake 2 - Story Explained

PHOTOSENSITIVITY WARNING! (Flashing Images)
Hello everyone, and welcome to the next installment of Lore and Order, where I unpack game lore and stories from games. In this one, we look at Redemy's follow up to Alan Wake, Alan Wake 2.
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON - / gamingharryyt
CHAPTERS
Intro - 0:00
Alan Wake Recap - 1:04
Plot: Return - 12:53
Plot: Initiation - 47:20
The Endgame - 1:17:28
Ending Explained - 1:38:26
The Overlap - 1:41:06
How Scratch Changed - 1:43:39
The Dark Presence - 1:45:02
Cynthia Weaver - 1:47:11
Nightingale's Fate - 1:49:57
Cauldron Lake Murders - 1:50:42
The Cult of the Tree - 1:52:05
Fact or Fiction - 1:58:36
Warlin Door - 2:05:30
FBC Involvement - 2:11:50
The Real Antagonist - 2:19:14
Barry Wheeler - 2:24:31
Control - • Control - Story Explained
Alan Wake - • Alan Wake - Story Expl...
MUSIC AND SFX IN THIS VIDEO FROM @epidemicsound
ALL GAME FOOTAGE SELF-CAPTURED ON XBOX Series X (Alan Wake and Quantum Break) and PC (Control and Alan Wake 2)
Please enjoy, subscribe, and leave a like/comment!
Check out some of my other Lore & Order Videos:
The Medium - • The Medium - Story Exp...
Bendy ATDR - • Bendy and the Dark Rev...
Callisto Protocol - • The Callisto Protocol ...
Resident Evil 4 - • Resident Evil 4 - Stor...
Resident Evil 8 - • Resident Evil: Village...
Join this channel to support my work:
/ @gamingharryyt
Equipment;
PC Specs (for those that are interested):
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X (8 Core)
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700XT (12GB)
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro (32GB - 2x16GB)
- Elgato 4k60 Pro Mk. 2
- Built by PC Specialist in the UK
#gamingharry #alanwake2 #remedygames

[@SoloQSights]

Alan Wake 1: "It's not a lake it's an ocean" Alan Wake 2: "It's not a loop it's a spiral" Alan Wake 3: "It's not a door it's part of a wall that opens"

[@mirceapitariu9112]

It’s not a door it’s a gate

[@AC-hj9tv]

It's not a flatbread it's a pizza

[@spiritupgrades]

Is that just a jar?

[@Novikous]

It's not a boulder, it's a rock.

[@AC-hj9tv]

@@Novikous it's not a penis, it's a cock (keeping up the rhyme)

[@award4279]

Mr. Door is Saga’s father. 1. Her mother is white so she’s half black. 2. Tor says to saga “some doors are better left closed” 3. Door had Old Gods of Asgard on his show 4. Mr. Door said Alan involved someone he cares about into the story.

[@USMCKong0311]

5. The “father doll” that Saga finds looks like Mr. Door. Also, we didn’t get closure by seeing Tor & Odin in the dark place at the end of the game, but we actually did. They played a song for Alan Wake with Mr. Door earlier in the game.

[@Hexentric8]

I thought that was pretty obvious towards the latter half of the game, the question we should be asking is who/what exactly is Mr Door?

[@brainrich1358]

I assumed that when Mr. Door told Alan he involved someone he cared about. Also, it seems like how the Anderson family have powers of seers, it seems Mr. Door and his family also have powers of being able to travel between realms through doors. Just how it says in the manuscript that Sheriff Breaker gave to Saga in The Dark Place on how to get into Parliament Tower. It could be that Saga inherited both powers from both the Anderson side and Door side.

[@ryanrich7133]

Nice pfp bro. Californication is my fav album by them then btw and then stadium arcadium. The musical trinity.

[@marcosrausch1887]

Yeah, about 4... I thought he was talking of Tim(e) Breaker all along. At the end of Quantum Break, Mr. Hatch needed him on his side. Not to prevent the end of time, but to ensure it.

[@skytrigger]

It is so impressive to me how the developers can merge real filming with a video game so well, to make it so immersing and interesting to watch and play. First in Control and now in Allan Wake 2. I love this.

[@fepethepenguin8287]

Are parts of AW 2 actually video footage? Its almost too good looking

[@skytrigger]

@@fepethepenguin8287 Ye, there are some scenes with real filming.

[@fepethepenguin8287]

@@skytrigger id love to see a movie filmed that way

[@skytrigger]

@@fepethepenguin8287 ???? :D

[@AC-hj9tv]

Wowowow

[@mysterion7388]

Just finished AW2. Noticed something crazy, one of the taken that attacked the sheriff's station said "the oldest house is lost." Immediately threw me off guard.

[@umgakwarhammster4191]

That could mean that dark place is somehow connected to hisss

[@mr_rogue1774]

I thought that was confirmed in the Alan Wake DLC of Control. I don't remember exactly, but I thought Scratch had been behind The Hiss appearing.

[@umgakwarhammster4191]

@@mr_rogue1774 just finished control again and yes its not Said that scratch created hiss but its possibilitie 🤔🤔

[@7Luck7]

I would assume the Taken who said that was an FBC agent before they were Taken, Estevez mentions that she lost agents to the Dark Presence. Based on Estevez’ dialogue, the oldest house is inaccessible at the moment, so It would make sense if this is just the Dark Presence mimicking the Taken agent’s fears about what has happened to the oldest house.

