Summary
- Alan Wake 2 connects directly to Control through in-game documents and the AWE DLC, with Alan Wake guiding Jesse Faden and a future report teasing the sequel.
- The Federal Bureau of Control plays a significant role in Alan Wake 2, with appearances of their technician and their attempt to contain the Dark Presence.
- Both Control and Alan Wake 2 feature an area called the Oceanview, with connections to different dimensions and a shared spiral design, suggesting a deeper connection between the two games.
With a riveting supernatural mystery at its center, some incredibly satisfying god-like powers, and an overall great technical presentation, 2019's Control was already a pretty great game to begin with, but its collectibles laid the foundations for something even bigger and better. Through reading some of Control's in-game documents, players soon discovered that Control was directly connected to the first Alan Wake, and soon after its release, Remedy confirmed its very own connected universe - one that take center stage in Alan Wake 2.
Though the first Alan Wake and Control were technically the first pieces of Remedy's connected universe puzzle, Alan Wake 2 is the first title that's released after the universe's announcement, and as such, fans were expecting some pretty big things going in. Thankfully, Alan Wake 2 not only delivers a stellar story of its own, but does so all while drip-feeding cameos and other big connections to Control and the wider Remedy connected universe.
There are a ton of Control references in Alan Wake 2, including books written by Dr. Casper Darling and other environmental Easter eggs, but these are the most important connections between both games.
How Alan Wake 2 Ties Into Control
The End of Control's DLC Sets Up Alan Wake 2
While players can find in-game documents that detail the events of the first Alan Wake in Control, its connections to the previous Remedy game don't end there. In Control's AWE DLC, both games connect even more directly. Newly anointed director of the Federal Bureau of Control, Jesse Faden, is tasked with clearing the Investigations Sector of any lingering Hiss threats. Along the way, she sees visions of Alan Wake, who seemingly guides her along her journey.
During her mission, Jesse has to hunt down and eliminate Dr. Hartman, a man from Bright Falls who was taken over by the Dark Presence and contained in the FBC headquarters. Once the threat has been eliminated and the sector has been cleared, Jesse is alerted that the FBC has just received a new Altered World Event report from Bright Falls, but it's dated a few years in the future, teasing Alan Wake 2.
The Federal Bureau of Control Makes Some Big Appearances in Alan Wake 2
Being the first game since Remedy's announcement of a connected universe, fans expected the Federal Bureau of Control to appear in at least some capacity in Alan Wake 2, and they may have got even more than they were expecting in the final product. Toward the beginning of the game, an FBC technician is fixing a relay near Cauldron Lake. After things take a turn for the supernatural, this relay starts to emit a loud beacon, presumably reporting an incident back to the FBC. Later on in Alan Wake 2's story, the FBC arrives in full force, attempting to contain the Dark Presence, which they call The Shadow.
Alan Wake 2 and Control Both Have an Oceanview Hotel
Both Control and Alan Wake 2 have an area named the Oceanview. In Control, the Oceanview is a motel, while in Alan Wake 2, it's a hotel, but the two seem pretty closely linked, though their connection hasn't been explicitly stated just yet. In Control, the Oceanview motel is a Place of Power that Jesse uses to travel between different dimensions, with each room's door taking Jesse to a different location. One of these doors allows Jesse to communicate with Alan Wake in Control's AWE DLC, and interestingly enough, it has a spiral on it, just like the doors that lead to the author's writing room in Alan Wake 2. In Alan Wake 2, the Oceanview hotel is a location in the Dark Place where the poet/filmmaker Tom Zane resides, and while with him, Alan even sees a quick glimpse of Jesse Faden on the TV.
Alan Wake 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- October 27, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
- Engine
- Northlight Engine
- Franchise
- Alan Wake
WHERE TO PLAY
A string of ritualistic murders threatens Bright Falls, a small-town community surrounded by Pacific Northwest wilderness. Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases arrives to investigate the murders. Anderson’s case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.
Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare beyond our world, writes a dark story in an attempt to shape the reality around him and escape his prison. With a dark horror hunting him, Wake is trying to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.
Anderson and Wake are two heroes on two desperate journeys in two separate realities, connected at heart in ways neither of them can understand: reflecting each other, echoing each other, and affecting the worlds around them.
Fueled by the horror story, supernatural darkness invades Bright Falls, corrupting the locals and threatening the loved ones of both Anderson and Wake. Light is their weapon—and their safe haven — against the darkness they face. Trapped in a sinister horror story where there are only victims and monsters, can they break out to be the heroes they need to be?
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Metascore
- 90
