Alan Wake studio confirms that more Wake is incoming, won’t be a sequel or DLC

By Adam Rosenberg May 10, 2011

Alan Wake — Image used with permission by copyright holder

There have been two developments on the Alan Wake front that happened in quick succession over the past 24 hours. Yesterday, a LinkedIn resume for CG character animator Althea Suarez Gata revealed that work has been done for Remedy Entertainment on something listed as Alan Wake 2. Then, early this morning, Joystiq delivered a follow-up comment from Remedy’s head of franchise development, Oskari Häkkinen, who wrote to the website in an attempt to address yesterday’s reports.

After expressing his disappointment that the news of more Alan Wake slipped out in this way, without the associated “visuals and information to support it,” Häkkinen made with the news: “Fans of the franchise will be excited to learn that yes, more Wake is coming!” That’s unfortunately roughly the extent of the reveal, but it’s nice to hear confirmation from the source. Häkkinen did share one other little, rather cryptic piece of information, that this “more Wake” he spoke is neither Alan Wake 2 nor is it DLC. Make of that what you will.

If you didn’t play Alan Wake and you have an Xbox 360, go ahead and make the time for it. The gameplay is fun, maybe a little repetitive at times, but the narrative is what sells the package. The game is presented as a Lost-like TV series, complete with discrete episodes/narrative arcs and “Previously On…” bumpers preceding each one. It’s hard to guess what more Wake might entail if it’s not a sequel and it’s not DLC, but knowing there’s more coming is good enough for now.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

How to show all collectibles in Alan Wake 2 with the Mayor Setter Charm

Mayor Setter

There are a lot of collectibles to find in Alan Wake 2, so you're probably wondering if there's a way to show them all on your map. The answer is yes, but only when having the Mayor Setter Charm equipped, which you can't obtain until pretty late in the game by visiting Mayor Setter himself. When that time comes, you may be shocked to find that Mayor Setter is actually a dog. Less shocking, however, is that you'll probably want to pet him.

Luckily, in addition to being a pleasant experience, petting this political canine will accomplish multiple useful things. For starters, you'll earn the trophy or achievement called "The Nice Things in Life," which marks one more thing off your list for 100% completion. But perhaps most importantly, Mayor Setter will bestow upon you the aforementioned Mayor Setter Charm. When wearing this charm in one of your charm slots, you'll be able to spot the locations of basically any collectible on the map, making tracking everything down significantly easier without a guide.
How to get the Mayor Setter Charm and show all collectibles on the map
Mayor Setter will spawn in the game in Return 6 after you've spoken with your colleagues in the police station and selected to continue exploring instead of passing the point of no return. At this point, you can return to your car and drive to Watery to find that Mayor Setter is sitting on the stage inside Suomi Hall where you can interact with him to earn the Mayor Setter Charm, which you can then equip to show all unfound collectibles on the map.

Computing

Alan Wake 2 is proof that more PC games need a potato mode

Alan Wake 2 running on the Samsung Odyssey OELD G9.

Alan Wake 2 is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played -- and it's the frontrunner for the most demanding PC game you can currently run. For as impressive as the game is, from its path-traced reflections to the extensive use of Nvidia tech, it's so demanding that some otherwise-powerful PCs won't be able to post playable frame rates.

It's clear developer Remedy set out to create a certain atmosphere with Alan Wake 2 that can only be captured with photorealistic visuals. That said, Alan Wake 2 is proof that more PC games need to adopt a stripped-back graphics setting, even if that means sacrificing a part of what makes the game special.
What in the world is a potato mode?
A potato mode is something so easy to run that you could run it on a potato -- not literally, of course, but that's the sentiment. It's a kill switch graphics option that will only be used by a small fraction of PCs, but it can help the least powerful (and least expensive) rigs at least run an otherwise demanding PC game.

Gaming

I wish I loved Alan Wake 2’s most creative gameplay feature

Saga doing a deduction in the mind place.

Among all the marketing material and features shown off leading up to Alan Wake 2's release, nothing got me more excited to return to Bright Falls than The Mind Place. More than the focus on survival horror, the mix of live-action and in-game cinematics, or simply getting to conclude a story I began over a decade ago, the idea of a metaphorical space in which I -- or rather FBI agent Saga Anderson -- could visualize and construct the clues I was collecting to piece together the darkly magical mystery presented captivated my imagination most.

What we ended up getting wasn't quite what I hoped for. Created as a clever space where players could piece together the game's driving occult case, the space doesn't leave as much room for smart deduction as I'd hoped. For as much potential for this space had to elevate Alan Wake 2 on both a narrative and gameplay level, it felt like a missed opportunity during my playthrough that only slowed the sequel's strong momentum.
Not quite a True Detective
Creating a detective game where the player is an active participant in solving a mystery sounds like a nightmare to design. On one hand, the designers need to provide all the clues to reach the correct solution, while simultaneously making it neither too obvious nor obscure to solve. Lean too far in either direction and the player will either feel unsatisfied and potentially pandered to, or frustrated and betrayed. It is a task few games attempt, and even fewer manage to pull off.