[@dudewithtude4476]

is it weird that I fall asleep listening to gaming harry vids most nights? 😂 it's like listening to a story in a chilled voice right ? lol

[@lopez94000]

me too man, his videos help with my insomonia

[@dudewithtude4476]

@@lopez94000 ikr! it's relaxing even if it's a horror game lol

[@jr8ball]

I do every night he helps with my insomnia and his videos are so oddly relaxing

[@saschaberger3212]

There are a bazillion Long-Form Analysis videos on KZbin that are like this. It's addicting

[@RoseKoneko]

He has a very nice, relaxing voice. He and papa lazy are nice background noise that you can focus on to make the insomnia bees quiet down enough to sleep.

[@f0ur_G]

The theory that Zane is the real antagonist is pretty mind blowing and honestly not something I thought about. It also ties into another theory I have regarding him - the reason the live action sequences exist (at least in the meta sense) is because they're all Zane - he's the one directing them. After all, he did say Scratch collaborated with him on 'Return', so this is his part in all of this

[@roberttucker5924]

when we first meet zane again in the hotel and alan remarks on them looking the same, my first thought was alan is zanes creation much like Casey is alan's, and then Zane described himself as a director and I immediately thought "and everything has been his attempts to escape" and then i realized that they even confirm that alan is a creation and not a native to reality, the reason it was so easy for them to force the darkness out of casey was because he wasn't some character Alan dreamed up he was someone alan changed, so the ending at least from my understanding confirms Alan is a character zane created

[@MachoMaster]

​@@roberttucker5924 Did you know that Alan and Zane are played by the same actor?

[@roberttucker5924]

@@MachoMaster I mean yeah

[@user-dy7bv3qs4j]

Sam Lake aka Alex Casey in the game is both the antagonist and protagonist, he is the lead director and writer for the game.

[@WeMissDimebag]

Alan is ‘native to reality’. Alan and Zane don’t create new people, they change things that already exist. Alan tells us this is what he did with Casey and Saga. They were both already real but he rewrote their lives to fit into the story. Saga got written into Return, Casey (I think) was written into Initiation too. That’s why real life Casey talks about a murder cult in New York he was chasing; Alan wrote that in Initiation and it then actually happened.

[@Barlton_Canks]

Mate you are the only dude who’s been able to explain this game in a comprehensible way. Godspeed soldier.

[@Atomy111]

Well i assume in such short time his is one of the veery few videos you watched about AW2 so your compliments may be a bit quickly given 😂

[@557deadpool]

The game was comprehensible though

[@marquisgray8055]

Alan Wake is clearly on some Donnie Darko kinda of story telling. and the fact is you see it in small moments till it grows beyond it's control is damn nice to see.

[@gatorarman12]

David Lynch is the OG comparison. Donnie Darko (and Alan Wake) were heavily influenced by his surreal art house style of story telling. If you haven't seen them, check out Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive. They are the closest fiction to Alan Wake besides a few Stephen King books

[@GutsDarko]

Donnie Darko is my favorite movie of all time and I was playing this game I would tell my friends “it’s like if Donnie Darko was a video game” !

[@RazorBladezX]

They played heavily into Twin Peaks with this sequel, specifically Twin Peaks“The Return” season. Then throw in the story is called “Return” Mr Scratch is the Evil Cooper AlanWake is Cooper it’s insane

[@keith9129]

The lore and order is what brought me here. You can’t believe how often I go back to listen to your outlast videos

[@jr8ball]

Same I rewatch all his videos because I’ve watched them all😭

[@sarasunshinemt4444]

Same! I don't play Resident Evil but one of my online gaming friends does, so now I can understand what the hell he's talking about thanks to his videos.

[@MrSlosh]

As someone who has a family history of paranoid schizophrenia, playing this game feels like a look into my future and it's genuinely horrifying.

[@rudydaberry122]

I’m sorry Mr Slosh I’ll be here for you

[@VivekYadav-ds8oz]

Not to scare you further, but genuinely curious, will experiencing this be adding to the god-hope-not potential schizophrenia where you might wonder if you're in a reality like his?

[@aquaticborealis4877]

Someone I know had it. Started burning electronics in the backyard. But they got medication and recovered quite well.

[@notanaveragedoktah8390]

If consuming 40 Benadryls transports you to Silent Hill, being schizophrenic turns you into Alan Wake

[@toast1672]

I feel like you don't grasp what paranoid schiophrenia is, apparently.

[@shagggadoo]

As another note, I'm not sure how everyone missed this, but: Worlin Door was the 3rd man on the mountain top that made a deal with the Old Gods. He took Odin's eye and got struck by lightning/disappeared. Seems like this is his origin story. When he got struck by lightning may have been his introduction to the dark place. (Aaaand since he has Odin's eye, maybe he can "see" like the Andersons).

[@whiteshadow0122]

Maybe not only he can "see like the Andersons" but there's a high chance that Saga has the strong "seer of truth" ability because of him. Because he's (probably) her dad. It's too much of a conicidence that Door didn't want Saga to read the sheriff's page. Door didn't want Saga to get more involved in the story. He even gets pissed at Alan for playing with stuff in the story that he shouldn't be playing (Saga and Logan maybe?). So yeah, I'm expecting we'll meet Door again in the first Episode of the game.

[@shagggadoo]

@whiteshadow0122 also, re-reading the manuscript page, he took Odin's eye as a pact until "you all come to me"... whelp odin and tor just dove into the dark place to get Saga, but... WHAT WAS THE DEAL THEY MADE?!?! And I guess this means time is up on that deal...

[@whiteshadow0122]

@@shagggadoo indeed. Tho the story of the game closed off very well with the end of the horror story, there's still tons of stuff they can explore in the 2 DLC to come or in future games.

[@2ndAmendmenttime]

This was a great video. No wonder it took Sam Lake 13 years . Not only did he tie in Control & Quatum Break in the Alan Wake universe with actual lore too connect the dots. Good writing . Kind of has the Christopher Nolan touch.

