This Alan Wake’s American Nightmare walkthrough will guide you through the beginning to ending moments of gameplay with strategy tips for this action-shooter thriller game on the Xbox 360 exclusively.
Featuring a thrilling pulp action-adventure story mode and an all new “Fight till Dawn” arcade mode, American Nightmare will shine a new light on the world of Wake while appealing to fans and newcomers alike.
Please note that viewers must be at least 13 to watch, so no harm comes to those with innocent eyes. This game includes Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence.
Successfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding Avatar Award:
- American Nightmare Hoodie: Purchase the game and Meet Emma in the game.
- Night Springs T-shirt: Unlock the first Nightmare difficulty arcade level.
- Old Gods of Asgard Tour T-shirt: Successfully complete Story mode.
Accomplish the indicated achievement to get the corresponding number of Gamerscore points:
- Escape! (10 points): Escape the Taken to the motel.
- Rewrite (10 points): Rewrite reality for the first time.
- Cool It (20 points): Make sure Dr. Meadows can take another look at the skies.
- Happy Ending (25 points): Rewrite reality for the last time.
- Glorious Dawn (10 points): Survive until dawn in any Arcade Mode level.
- Poetry in Motion (20 points): Get a six-minute survivor streak and over 100,000 points in an Arcade level.
- Enter the Nightmare (10 points): Unlock all of the Nightmare Arcade Mode levels.
- Skill Beats Gun (10 points): Survive an Arcade level using nothing but the flashlight and handheld flares.
- Survivor (30 points): Get 70,000 points in any Nightmare Arcade level.
- Split Splat! (15 points): Take out two Splitter spawns with a single shot.
- One Day I'll Buy a Stapler (20 points): Find all of the manuscript pages.
- Pile 'Em High (20 points): Defeat 2,000 Taken.
ALAN WAKE´S AMERICAN NIGHTMARE ACHIEVEMENTS LIST |
Escape! Reward: 10 Points Objective: Escape the Taken to the motel. Rewrite Reward: 10 Points Objective: Rewrite reality for the first time. Cool It Reward: 20 Points Objective: Make sure Dr. Meadows can take another look at the skies. Happy Ending Reward: 25 Points Objective: Rewrite reality for the last time. Glorious Dawn Reward: 10 Points Objective: Survive until dawn in any Arcade Mode level. Poetry in Motion Reward: 20 Points Objective: Get a six-minute survivor streak and over 100,000 points in an Arcade level. Enter the Nightmare Reward: 10 Points Objective: Unlock all of the Nightmare Arcade Mode levels. Skill Beats Gun Reward: 10 Points Objective: Survive an Arcade level using nothing but the flashlight and handheld flares. Survivor Reward: 30 Points Objective: Get 70,000 points in any Nightmare Arcade level. Split Splat! Reward: 15 Points Objective: Take out two Splitter spawns with a single shot. One Day I’ll Buy a Stapler Reward: 20 Points Objective: Find all of the manuscript pages. Pile 'Em High Reward: 20 Points Objective: Defeat 2,000 Taken. Avatar Awards
Achievements
Complete each achievement to get the allotted gamerscore.
