Warning: Spoilers for Alan Wake 2’s Final Draft ModeRemedy Entertainment’sAlan Wake 2was released this past October, and in the brief time since, it has accumulated numerous accolades, being hailed as Remedy’s biggest success to date. Notably, it was nominated in eight categories at The Game Awards 2023, and took home three: Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and Best Game Direction. The series centers on the titular author battling a supernatural force by manipulating reality via his writing.Alan Wake 2blends survival horror and a complicated meta narrative to great effect, delivering an engaging experience in gameplay and story.
With the mind-bending nature of the tale, fans were given a lot to unpack in the sequel. Less than two months after launch, Remedy provided an update withAlan Wake 2’s Final Draft mode. On top of being a New Game Plus, it contains “additional narrative and a completely new ending.” In Final Draft, various elements and scenes are altered to reflect events revealed in the base plot. It’s one of these in particular, as well as the new ending, that’s of the most interest, as they significantly change the story while leading into the next leg of Remedy’s Connected Universe.
Alan Wake 2’s Final Draft Ending Opens Up the Remedy Connected Universe in a Big Way
The Origins of the Remedy Connected Universe
Though hinted at earlier, theRemedy Connected Universeofficially kicked off in 2020 withControl’sAWEDLC. This was the catalyst for Remedy unveiling its grand plan for the RCU to formally link all its titles together.AWEsaw Alan contacting protagonist Jesse Faden, reaching out from his interdimensional prison, the Dark Place, in his attempts to escape. It was the first time separate games were intimately joined, and would overtly be the case going forward.Alan Wake 2’s Final Draft ending points to what fans might expect in the RCU’s future.
Remedy has long displayed a desire to weave complex narratives in its titles. Led bycreative director and head writer Sam Lake’s vision, the studio’s ambition to shoot for the stars in this area was apparent from the start. Final Draft takes this aspiration to the next level, further strengthening the RCU foundation, and providing an intriguing direction for what might come next.
How Alan Wake 2’s Final Draft Leads Into “Phase 2” of the RCU
A major piece of Final Draft’s new narrative is a message fromControl’s Dr. Casper Darling. Via a television broadcast, he’s shown exploring and studying the Dark Place, recording Alan’s voice echoing through the void. He remarks both excitedly but uneasily that it sounds eerily similar to his own. This heavily implies Darling has been sucked into the world ofAlan Wake, and is now part of its story.
Dr. Darling is played by Matthew Porretta, who also provides Alan Wake’s voice.
The standardending ofAlan Wake 2is a cliffhanger. Though the Dark Presence/Mr. Scratch is halted; Alan along with agents Saga Anderson and Alex Casey still appear trapped in the Dark Place. It’s left unanswered whether Saga’s daughter Logan is unharmed, or if they can escape. Final Draft provides closure by seeing Logan safe and sound, and the three able to leave, having fully vanquished the Dark Presence’s plans and corrected reality.
Referencing the final lines of both games, Alan states that, by overcoming Mr. Scratch’s influence and restoring himself, he is now, “the master of two worlds…no, many worlds.” It seems the studio is gearing up to have Alan act as a guiding figure for future characters. WithControl 2next in line for the RCU, this is an exciting prospect, as fans could see Dr. Darling’s predicament and Alan’s newfound powers incorporated into the upcoming title. There are surely more surprises in store, too, and fans will likely be theorizing about them until Remedy unveils exactly what follows from Final Draft’s setup.