[@tayntp]

Didn’t expected you would covering this game so soon!!! Somehow I expecting the Remedy Connected Universe would be clear up in CONTROL’s sequel, as the story appears more and more that the FBC is the center of its all.

[@silentj624]

He shouldn't have

[@Discombobulate453]

@@silentj624why?

[@Atomy111]

Control 2 hype

[@devinkerr5474]

I think the FBC, for all it's resources and information, is still an organization that FEELS they are at the center or it all, but the vastness of reality, the entities that exist with parallel dimensions, etc is still WAY out of their depth. I can't wait to see what Jesse and Polaris do, but I like that the FBC was ultimately on the sidelines for this project. I love the idea of more Remedy games out there that don't even mention the FBC until games later when they are acknowledged. I'm terrified of the FBC getting treated as some paranormal avengers organization. I'd love to see ANOTHER organization like the FBC that have their own things going on as well.

[@tayntp]

@@devinkerr5474 Good point, I believe the ‘Monarch Solutions’ from ‘Quantum Break’ could be another organization that has the role to the multi-dimensional phenomenon as well. I guess it was because of the licensing issue that Remedy has with other publishers of the previous games that prevent them from fully integrated every game story settings.

[@hunter17835]

Something I want to mention regarding Mr. Scratch and American Nightmare is the possibility that the events of American Nightmare altered how Scratch worked. When we first saw him at the end of the first game, he was clearly a distinct entity, albeit one that looked like Alan, but here, he's essentially a demonic presence that needs to possess someone. American Nightmare would bridge the gap and explain the difference, at least to some degree. We saw that Scratch was still a distinct entity that's separate from Alan in American Nightmare, but Alan destroyed him at the end. Or rather, destroyed his physical body, forcing him into a more ethereal presence that we see in this game. The change in personality between the two games could also be chalked up to that defeat, as being destroyed would leave Scratch a lot more enraged and hate filled than he was even in American Nightmare.

[@Sm0k3turt]

Scratch also represents Alan’s worst parts of himself. It’s a stylistic change that loosely connects and I’m okay with that. I prefer scratch as a more ominous presence rather than a goofy villian.

[@whiteshadow0122]

Scratch was always part of Alan. But the Dark Presence/Scratch was only officially birthed by Alan being stuck for too long in the Dark Place, making a part (or a version) of him go insane. In American Nightmare, Scratch is personified as en Evil double of Alan, but from what we've seen in AW2, it seems like it was always inside of alan. Maybe the American Nightmare was just a way that Alan wrote the story and Scratch into another entity so that he could face that entity more directly, but he's essentially just facing his own mind. Or that's just him in another part of the loop (spiral)

[@sornyeilevente973]

In one of the dark place videis Alan says this "How do you run from an idea, from a story that's stuck inside your head." Maybe Alan did defeat scratch, but since the idea of the Dark presence, and the idea of "Scratch is Alan Wake" was still inside his head, the dark place manifested and essentially rendered both indestructible. It kinda annoys me that this is headcannon and not something confirmed or denied by the story, but this is the idea I'll go with.

[@tallgeese88]

One more piece of supporting evidence for Door being Saga's father, Harry: when Saga asks Tor about her father, Tor says her father was "always thinking too many steps ahead." When Breaker hands Saga the manuscript page in the Dark Place, it reveals that Door was aware of Alan Wake writing about him and allowed it so that it could be used at the right time. He stops Breaker from handing it to her early on in the story and takes him to the Dark Place so that he can meet Saga later in the story, helping her in that moment by providing the manuscript page which teaches her about her abilities. That's thinking quite a few steps ahead. Coincidence?

[@RazorBladezX]

I’ll say it again. The HEAVY influence from Twin Peaks “The Return” in this sequel. Is wild man.

[@toast1672]

wow your power of observation is astounding how did you put 2 and 2 together like that wowwwww

[@RazorBladezX]

@@toast1672 don’t be a dick

[@HiddenMachineGaming]

You mention that Casey's memories of investigating the Cult were caused by Alan's writing, but Casey's recollection of the events appears to have been confirmed by that document in Control that was written years before this draft of Initiation was written. Casey was investigating Alan well before this AWE took place, so while it's possible that the Cult wasn't a part of that, it doesn't feel conclusive enough to just write it off entirely yet. There's a chance that the time bending nature of the Dark Place allowed for some trickery to occur, but I'm not entirely sure about that atm.

[@Sm0k3turt]

The dark place can for sure do things that like time wise. So I think it’s possible. Initiation the way I see it takes place during the whole 13 years while he was gone, before, and after all at once.

[@brainrich1358]

Mr. Door could possibly be Mr. Hatch. Lance Riddick was originally planned to play Mr. Door but was recasted due to his unfortunate passing.

[@WeMissDimebag]

It’s definitely intended to be Hatch but a)they can’t call him Hatch cause they don’t own Quantum Break and b) Lance unfortunately passed like you said. Basically, it is Hatch, or another version of that character, we just have to pretend it isn’t for legal reasons.

[@crosscottonwood5984]

He may have been recast due to health complications that led to his death, but he was in all likelihood still alive when the live action segments were shot. He only passed 8 months ago, which would be crazy late in the development process to start filming.