A L A N W A K E ' S
_ __ __ ___ ___ ___ ___ _ _ _
/_\ | \/ | | __| | _ \ |_ _| / __| /_\ | \| |
/ _ \ | |\/| | | _| | / | | | (__ / _ \ | .` |
/_/ \_\ |_| |_| |___| |_|_\ |___| \___| /_/ \_\ |_|\_|
_ _ ___ ___ _ _ _____ __ __ _ ___ ___
| \| | |_ _| / __| | || | |_ _| | \/ | /_\ | _ \ | __|
| .` | | | | (_ | | __ | | | | |\/| | / _ \ | / | _|
|_|\_| |___| \___| |_||_| |_| |_| |_| /_/ \_\ |_|_\ |___|
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A walkthrough authored by snkupo
Document Version 1.0 - March 04, 2012
E-mail: snkupo@gmail.com
FB: facebook.com/snkupo
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- TABLE OF CONTENTS -
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o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| NAVIGATION: Each section has a [code] tied to it in the table of contents. |
| Press CTRL + F to bring up a search box, then type the code of your choice. |
| Now hit ENTER on your keyboard to jump down to the section itself. |
o-----------------------------------------------------------------------------o
BEFORE PLAYING AMERICAN NIGHTMARE
- Forewords.............................................................[ku01]
- Frequently Asked Questions............................................[ku02]
- Controls..............................................................[ku03]
- Gameplay Basics.......................................................[ku04]
STORY MODE WALKTHROUGH
- REST STOP I: THE MECHANIC.............................................[re01]
- Welcome to Arizona................................................[re02]
- Towards the Diner & Motel.........................................[re03]
- Your Very First Weapon Crate......................................[re04]
- Three Items to Rewrite Reality....................................[re05]
- OBSERVATORY I: THE SCIENTIST..........................................[me01]
- Bottom of the Slope...............................................[me02]
- Into the Observatory..............................................[me03]
- DRIVE-IN I: THE CURATOR...............................................[dy01]
- Twisted Girl......................................................[dy02]
- Three Switches of Power!..........................................[dy03]
- To the Projector Building.........................................[dy04]
- REVISITING AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE......................................[fi01]
- A Rest Stop Setback...............................................[fi02]
- Observatory Progress..............................................[fi03]
- Drive-in Relapse..................................................[fi04]
- Rest Stop Resolved................................................[fi05]
- Observatory Completed.............................................[fi06]
- United at the Drive-in, At Last!..................................[fi07]
MISCELLANEOUS
- Achievements..........................................................[mi01]
- Manuscript Page Transcripts...........................................[mi02]
END OF DOCUMENT
- Legal Stuff...........................................................[ka01]
- Greetings and Shoutouts...............................................[ka02]
- Contact Me............................................................[ka03]
- Version History.......................................................[ka04]
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FOREWORDS [ku01]
===============================================================================
Hey! Remedy Entertainment, which despite their limited output is one of the
developers that have impressed me most over the years, has finally finished
their second Alan Wake game. As such, I figured I'd do a guide for it! My line
of thought is kind of simple, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?
Anyhow, the last time I did a guide for a Remedy game was quite a few years
ago -- I wrote a piece for Max Payne 2 on the original Xbox. While Alan Wake
hasn't quite captured me the same way the noir-mixed-with-what-do-you-have
Max Payne games did, the original Alan Wake certainly is among my favorite
games on the Xbox 360. Creative director Sam Lake has still got it, and I
hereby take my hat off for him and the rest of the Remedy team: Thanks for
making some of the best modern videogames out there!
As for this guide itself, the primary focus is to get you through the
storyline of the game, and at the same time show you were to find all the
collectible items. This being the case, you can print it out, follow it from
one end to the other, and end up seeing everything the storyline has to offer,
including conversations, TV shows, radio shows, manuscript pages and
achievements. I suppose what I'm getting at is that this guide leads you to a
the complete American Nightmare experience! Or something like that! I think
I've pretty much said what's on my chest about both the game and the guide
at this point, so enjoy the guide! Happy nightmare, kids!
===============================================================================
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [ku02]
===============================================================================
Q: Does this guide describe where to find ALL the collectibles?
A: Yep!
Q: Can I play the Death Rally cabinet in the drive-in level?
A: It's just there for kicks -- you can't actually play Death Rally.
Q: Is the game available on disc? What about on PC?
A: As of February 2012, it is only available of Xbox Live. A PC version does
not seem unlikely, but remains unannounced as of now.
Q: Is this a direct sequel to Alan Wake?
A: The storyline includes characters from the original game, and while the
plots are somehow connected, you can still play this without knowing
anything about the original game.
Q: I heard the game is rather repetitive.
A: There are 3 levels in the game, each of which has to be played
through 3 times in order to finish the storyline.
Q: Is this DLC for the original Alan Wake game?
A: No. Standalone game.
Q: Any online deathmatch or co-op in this game?
A: No, sir.
Q: What game modes are there?
A: Apart from the main story mode, there is a survival mode called
"Fight Till Dawn". You can spend hours in this mode trying to master
the combat system and beating other people's scores on Xbox Live.
Q: I heard you like cake, snkupo!
