Alan Wake 2draws inspiration fromTrue Detective, as well as several other iconic works of film and TV, senior officials at Remedy Entertainment have revealed. Their detailed insights into the survival horror’s development arrived shortly afterAlan Wake 2went up for pre-ordersin late May.
While the 2010 original already leaned quite heavily into psychological horror, its much-anticipated sequel will be a full-fledged survival horror experience focused on narrative-driven exploration with sparse combat encounters. At the center of this genre shift isAlan Wake 2’snew playable character, Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a string of peculiar murders in the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls.
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The murder mystery premise was partially influenced byTrue Detective, according to the game’s principal narrative designer, Molly Maloney. In a recent interview with VGC, Maloney andAlan Wake 2co-director Kyle Rowley revealed that the “slow-burn nature” of the upcoming game was informed by the first season of Nic Pizzolatto’s critically acclaimed drama, which is currently in the joint 24th place on IMDB’s list of the best-rated TV shows of all time. Apart from ritualistic murders,Alan Wake 2also attempts to draw from the “buddy cop” elements ofTrue Detectiveseason one in an effort to strike a compelling balance between the two, much like the show did, according to Rowley.
So, whileAlan Wake 2undoubtedly wears its survival horror inspirations on its sleeve, it would appear that the game might also end up being an interactive homage to one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows ever created. On the visual side of things, the developers used renowned ’90s thrillers like the Coen brothers’Fargoand David Fincher’sSe7enas the chief references for informing the game’s art style. In terms of gameplay and general atmosphere, Rowley said thatAlan Wake 2will also draw fromResident EvilandSilent Hill, much like its predecessor did.
Out of all the inspirations mentioned in this latest developer interview,True Detectiveis the one that already seems to seep through what little footage has been shared from the game. And although Remedy’s next title won’t be as grounded in reality as HBO’s award-winning crime drama, the two share some clear thematic similarities. Finally, there’s also the fact thatAlan Wake 2’sauthor protagonist seems to write himself as an unreliable narrator, thus being evocative of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’sTrue Detectivecharacters.
Alan Wake 2launches October 17 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