[@kiwee4577]

It's great that the FBC are more involved in the campaign than i expected, given their confieldential and mysterious existence. However i do wish to have a reaally short snapshot of fayden cameo in the ending since this game doesn't really explain amything abt the frequent appearances of casper darling

[@ilovesteakandfries]

i know right! i really want to know more about the FBC going “dark” i wonder what that meant

[@l0_0l]

control spoilers: the prevailing theory is that the heavy exposure to the resonance from hedron caused caspar darling to…evolve/transform into a being on a higher dimension (which is basically confirmed by him being able to communicate with jesse via the hotline at the end of control) and-aside from the great easter egg of him being featured in alan wake 2-i think the reason he appears on the tv sets is because he’s a form of resonance now and connecting jesse to alan. similar to the way alan connected to jesse in the awe dlc.

[@kiwee4577]

Now the question is why is alan write a story for control's AWE expansion. Is it solely to remove hartman? Is it an another failed attempt of writing the initiation or return manuscript? How did he even know FBC in the first place?

[@l0_0l]

@@kiwee4577 the awe dlc either heavily implies or states that alan may have written the fbc into existence; probably as one of the means of freeing himself from the dark place. also, one of his manuscript pages is in the panopticon and i’m hoping that remedy will fully develop that plot line. and we still don’t know the full scope of what alan wrote during his first 13 years in the dark place, aside from initiation and return, because even he doesn’t remember it all. i’m excited to find out.

[@kiwee4577]

@@l0_0l if the next control or AW2 expansion features split gameplay between fayden, alan and saga. it'd be cool af

[@ComboSmooth]

its crazy the sam lake naturally looks like a video game protagonist. like even before they made him max payne

[@Kaden10]

I felt so bad for Cynthia, she was just a sweet old lady who was trying to keep people safe.

[@rudydeclarisse]

I feel so bad for her as well. She helped us on the 1st game.

[@Kaden10]

I'm just glad she was able to be put to rest.@@rudydeclarisse

[@tonyboyer1563]

I feel bad for nightingale

[@AjaxOutlaw]

This game is just Art. I hope more ppl buy it because it’s refreshing to have these types of in depth stories!

[@Edd-zd6zu]

Nah i turned off and switched the game just in first 20mins playing… this game is boring

[@unclesam5733]

The story is really good. Game play is mediocre at best. I really tried to finish it and just gave up half way trough. Also, it's Epic only. The sales are not the best, I guess.

[@unclesam5733]

@rhinoman86 I played RE4 remake before this. And RE4 combat is the definition of 3rd person fun combat. AW2 didn't come even close to that. I love AW2 story and visual storytelling, but the underwhelming combat and long walking session made it way too boring. And I like slow paced games. For example, RDR2 and KCD are my favorite RPGs.

[@AjaxOutlaw]

@@unclesam5733 agreed. Fortunately I wasn’t in it for the gameplay but I’d agree

[@ZBatt1]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@rhinoman86what about the game stands out like you said that “wows you” to think RE should have thought of that?

[@MightyMurloc]

I'm honestly thinking this will go down as an elevation of Alan's story in every single way, I ADORE the first game's story, and sadly, do not yet, have the hardware to play the sequel. But longplays and videos like these satiate the hunger for fulfillment. It honestly sounds like it'll be referenced at the benchmark of Meta fiction. And Alan being caught on a talkshow about a project he has no memories of working on is LITERALLY one of my personal nightmares.

[@williamowens2063]

Nice, I've been waiting for this ever since the game released. I don't even play 99% of the games shown on this channel but rather just listen to you tell the story. Keep up the good work🔥

[@liamstewart6429]

I feel the same. I don't really have the time for them either. I have time for these videos whether on my commute or before bed

[@aina7310]

I do the same. I enjoy listening to the story much more than playing. Also he's one of the best ones I've seen. I love this channel, it's definitely a favourite for me. Thank you GamingHarry! Looking forward to your future videos! 😊

[@sarasunshinemt4444]

Same! And he puts together things that are commonly missed so you get the entire story, not just the "main" one.

[@simonwoods2169]

So the Dark Presence as take seriously the quote from Tolkien "Evil cannot create anything, just corrupt what good has created"

[@matthewmcshane399]

The red headed woman mentioned on Tim's board could also be referencing Beth wilder from quantum break who shares the same actress with Jesse faden

[@Kinos141]

Honestly if they made a book from this game, I'd actually read it.

[@henrysarson7417]

Well done harry figuring out the Zane parts. Truly the most mind bending moment of the game

[@cradleofgoth]

Door and Hatch being the same person makes a lot of sense, just look at the names. Also Breaker and Joyce share a striking resemblance, also makes a lot of sense. There was also Night Springs reference on one of TVs in Quantum Break if I remember correctly.

[@actuallymajor6102]

Can’t wait for the Night Springs expansion in 2024. Lake house expansion will also be coming after that one as well. It’s interesting to note, just south of Nightingales murder scene. There’s a an FBC gate to the Lake house that has an intercom Saga can interact with. When interacting with it, you try to contact the FBC at the lake house, but static only comes from the other end! It’s amazing to see how well Remedy sets up their future content within each and every new release!

[@pott3r]

Tim(e) Breaker

[@cradleofgoth]

@@pott3r good point, didn't even think of that

[@pott3r]

@@cradleofgoth I'm pretty sure Jack Joyce and Tim Breaker are the same person. Remedy wouldn't have used the same actor just for the laughs

[@Kelenae]

@@pott3r Ya there is a reason they used the same actor lol.

[@LoneWanderer905]

MAN, OUR BOY AHTI SHOWED UP!

[@Kiseki_Fan2k24]

The only possible explanation to the story is that Sam Lake is an artistic genius and his vision for the RCU is his magnum opus. After beating AW2 i am looking forward to the DLCs and Control 2 as well. Remedy entertainment is a top tier game developer.

[@Sobachkaspike]

God tier

[@ishraquenoor]

I wish Max Payne was also part of these stories. Would've been sick.