A: Sure. I'm no liar! I like them with blueberries on top! :(
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CONTROLS [ku03]
===============================================================================
o----------------------.----------------------------------------------------o
| INPUT | EFFECT |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Left stick | Movement |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Right stick | Camera |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| A | Jump |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| B | Interact / Use / Pick up item. |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Y | Insert new battery into flashlight. |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| X | Reload weapon. Tap button to reload faster. |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| LB | Dodge |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| RB | Use flare / Throw flashbang |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Left trigger | Aim |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Right trigger | Fire |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Start | Access pause menu |
o----------------------'----------------------------------------------------o
===============================================================================
GAMEPLAY BASICS [ku04]
===============================================================================
Alan Wake's American Nightmare is a third-person action game, with a few
specific peculiarities that distinguish it from many other titles in the same
genre. Here's a quick lowdown on how the game plays and how you can master its
mechanics in no time. There are a few subtle elements to this that the game
does not to a great job at explaining, so reading this section of the guide is
highly recommended before playing.
- DEALIN' WITH THE DARKNESS: All enemies in the game are surrounded by a
darkness that has to be removed before you can effectively kill them.
To do this, boost your flashlight (Left Trigger) in their face, then finish
them off using your firearms (Right Trigger). Trying to kill enemies
without first using your flashlight is not very effective. Note that
boosting your flashlight will drain the power out of your batteries.
- BATTERIES: Batteries are found in ammo boxes throughout the game and are
needed in order to boost your flashlight. You can carry up to ten of them
at once. Note that your current battery will recharge when you do not use
the boosting feature, but this takes some time, and depending on the
situation at hand, you might not have time to wait. If your battery is dead
but you need to boost, simply insert a new battery using the Y button.
There are plenty of batteries to be found in American Nightmare, compared
to the more scarce amount in the preceding game.
- NO SHAME IN RUNNING: Although ammo is plentiful compared to the first
Alan Wake game, there will be times when running away is simply less of a
hassle than fighting all your enemies 'til their death. So, if there's a
group of enemies between you and your goal, making a run for it is often
quite effective. Just remember to hold the L button to sprint!
- SAFE SPOTS: Light-bulbs and other sources of light are free spots where
the enemies cannot follow you. Also, by standing in the light, your health
will recharge! Watch out though, as some sources of light will vanish once
they have replenished your health bar. The game itself refers to these
safe spots as Safe Havens.
- DESPERATE TIMES & MEASURES: If there are simply too many enemies to handle
at any point, throw a flashbang or use a flare by hitting the R button.
Flashbangs will explode and might kill some enemies. They are weaker than
in the first Alan Wake game, but still reasonably effective. Flares will
not damage enemies per se, but will prevent enemies from attacking you
for a good amount of time. Depending on whether you HOLD or TAP the R
button, the flares will either be held onto or thrown down on the ground.
- DODGEY KONG: While holding the L button will make Alan Wake run, simply
tapping him makes him dodge. This little move can be very useful to avoid
being hit by nearby enemies. Closely watch the movements of enemies that
are nearby. Once they lift their hand to attack, hit L to dodge. If your
timing is good, the game goes into slow motion for a second or two, letting
you temporarily get away from the bad guys.
- MANUSCRIPT PAGES: These are scattered throughout the story mode, and can
be read to reveal interesting details about the plot. Collecting them all
is entirely optional, but if you like a good read, go for it! The location
of every page can be found in the main walkthrough. Also note that to find
all pages, you have to play through each story mode level three times. You
can check the name of the pages you are missing by pausing the game.
- CRATES: Every level has crates that can be unlocked if you have collected
a certain number of manuscript pages. Once you have collected the required
number of pages, you can replay levels to open the crates.
- ARCADE MULTIPLIER: In Arcade Mode, you have a score multiplier. To make it
go higher, chain up enemy kills and dodge their attacks using the L button.
The dodging is especially important to quickly raise the score multiplier.
To get the achievements related to Arcade Mode, you might have to actively
run up to your enemies for them to attack, then dodge their attacks
multiple times in order to raise that multiplier.
- GAMEPLAY CHANGES: For people who played the first Alan Wake, there have
been some noticeable gameplay changes. These include flashbangs being
weaker in the sense that some enemies might require additional rounds after
being blown away by a flashbang. Also, Alan Wake now has a greater stamina
that makes him able to sprint for a longer time. Furthermore, there is way
more ammunition to find this time around, leading the game to feel more
like an action game than an oh-my-god-get-me-some-bullets experience.
Another change is that enemies will not be damaged by your flashlight at
all, unless you use the boosting function. Finally, the cheesy dialogue
spoken by the Taken in the original game has been removed.
