It’s not hard to fall in love with Alan Wake 2. Its dark forests, adrenaline-filled fights, and thrilling storylines captured my attention right away and held it without fault for over 20 hours. At times, it felt like I was binge-watching my favorite television show, impossible as it was to put down.
If I had a penny for every time one of Alan Wake 2’s narrative twists made me jump out of my seat and point toward the screen at a mind-bending plot point or explanation, then I’d have enough money to buy the survival horror game all over again. Without wanting to spoil the fun too much, one such instance in which I lost it happened just after the magnificent summoning ritual on the beaches of Bright Fall’s infamous lake. After freeing Wake from the depths of The Dark Place, the loop was fulfilled, and the end of act one, where he strangely appeared on the shore out of nowhere, suddenly made sense. It may not seem like much, but I adore narrative loops, especially when they connect dots that you didn’t know needed connecting.
