Alan Wake 2 Was Influenced By True Detective And Se7en
True Detective and the movie Se7en were major inspirations for Alan Wake 2.
Senior officials at Remedy Entertainment just revealed that Alan Wake 2 draws inspiration from True Detective and several other prominent TV and film releases. The highly-anticipated sequel, which is finally in production, is due for release on October 17, 2023, more than a decade after its original release.
According to VGC, Alan Wake 2‘s co-director Kyle Rowley and principal narrative designer Molly Maloney recently discussed how the game differs from its predecessor, mentioning that, while the first game was compared to Stephen King novels and the Twin Peaks television show, the sequel drew its inspirations from True Detective and Se7en. This differentiates the sequel from its predecessor quite a bit; the first game was a heavy psychological horror game, while the sequel takes on a form of full-fledged survival horror.
This means that the upcoming game will be more focused on narrative-driven exploration with sparse and brief combat encounters. Instead, at the very center of this release is another playable character, Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a murder mystery in Bright Falls. That particular premise of Alan Wake 2 is what was actually influenced by True Detective. Apart from the murder mystery, the game also draws from the “buddy cop” elements of the True Detective show, which balances out with the ritualistic murders depicted within the game.
And while we are fans of psychological horror—you know, the one that keeps you up at night hiding under your covers—we won’t say no to Alan Wake 2, which is quite possibly one of the momentous releases coming to gamers this year. And sure, while it wears its survival horror inspirations like badges of honor, it also draws inspiration for its art style from Fargo and Se7en—all of which will likely make the game more akin to earlier Resident Evil games, or perhaps Silent Hill, which is also getting a remaster.
All of this might sound somewhat disappointing for fans of the original Alan Wake who expected the sequel to follow in the footsteps of the original, but the truth is that the original came out so long ago that the shift towards dual-character gameplay (not to be confused with co-op), and a slight shift in the game’s narrative doesn’t really matter anymore. Most Alan Wake 2 fans are just happy that their favorite gaming franchise is getting a full-blown sequel to the original game, 13 years, and countless petitions signed after its release.
The original Alan Wake was released in 2010 for the iconic Xbox 360, which, unlike its contemporary competitor, still has a very active player base. The game’s popularity and Microsoft’s decision to blend Xbox and PC led to the game being ported to Microsoft Windows, and later to eighth- and ninth-gen consoles in 2021, and Nintendo Switch in 2022. This eliminates the need for an emulator for those who want to experience the original game before Alan Wake 2 pops up on the market in late 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Microsoft Windows.