===============================================================================
REST STOP I: THE MECHANIC [re01]
===============================================================================
--- WELCOME TO ARIZONA --------------------------------------------- [re02] ---
Welcome to Story Mode! Start a new game if o------------------------------o
you haven’t already, and watch Alan Wake’s | MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST |
agent from the preceding game sleep in a | |
shoddy motel room. There’s a program on | Alan Wake, The Writer..[ ] |
the TV, and Alan Wake himself seems to | |
appear in it. He’s troubled by a certain o------------------------------o
Mr. Scratch, but does not seem to have any
idea why exactly.
Anyway, once you’re in control of things, grab the Flashlight from near the
lake in front of you, and head to the left. Some darkness will appear and try
to attack you, so destroy it by boosting your flashlight (Left Trigger) and
aiming at the darkness. Once that’s done, press on ‘til you find the 9mm
Pistol waiting for you just there down by your feet.
The first Taken (that’s what we call possessed enemies in the Alan Wake
universe) will attack you, so deal with him by first boosting your flashlight
on him to remove the darkness surrounding him, then finish him off by shooting
your gun (Right Trigger). That’s basically how you handle most enemies in this
game – it’s not all that complicated. First boost your flashlight, then shoot
your gun. Piece of cake. Press on to have a fat Taken attack you. Down him.
The narrator will mention that the man you are controlling used to be a writer
and in a way still is. As you hear this, the first manuscript page aptly named
[ALAN WAKE, THE WRITER] can be found just in front of you. Take it, and run
forwards until you see the motel. The building between you and the motel is a
Diner, which will be a point of interest for us in just a few moments.
--- TOWARDS THE DINER & MOTEL -------------------------------------- [re03] ---
After first sighting the Diner and the o-----------------------------o
Motel, it’s important that you run to the | MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST |
right along the dirt road. When lots of | |
Taken appear in one part of the area, | Hunting Mr. Scratch...[ ] |
continue to the right where you will see | Too Many Legs.........[ ] |
an oil pump. This is in the far right end | |
of the area. By the oil pump, the o-----------------------------o
Manuscript page titled [HUNTING MR. SCRATCH]
awaits you. Take it. Move towards the Diner now, but since it’s
closed you cannot enter. Instead, head behind it to find some Flares (these
are great for keeping the Taken away in situations when you have little
health), and more importantly the [TOO MANY LEGS] Manuscript page. We're
starting to build up quite the collection of pages, aren't we?
The Diner being closed means no steak, which is too bad, but just shake that
thought and keep pressing towards the motel. Once you reach it, you will find
a Safe Haven next to the phone booth. Safe Havens basically heal you and keep
Taken away. Kind of like a free spot, if you’re into kids games - Like I am.
--- YOUR VERY FIRST WEAPON CRATE ----------------------------------- [re04] ---
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| |
| M A N U S C R I P T C H E C K L I S T |
| |
| The Splitter..................[ ] Pages and Instincts............[ ] |
| The Devil is in the Details...[ ] New Reality: The Satellite.....[ ] |
| Rewriting Reality.............[ ] |
| |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
After reaching the Safe Haven, you will find a Weapon Crate on the ground. To
open it, you need 3 Manuscript pages. That’s exactly how many pages we’ve
found this far! Open it to trade your 9mm Pistol for a SMG. Straight ahead
from the SMG crate, you’ll see a radio distinguished by a green flashing
light. Go turn it on to hear the first radio broadcast. The host is talking
about The Old Gods of Asgard, which is the band from the previous game. Seems
they’re making a comeback! There’s quite the Motorhead (or Black Sabbath, if
you will) factor to be sensed here. Anyway, Alan’s agent Barry is also on the
show, since he’s hooked up with the Old Gods now. Finish listening to the
broadcast, then head back for the Safe Haven.
You’ll see a “GAS” sign to your left. Grab the Flare Gun and ammo from the car
parked just under the sign. Look around to find some huge trucks parked in the
vicinity of the GAS sign. Behind them in a ditch, you’ll find [THE SPLITTER]
hidden away, which reveals that 2 years have passed since the events of the
previous game. Take it and go back to the sign.
From here just keep following the asphalt road until you reach a railway
crossing and another Manuscript page [THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS]. There is
no point in following the asphalt road any further, but if you look to the
left of the road, you will see an old railway wagon. Go closer to it to find
another page called [REWRITING REALITY]. Don’t try doing that in your parents’
absence, eh. Except for a crate that cannot be opened yet, we have done enough
searching for collectibles right now, so backtrack to the GAS sign and look
for a blue car with its back facing you.
