Throughout September, IGN First has been exploring the unpredictable worlds of Alan Wake 2 with exclusive previews and interviews. In a recent video and article, Matt Purslow (IGN's News and Features Editor) delved into the process of creating and following dual protagonists within a single story, featuring interviews from two key members of the dev team.
For the piece, IGN interviewed Kyle Rowley (Game Director) and Molly Maloney (Principal Narrative Designer) on how the different worlds bring different emotional responses from the player, how to switch between the stories, and how the two tracks complement each other.
With Saga Anderson, the player can return to Bright Falls, examining the scene with fresh eyes, through the perspective of an experienced FBI profiler. While grounded in "our world", her adventures take on a "weird" and "sinister" turn, filled with exploration and puzzles, and the anticipation of something sinister. For sections of the game, Saga can step away from her environment and into her "Mind Place", allowing her to access her Case Board which pushes her investigation forward.
Alongside, her story is Alan Wake's struggle in his "Realm of Nightmares". Since the original game, the writer has been stalked by malevolent forces, in what Maloney describes as "earned paranoia". His world is always shifting, the experience often on edge. In the fluidic nature of the Dark Place, he can use environmental puzzles to his advantage, changing deadends into routes. As a match to Saga's Mind Place, Alan has his "Writer's Room", featuring his "Plot Board", a chalkboard and a place where he can reshape his reality and move his story onwards.
You can read Matt's full article, HERE!