[@cunyergaming]

They are remaking the games from the ground up so I wouldn't be suprised if they tied it in with these as well.

[@unclesam5733]

​@ishraquenoor He pretty much is. Sam Lake/Alex Cayse is Max Payne. Similiar issue as with Quantum Break. Max Payne is now owned by Rockstar. He is the same actor, same voice actor, wears the same leather jacket in NY, and he lives through the same twisted depressing detective shit. What if all of Alex Casey stories are just Max Payne stories? Maybe Max is just a Wakes book, or it's just a cool Easter egg.

[@ishraquenoor]

@@unclesam5733 no I meant for future releases of Max Payne was included in storyline up yk.

[@Baytuh]

A 2hr video? Yo let's go. Thank you for your continued hard work.

[@Anomaliayt]

I feel it’s probable that scratch, Alan, and Tom are all the same people, but it’s like a reality spiral slowly moving and each level of progression all interact with each other, if that makes sense. They kind of loop and intermingle, affecting each of their realities. But there’s so much I missed in this game and it’s pretty convoluted. I didn’t tend to dig around for lore too much as I found the atmosphere so foul I just wanted to move on 💀 I also forgot all of Alan wake 1. But Tom Zane is played by the same actor, they switch around, and people call Alan, Tom. It’s been stated that scratch is Alan, so it’s pretty fair to say that they’re the same people (at different parts of the spiral? I also feel there’s heavy reference to Carl yung’s philosohy, with “shadow work” and such. Each version are of the same person with different parts of their psyche. The shadow work is clearwhen saga is in the dark place and is confronted with all her insecurities and fears, and she needs to break out by self affirmation and psychoanalysis. The dark place can be seen as the inner psyche and you have to work through your issues to escape to freedom. You can get caught in thought and behavioural loops which is represented literally. Saga is the most rational and level headed meaning she can navigate with more ease. Or maybe I’m chatting absolute nonsense. Decent video tho, thanks for the effort and insight !

[@0Fate8Bound0]

If the Oceanview Hotel is a preexisting bridge to other worlds. And the dark place was always a place of power under cauldron Lake then it makes Zane's actions quite suspicious - even before the dark precense started messing his life up. The qualities of the dimension where the dark presence resides, allow fiction and emotion to bend reality (like how your emotions might bend your dreams/nightmares) , its most strongly affected by art when it's inflenced in our reality. Zane wanted to start a commune of creatives at cauldron lake - this would essentially tap into their ability to augment reality with their art using the dark place as a catalyst. He also wanted to build an Oceanview hotel there (very sus naming coincidence), this would possibly establish a gateway into the real oceanview hotel crossroads dimension. With this in mind, it makes it sound like he bit off more than he could chew but wasn't some clueless artist when it came to the paranormal who got manipulated by forces he wasn't expecting, perhaps Zane is a Para criminal of sorts. Maybe Zane is the dark presence, a man who got trapped in a realm of thought after experimenting on how to get in and turned into a force of chaos, thats why Ahti calls Alan Tom - everytime Ahti meets alan he's still possessed by the dark presence. I think the first time Ahti meets alan, he says something like "he sees the darkness in alan, but also sees a little light". (Side thought: the clicker is an object of power and has been imbued with the power of the dark place and alan is bonded to it. The FBC like to collect people like alan to become their directors (similar to jessie/dylan and polaris), after which point they usually bond with more objects of power (I.e. the service weapon, floppy disk). This suggest that if a director of the FBC ever bonded with the clicker they'd have the power to augment reality. Similar to what the ashtray OoP can do, where it can augment reality to create infinite mazes that have no space requirements.)

[@ilovesteakandfries]

imagine if jesse bonded with the clicker… she’d be far more OP than she already is 💀💀💀

[@l0_0l]

i have a very thin theory that tom/alan created the oceanview motel when he created the oceanview hotel since the dark place exists outside of time and the oceanview motel connects to other dimensions including the astral plane, the writer’s room, ahti’s “janitor’s closet” and more. the dark place seems to be a metaphysical space, like the astral plane, not a place of power like the oldest house. and alan/tom seems to have the power to shape it to his conscious/subconscious. when saga leaves her mind place in the dark place-through a door!-she’s in alan/tom’s dark place version of new york then uses seemingly the water in the fountain at the center of alan/tom’s dark place version of new york to travel to alan/tom in the writer’s room. i don’t think that alan is bonded to the clicker because several other characters have used it successfully. the clicker’s different than the other oops because the oops in control bond jesse to the board through the oops, which means the board places limitations on access to abilities through oops. it confirms some of the theories that the board is essentially a parasite using the astral plane and fbc to further its own agenda and will eventually lead to a major conflict between jesse and the board.

[@jonas34ptfernandes38]

I mean the Old Gods of Asgard still call Tom even after he got the dark presence removed so i think Alan and Tom are the same person, also would explain why they look the same no the question is if Tom trying to project himself out by creating Alan or if there is some other reason

[@TheprophetDJ]

Tim also said Mr door was hit by lighting. Tor’s lighting as we found out tor’s hammer can summon lighting and tor admits that he did something to saga’s father that made freya (saga’s mother) cut ties with him

[@enriqueramirez2554]

I’ve been waiting for a breakdown video and this is more than what i could’ve wished for! Always love hearing people’s theories/analysis on Remedy’s Lore. Great job as always :)

[@controversialgaming1364]

Reality and Fiction merging together fits the " Its not a loop , its a spiral "quote like a glove . You literally can question everything and be right .

[@ManticoreRunner]

Remedy knows how to create a headache. A headache you really want to figure out. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this. I'm loving the fact that they are tying all of their games into their own story.