Behind that car there is a Manuscript page called [PAGES AND INSTINCTS] as
well as a TV with a creepy program running. Turn it on and watch it. Really
sets the mood, I’d say. Also... Am I crazy for liking this? Turn towards the
Motel again after watching the TV, and run towards the lightened area. Take
the ammo from the supply stash hanging on the wall, and enter the garage where
a person seems to be fixing a car. It’s a girlie named Emma, who for some
reason has been holding on to Alan’s [NEW REALITY: THE SATELLITE] page. About
now your "Escape" achievement should also pop, which should be grand for
those who are into collecting Achievements and boosting their Gamerscore.
--- THREE ITEMS TO REWRITE REALITY --------------------------------- [re05] ---
o-----------------------------o Talk to Emma a couple of times to reveal
| MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST | the fact that Mr. Scratch, that guy on the
| | TV, actually pretends to be you, and is
| The Twisted Mirror....[ ] | going around doing a lot of bad stuff in
| | your name. Also, she reveals that you need
o-----------------------------o to find three items (now marked on your
mini-map) in order to rewrite reality.
You might not have noticed, but the mini-map did not appear until now. It will
reveal points of interest, such as manuscript pages once you’re in their
vicinity. What’s more important right now though, are the three parts we need
to rewriting reality. Go to the southwestern edge of the area to the [VALVE].
Three Taken will attack you as you approach it, but with the SMG in hand, that
should be no problem. Just remember to insert a new battery into your
flashlight if you run out. The second item can be found by following the
railway east towards a shack. Try opening the door, and wait for the huge
Taken to break through the door. When it splits into four, quickly deal with
each enemy one by one. Head inside the building for the [CD], some ammo and a
Carbine Rifle. The final item, a [BATTERY] can be found down on the ground
next to the trucks just northwest of the shack. It needs to be recharged
though, so head back to Emma for some advice.
She will recharge the battery for you, and a new marker will appear will
appear on the mini-map! Before heading towards it, you might want to use the
ammo stash outside of the garage to fill up. Once ready, head for that marker
on the map. There are quite a few enemies waiting for you. My suggestion is to
just go ahead with the SMG in one hand and keep the enemies at bay with your
flashlight in the other. There is some ammo scattered around near the marker
too, so pick it up after the enemies are done for.
Once you have cleared them out, hold LS to read the manuscript that explains
the procedure you need to go through: The wheel was in place, the oil was
flowing. The battery was attached, the lights were blinking. The CD was
playing in the boom box. According to that description, first place the valve
and start the oil flow. Next, place the battery and turn on the lights.
Finally, insert the CD into the boom box. As the music starts flowing through
the speakers the "Rewrite" achievement pops, and you get surrounded by flames.
It’s not really dangerous though, so just relax and go back to see Emma. When
you get back to the garage, some Taken have trapped Emma inside. Kill them off
one by one. If they get too close, pull out a flashbang to keep them away
until you have control of the situation. Also, remember that the Safe Haven is
not too far away if you REALLY mess up. Talk to Emma once the Taken have been
wiped out and are no more a bother.
She gives you a Key to the Diner we investigated earlier! This is also a
good time to pick up the Nailgun from the shelf inside Emma’s garage. Run
towards the Diner now, and outside it, prepare to use your flashlight to deal
with some darkness. As always, remember to refill on batteries when you run
out. Open the Diner, and take the Room Keys from the floor. We’re getting
somewhere! The Diner has no other points of interest, so head back for the
Motel. Emma seems to be in trouble, but there is nothing you can do for her at
this point. Instead, unlock the west-most hotel room to find
[THE TWISTED MIRROR] page on a bed. Next, open the door straight across from
the garage to find a corpse and some Observatory Keys. This effectively ends
the first part of Chapter I -- next up is the Observatory! And you get to
drive there in an enormous monster truck!! Just kidding. No driving.
