Summary
- The Alan Wake franchise incorporates live-action scenes through televisions, particularly inspired by The Twilight Zone.
- Alan Wake 2 showcases outdated CRT televisions in a 2023 setting, adding a quirky and nostalgic element to the game world.
- The upcoming Night Springs DLC will continue to explore the use of televisions in the franchise.
The Alan Wake franchise takes glee at providing mind-twisting meta-narratives that expand what video game storytelling is capable of. It takes influence from various sources including music, movies, and television shows while still maintaining its own identity. One of the prominent themes of the franchise is television, along with the fictional show Night Springs, which is heavily inspired by The Twilight Zone.
Within the world of Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2, players come across several televisions. Some of them play hilarious adverts while others are tuned to Night Springs. In some cases, Alan enters televisions and finds himself in live action scenes. It's clear that televisions are a recurring motif, but there is something strange about the kinds of televisions that pop up.
Alan Wake 2 and its Outdated Televisions
Throughout Bright Falls and even in the Dark Place, technology seems to have frozen when it comes to televisions. Everywhere players go, there are old CRT monitors and televisions that look like they belong in the 90s. This is quite strange to find in Alan Wake 2 which is set in 2023.
This is the case whether players visit the Valhalla old age home, enter the police station, or try to escape the Dark Place. Once it's been noticed, it's hard not to ask why this is the case, and why there haven't been any upgraded televisions or monitors. This forms one of the many quirky aspects of the world of Alan Wake.
Why Are There So Many Televisions in the Alan Wake Franchise?
Televisions appear so often that it's impossible to chalk it up to coincidence. It is likely that all those televisions are featured due to Remedy Entertainment's love of experimenting with live action. Several times, televisions are portals to live action scenes, whether it's an episode of Night Springs, or a scene featuring Wake. This is also the case in Control where television sets feature skits with the Threshold Kids and Dr. Darling. Control also mentions that modern technology doesn't mix well with the paranatural, but it's unclear if that has any bearing on Alan Wake's TVs.
Possible Reasons for the Outdated Televisions in Alan Wake 2
The in-game reason for the old televisions is likely because Bright Falls is a small town that has been left behind by time. It still clings onto a nostalgic past defined by cozy diners and kitschy decorations. The inhabitants may simply not be interested in upgrading anything, so long as it still works.
On a gameplay level, the CRT televisions are likely nothing more than a stylistic choice. Remedy may not want any ambiguity when it comes to identifying televisions, and it's easier to spot a CRT monitor with its bulky design as opposed to a flatscreen television that could easily be missed. It may also be an intentional choice to just make the Remedy Connected Universe a little quirkier. Either way, it has an aesthetic impact and is impossible not to notice once it's been pointed out.
The Future of Televisions in the Alan Wake franchise
Players will be exposed to more televisions in the upcoming DLC titled Night Springs. Based on the fictional show, it will be presented in an episodic format, and it will feature various characters from Alan Wake 2. It is expected to launch in spring. The prevalence of old school televisions is one of the many mysteries presented by Alan Wake. Whether it's ever explained or not, it does give the franchise a unique aesthetic.
Alan Wake 2
- Released
- October 27, 2023
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?
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
- Franchise
- Alan Wake
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 17 Hours
- Metascore
- 90
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