[@GamingUniversityUoG]

Time to listen to every Alan Wake 2 analysis I can find. Let's go!

[@honhoang]

"I know who I am. I'm the dude writin' the dude, disguised as another dude!" -Alan Wake

[@claytopolis]

I like how even if you havent played control, you immediately know there's something up with Ahti. Even if he isn't super involved in the plot you can tell he's something more

[@noco-pf3vj]

It's not a Loop, it's an Uzumaki... (Do As Infinity - Raven ending soundtrack)

[@eafstudios6436]

I actually have a theory that the entire storyline for the Alan Wake games is really meant to be a metaphorical extension of the creative thought process going on in Thomas Zane's head and how his creative writing abilities are hindered possibly by personal circumstances in his life that have caused writer's block and/or lack of a desired successful career as a filmmaker and poet. Here's my reasoning: 1) The game basically confirms that Alan Wake IS Thomas Zane and that Mr. Scratch IS effectively both of them but possessed by the Dark Presence. I would theorize that the Dark Presence is meant to be a manifestation of Zane's sense of trauma and despair due to changing life circumstances, most likely Barbara dying and/or their relationship turning sour. This could have made him want to start over and/or re-imagine himself as someone else to deal with his trauma, hence Alan Wake 2) There are 2 women shown to have had some kind of relationship with Thomas Zane: Barbara Jagger and Cynthia Weaver, the latter of whom was jealous of Barbara b/c Thomas Zane went with her instead of Cynthia. The fact that the clicker which Wake/Zane claims to need in order to "get out of the Dark Place" is part of Cynthia's angel light fixture, could mean that she in some ways had what Zane needed in some way in order to get past his mental fog, but that he ignored or chose not to go with her despite this. However it's clear that the fact that she loved and cared about him seemed to inspire him in some way, judging by the importance he placed on the clicker and that it came from her 3) In regards to Alice Wake being Alan a.k.a. Thomas Zane's "muse," she herself is either the woman in the real world who Zane chose to be with, or is possibly an idealized version of Cynthia or the role Cynthia has seemingly played more indirectly in Zane's life. The fact that Barabara and Cynthia both appear as relatively middle-aged while Alice appears young could mean that she's different in some way. It's clear that Alan Wake himself is meant to be a younger and potentially more idealized version of Thomas Zane that he wrote of himself and given that Alice exists as Alan Wake's lover, she too may be a just an idealized creation by Thomas Zane of the ideal lover who he longs for or feels he needs as a "muse" for inspiration. 4) The fact that Zane seems to see both Alan Wake and Mr. Scratch as necessary for the story seems to indicate that Alan is like Zane's "rational" side while Mr. Scratch is the base-nature, unhinged, irrational aspect of Zane that embodies the rage and frustration that Zane feels in his life. Zane ultimately seems to believe that he needs **both** these sides of himself, in moderation, in order to get through his mental fog and come out stronger and this seemingly succeeds since Mr. Scratch's work ultimately does what it was intended to do with his writing: help Zane/Alan push through

[@sasleor222]

Casual 2.5 hour video drop, instant watch from me

[@tazzidoe7083]

Wow! Complicated to say the least, but brilliantly executed explanation as always Harry! This is amazing!

[@badgirls1954]

it’s complicated and intriguing at the same time 😂

[@Salies]

Casey being a detective is not coincidental. Alan saw Casey's life through his powers (he thought of them as inspiration) and wrote it into his books.

[@UltimateFightFans]

Alan Wake is one of those franchises that truly utilizes the all-encompassing nature of video games. Video games are the MMA of media, so this game is beyond special for making all the elements tangible.

[@harisjaved1379]

Holy crackles man! I was checking daily on when you would upload this! Thanks a ton!

[@ICountFrom0]

Okay, I love how you formatted this. First you leaned into the horror, then the hope, and then the analysis.

[@jonathanlall]

Great job Harry! Always super engaging and in depth

[@BirdOfHermes90]

Great analysis, I've enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for clarifying a lot of things. My mind got jumbled as the narrative changed between Alan and Saga. Alan's parts can be pretty confusing, and you can feel the torture of the loop. No wonder he stopped writing, it's pure madness. My head started to hurt and I had to take a break, but I enjoyed the musical part a lot, which is surprising since I don't even like musicals. When Saga was in the dark place trapped in her mind room and when you investigate the objects and see Stacey Marrow as her mentor/supervisor I was like leo di caprio pointing meme because I remembered your earlier video about investigating the Cauldron Lake Murders. Thanks again!

[@LiaoSaoMay2049]

Amazing video! I was able to find out a lot of things I missed during my first play through and understand the story way better, thank you so much for the hard work you put in Harry

[@rifflerunderhill7006]

Just a random 2 cents, I almost wonder if... Zane is a character from the original Tom the poet's creation, Zane created Wake for himself, and it's really a long line past even that. The poet created by a singer, the singer created by a storyteller, etc. all the way back to the first person who was scared of the dark, made stories about that fear, and effectively gave the darkness an evil shape. All the world's a play, and we are merely actors in some grander thing. Could you imagine? entire realities created to form life, to create a chain of events through human history, all for architecting a character solidly founded in reality to change that reality. A quantum level of world building.

[@sethmonesmith9851]

You state that Sarah Breaker joined the FBI, but the dialogue specifically said “She joined the feds”. It’s more than likely she joined the FBC like her father, not the FBI

[@yaboiharry]

sam lake is making a video game with thomas zane making a film with alan wake writing a book to escape the dark place. This is the dark place and sam lake is trying to escape

[@BodamEscapePlan]

Holy hell! I thought I understood this game/series/universe but you just made all the loose pieces in my head finally fit together. This is a phenomenal video. I look forward to playing whatever Remedy puts out next and of course, the two DLCs promised for Alan Wake 2. Upon finishing, I will be coming here, to you, for you to make it all fit all over again. Seriously, great work and thank you.