===============================================================================
OBSERVATORY I: THE SCIENTIST [me01]
===============================================================================
--- BOTTOM OF THE SLOPE -------------------------------------------- [me02] ---
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| |
| M A N U S C R I P T C H E C K L I S T |
| |
| Success.......................[ ] Pressure.......................[ ] |
| Fighting the Taken............[ ] The Spiders....................[ ] |
| The Genesis of Mr. Scratch....[ ] |
| |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Open the gate to get out of the parking area and take the [SUCCESS] manuscript
from next to the firetruck. Inside the shack there is a Shotgun and a radio
with the second radio broadcast on the speakers. This continues the Old Gods
subplot. I really do recommend listening through these programs, as they are
no less than brilliantly hilarious. With that out of the way, head outside and
follow the road west to another parking spot. Three Taken will attack. Deal
with them and take the [FIGHTING THE TAKEN] from the parking spot. There is
also a load of ammo right next to the page.
Now, back at the shack with the radio in it, follow the road east instead.
You’ll find a Deliveries building where three new Taken will spawn. There’s a
page here as well: [THE GENESIS OF MR. SCRATCH]. In addition to the page, this
is where you will find the Weapon Crate containing the Hunting Rifle. Costs 15
pages to open it. Next to the Deliveries building there’s a set of stairs
leading up to the main observatory. Head up to find [PRESSURE] on the ground.
Just east of the observatory there is also a huge container with another page
hidden away behind it: [THE SPIDERS].
If you need ammo there is plenty to find outside the Observatory. Stock up,
and use the terminal outside the main entrance. A lady inside is not too
thrilled to let you inside, but before you get to explain yourself, a group of
Taken spawn behind you. Wipe them out as you always do, then wait for Mrs.
Stuck (also known as Dr. Meadows!) up to let you inside.
--- INTO THE OBSERVATORY ------------------------------------------- [me03] ---
Turn on the TV hanging on the wall near the entrance to see Mr. Scratch’s
latest escapade in another broadcast. Head up the stairs and wait for Meadows
to send the lift down to you. Take it one level up and speak to the good
Doctor. She wants you to go find an imaging array. Don’t ask me why. Anyway,
you will find the Array in Meadows’ car. Just follow the marker on your map
back outside to find her car. When you have the array in your hands, some
spiders will spawn, but rather than wasting ammo, you can just run past them
and back to the Observatory.
Get onto the platform in the middle of the observatory and install the array
(who are you, Gordon Freeman?) when the Doctor tells you to. Unfortunately,
the whole thing starts overheating, leaving you with the task of releasing
some coolant valves. There are three valves. The first one is located just
outside the main entrance to the Observatory. The next one is outside of the
building where Meadows’ car is parked. And the final one is, well, in the
parking area in the western end of the area. Once all three have been
activated, prepare your flashlight to take care of another Poltergeist.
Afterwards, go back to Meadows to find the Observatory infiltrated by Taken.
You will have to clear them all out. Make sure you throw a flashbang at the
first group of Taken to make the whole thing easier, them just clear the rest
out with your flashlight and guns. Take the ammo next to the lift, then go
upstairs to see the Doctor again. Pick up the Printout next to her to
trigger another cutscene and leads way to the next chapter – a Drive-in
Theater akin to the atmosphere-setting ones in Fallout: New Vegas. In one
word: Brilliant! Seems like you can't go wrong if you include both Drive-in
Theaters and Satellites in your videogame.
===============================================================================
DRIVE-IN I: THE CURATOR [dy01]
===============================================================================
--- TWISTED GIRL --------------------------------------------------- [dy02] ---
From the beginning of the level, turn o-----------------------------o
around and follow the road backwards ’til | MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST |
you find [THE GRENADIER]. Quite an | |
interesting read, as it explains why the | The Grenadier.........[ ] |
Taken seldom use firearms. Look at the | Bright Falls..........[ ] |
map, and you’ll see a building marked by a | A Car in Flight.......[ ] |
star. Before entering this building, | What Really Matters...[ ] |
check on its left for another page called | Alice.................[ ] |
[BRIGHT FALLS]. Head inside now, and you | |
will be introduced to a girl with a wee o-----------------------------o
bit of dust on her brain.
Finish chatting with the gal, then continue into the next room for some ammo
and a radio with a broadcast. Also make sure you don’t miss the Keys hanging
on the wall next to the radio.