[@ttank8082]

These videos are amazing! You have an amazing voice for this and your explanations make these stories so much clearer 👌

[@genoveus]

I just love lore channels that do the in-depth investigation to the games they love; I appreciate the summary synopsis done here for Alan Wake 2.

[@Adog00]

This game was amazing. Just finished it about an hour ago. Got platinum first play through! Thanks for this lore and order, Harry. Love your content

[@Sleepless_Chaos]

The analysis after the summary (from about 1:38:24) was really helpful because of the information from other Remedy properties that you included (which I, as a non-game-player, needed for context).

[@rhykkz8098]

2 and a half hours 😮 Genuinly excited for this one !

[@SurplusMarket]

You. Are a champion for this INCREDIBLY in-depth deep dive. Hope to see you playing some good walkthroughs on your second channel soon!

[@atelalu1]

thank you man for making this video! I was really interested in the story (as i don t have time to play games as i used to) and trying to watch ppl play it drove me crazy honestly. Really good explanations and analysis, god bless ya

[@maljunior]

Finally done watching the video, you helped clear up a lot of confusing things, great video can't wait for the dlc

[@Pr0cr4stinat0r]

Great video! But one thing to note: I don't think, that the bit from Tims board about the redheaded woman connected to polyhedrons is necessarily about headron. I think it literally means the geometric structure known as a polyhedron. Jesse's polyhedron is indeed the containment unit of headron, but Beth's polyhedron is the countermeasure.

[@TheThundersly]

Hey, you missed one of the Tim Breaker rooms! The whiteboard is incomplete, there's two more texts to read.

[@kratosGOW]

2:08:15 “But back to Mr. Door- but back to Mr. Door” 😅 It made me chuckle. Great video!

[@Baytuh]

Just rolled credits on Alan Wake 2 & while it did get a little messy at the end this game is nothing short of a 10/10 masterpiece. While it is the masterful sequel to AW1 its also a celebration of Remedy & how they write stories their characters and set the tone for what's ahead. Taking bits and pieces from OG Max Payne 1 & 2 even the great and underappreciated Quantum Break and of course Control. Not only can i not wait for where Alan Wake goes from here but what insanity Control 2 will be.

[@MrPlaylistMan]

where do people get the idea that this is masterpiece? it falls short in its story in multiple parts which clearly need DLC to explain. they gave us a 20 hour experience yet cant explain why nobody cared when 2 cops were killed in the basement, one goes missing and the only survivors walk out of the building without question. it literally happened in the first few hours and the pit falls dont stop there.

[@PlaidSuitPinstripeWorld]

​@@MrPlaylistManyou could argue a few answers to your question. The town's people know about the Taken, the power the lake has, etc, so maybe they're just used to it? And/or they're just playing dumb because they don't trust Saga yet? And/or the horror story at that moment has literally only spread as far as the basement so that's why the cops upstairs aren't reacting? I understand that waving off every issue as "it's just the fiction messing with reality" is a bit of a cop out but let's be honest, if you're a fan of Remedy then you know by now that you're not going to have everything answered, some elements are just up to your interpretation.

[@MrPlaylistMan]

@@PlaidSuitPinstripeWorld I mean yeah it is a pretty big cop out, I've played most of remedy's titles and only started to see problems in Control. The Oldest House can get away with more because of what it is and it's rules aren't explained (assuming it has any). But the dark place isn't the oldest house so not following the rules set in the first game and giving it properties of Control just feels confused and convoluted. Also it gives them another reason to make more content which would be great if this story was more compelling than the first.

[@alezio299]

@@MrPlaylistMan they literally explain in the game that the townspeople know about the horrors of the place. You just didn't pay attention to it lol.

[@MrPlaylistMan]

@@alezio299 the only people in town who seem very aware of the dark presence is those in the cult, rose and the Andersons. the cult was created to keep people away from the lake (which is where the dark presence lives). So wouldn't the dark presence being in the police station put people on even more high alert if they all knew about it considering they know what the dark presence can do.

[@current9300]

Like Tor and Odin, Ahti is also named after a Nordic god, but from Finnish pagan pantheon. God Ahti was god of waters, and Ahti does talk about water and it's powers quite a lot.

[@XcelesteXmagixX]

Isn't Ahti the name of the janitor in the FBC building in Control?

[@current9300]

@@XcelesteXmagixXYes

[@thomasjoychild4962]

@@XcelesteXmagixX It's the same guy/eldritch entity/deity(?) My theory is that he is in fact literally a janitor, cosmically: he's a being that cleans up "messes" like the hiss and dark presence. The FBC are useful allies/agents/tools for this, so the position of FBC director IS in fact that of a janitor's assistant. (Remember, his first interaction with Jesse involved him being certain she'd come to the Oldest House to apply for that job. He also references her assisting him when he gives her quests.)

[@TheOldYoungOne]

I so excited for the upcoming DLC and Control 2, it’s been such a great mystery to unravel and can’t wait to see what is next after all known projects!

[@skytrigger]

Ermagerd yes, a new story explained. Such a nice sight to see the intro again for a new episode. And what's more, it's 2 hours! *deep gasp*

[@severalracoons9315]

Ive re-listened to so many of gaming harry videos because this mans voice is so soothing 😂 I appreciate you bro

[@stitchfan93]

Hope everyone enjoys Alan Wake 2 😊

[@spiritupgrades]

Did you mean everyone?

[@stitchfan93]

@@spiritupgrades ah yes, my apologies! Thanks for letting me know on my error 🙂

[@spiritupgrades]

@@stitchfan93 Wait, what happened to the heart?

[@lolxd244]

@@spiritupgrades when you edited a comment , the heart is removed

[@spiritupgrades]

@@lolxd244 oof

[@SchattenjagerX]

Excellent. The last part of this does exactly what I wanted and adressed all the characters with power calling Wake, Tom. I think you're exactly right. Wake and Scratch isn't actually real. Thomas Zane has written the whole story. One note though, in the video you said you think he wrote it so he's a film maker, that's why Cynthia remembers him as a poet. I'm quite sure it's the other way around. Remember, his first movie was "Tom the poet". This movie is the whole story of "The poet who lost his wife in the lake who then needed to cut out her heart and write them both out of existence." Cynthia was a character in that story, etc. But that also means that Tom must have created the dark presence and the lake and the cabin for the purposes of that movie (story). So then nothing is real, Initiation, Return, the FBC and the events of Control, they are all just stories set in the universe Thomas created in "Tom the poet" and none of it is manifested in "the real world" because there is no lake and dark presence to make the stories come true in the "real world", all those things first appeared in Tom's first movie (the only movie the world ever saw before he disappeard) "Tom the poet". So basically, the way I see it, Remedy has written a story, where a movie maker Thomas Zane wrote a movie plot in the 70's depicting himself as a diver and a poet, in this movie the film maker creates bright falls, the dark presence, the bright presence, the lake, Cynthia the adoring fan, all of it. Alan wake (another embodyment of Thomas, this time a writer, not a poet), Casey, the FBC, all their stories are either stories inside that movie or sequals set in the same universe. The filemaker also wrote himself in again, but this time not as a dive suit wearing poet, but as the film maker he really is. We're basically just in Zane's mind through all these games exploring his creative mind and all it's artistic aspects.

[@christophertriplett1754]

That was absolutely wonderful bro nice vid

[@Mesfizzy]

Thank You so much for this video! Such a comprehensive overview that helped clarify the insane lore of this story this far.

[@GolDDarius]

Just spent 43 hours playing this game and enjoying/hating every second of it. What an amazing experience. Might as well watch a couple more hours lol

[@MrPlaylistMan]

how did you get to 40 hours? 2 playthroughs?

[@lepari9986]

​@MrPlaylistMan probably did the 100%, like getting all the cult stashes, lunch boxes, words etc.

[@coreyjohnson9211]

Always enjoy your breakdown.

[@Pin12113]

Nice, i have been waiting for this 😊

[@Fioreller]

This video is perfect. Exactly what I was looking for to put me back on track after getting completely lost with the game's story. Thanks!

[@d2playz]

Hey Harry, waited so long for this video. Found your channel recently and been loving the content so far ❤. I also watched your investigative video on Alan wake 2 😊

[@Atomy111]

You waited so long? Game came out oct 27th, 8 days isn't really all that long 😂

[@nerfdapo]

@@Atomy111 For me it kinda is. Cos I watched Alan Wake 1 some days earlier and was interested in the franchise

[@chuckdontjudge]

Goddammit harry I had things to do, and you just had to release a full feature film for me to watch immediately! Thanks 😤😮‍💨

[@deereal1145]

I literally have no idea how you do this other than pure GENIUS! Well done bro!

[@fixedG]

Sam Lake is such a fantastic writer and I'm so happy he's chosen video games as his medium.

[@Johnny.H.Rickensien]

I'm glad to see you wearing gloves when handling evidence... 😅 Unlike some FBI people I know

[@609younglion]

You are a complete genius to be able to break this down to a digestible piece of content, especially the last 15 minutes hoollllyyyy😅

[@UndeadAaronGames]

Great video, really impressive you're creating such long content in a world where everyone is trying to make videos shorter. You have a great voice for narration, very well done.

[@DannyIsKing]

Having all the games connected in ways is amazing

[@jr8ball]

Been waiting for this🎉

[@That_Random_British_Dude]

I love how this game isn't just a sequel to Alan Wake, but also Control. Makes the Remedy Connected Universe feel real

[@jmgonzales7701]

next max payne

[@hieumongous2908]

it happens at the same time as the event of Jesse taking over the role as a director I think. As the note suggests that agent Estevez left the Bureau to Bright Falls and the FBC went dark

[@toast1672]

@@hieumongous2908 hope they dont drop the ball on this. There is potential for dozens of (non alan wake) games here. There were many field agents out and about around the world.

[@AFoxInFlames]

Was looking forward to your review! Cheers!❤

[@emmabogaerts8477]

Oh you know I was waiting for this!!

[@DETOUR139]

I’ve been waiting for this since the game released!!!

[@Lead_Foot]

So the musical level and all of the talk show stuff happens because Tor and Odin walked into the lake to enter the Dark Place, and came to an agreement with Mr Door right?

[@jerrydinoballs]

Nice job, you're the only one to put everything together even some of the side lore like the Alex Casey boxes. Top notch. Any clues as to why the doll puzzles?

[@VinnyFromTheBurb]

After an amazing time with Alan wake 2 I decided to play control over again. I’m loving this universe they’re building!

[@Star-et8fo]

Dammit ahti back at it again 😂😂

[@sgstingraym.r.]

This was a really good video. Ive been waiting to watch it until I beat the game. I rolled credits today and after that ending I came straight here to watch this. Such a good game and again great explanation of everything.

[@elinat237]

46:11 absolutely lost it at the PERKELE!!! 😂😂

[@foxmind2490]

This has probably been said, but “Scratch’s” true form looks exactly like an Astral Spike from Control.