Bring the keys with you and go north from the house. Kill the Taken that
appears behind a car and just ignore the Sawed-off Shotgun Weapon Case, as it
costs 30 pages to open. Keep going northwest from the Weapon Case and you will
stumble upon [A CAR IN FLIGHT] ontop of some rocks. Go towards the mark on
your map, and you’ll see Mr. Scratch appear. Take out the Taken he spawns in
the parking area, then go to the yellow car in the western end to find the
[WHAT REALLY MATTERS] page in the trunk. Now, from the yellow car you will see
a Safe Haven nearby. Next to it, you’ll find a shack with a television show
ready for viewing pleasure. Nice dancing moves, Mr. Scratch!
After watching the TV, continue down the stairs westwards towards the mark on
your map. You’ll run into the Assault Rifle Weapon Crate, but you can’t open
it yet, so keep on going westwards and open the gate. Run to the other side of
the building past the gate, and fight off the Taken. Remember that you can
dodge Taken from behind by using the L button. Anyway, there is a Safe Haven
here on the other side of the building, and on the ground in the haven you
will find [ALICE]. American McGee isn't the author of this one, though.
--- THREE SWITCHES OF POWER! --------------------------------------- [dy03] ---
Go inside the building now, and you will find three switches. Activate only
the LEFT and RIGHT switch, and leave the middle one alone. This will turn
power back on, and Taken will come trying to eat your brains. Equip the
Shotgun to make short work of them. Now, as you can see there’s a lot of
electric waves. Watch them closely and time your movements until you are
safely outside again. Might be a good idea to heal up at the Safe Haven if you
took damage inside the building.
Work your way towards the gate you came from (on the other side of the
building with the switches inside), and you’ll meet Mr. Scratch again, just
outside of that gate. Kill his Taken servants and just run all the way back to
the nasty girl in the guard building at the beginning of the level. If the
Taken are too hard to handle with the gun, just throw a flashbang at them.
Switch on the lights inside the building to make the girl turn back to normal.
Too bad. Was starting to like her. Or not.
--- TO THE PROJECTOR BUILDING -------------------------------------- [dy04] ---
Anyway, she explains that her name is Selena, and that you need to get to a
projector building. Stock up on ammo in the guard house, then head off for the
Projector marked on your map. When you get there you have to destroy three
fountains, and of course, the Taken are guarding them. Ignore the Taken unless
they get too close, and just flashlight those fountains to Hell and back. Once
they are gone, the Taken will vanish, too. Now enter the Projector Building.
Strangely, Alan already seems to know the keycode needed for opening the door.
Seems like Remedy had to cut out something, doesn’t it? Anyway, inside the
building, it’s time for more puzzle activities. On a sidenote, there's an
arcade cabinet of Death Rally in here that you can turn on. Guess who
developed that game back in the day. Remedy. Hold LS to reveal the text “it
was late at night, summer was almost over”. So, accordingly, alter things in
the following way to end the chapter:
- CALENDAR: August
- TIME: 2:36
We've visited all the areas of the Story Mode in Alan Wake's American
Nightmare now, but that does not mean the game as such is over. In fact, we're
going to have to go through the areas 2 more times each, since Mr. Scratch
has... wait for it.... TURNED TIME BACK on you! Evil! Yes! So, let's get on
with it and collect some more Manuscripts and open those Weapon Crates you've
had to leave behind earlier.
===============================================================================
REVISITING AN AMERICAN NIGHTMARE [fi01]
===============================================================================
--- A REST STOP SETBACK -------------------------------------------- [fi02] ---
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| |
| M A N U S C R I P T C H E C K L I S T |
| |
| The Spectre...................[ ] Night Spring #2................[ ] |
| Appearance of Mr. Scratch.....[ ] My Best Friend.................[ ] |
| Emma Sloan....................[ ] Wake's Friends.................[ ] |
| Night Springs #1..............[ ] |
| |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Here we are again! At the beginning you will now find [THE SPECTRE] instead of
the flashlight. Take the Flashgun from the ground, and just head west like you
did last time you were here. When you reach the main area, there are some
birds. Ignore them and run right to find [THE APPEARANCE OF MR. SCRATCH]. If
the birds get too close, shoot the Taken that will spawn, but generally, just
run as fast as you can towards the Diner. Now you will find [EMMA SLOAN] right
outside it. This is also an interesting read, as it explains Emma’s situation.
Head over to the motel, turn on the radio for another broadcast before
going into the garage to see Emma. She’s got most of the parts this time, but
you still need to find the Battery. Exit the garage and go towards the TV to
find an old bus to find [NIGHT SPRINGS, THE CULT TV SHOW] plastered onto it.
Watch the TV show, the creepiest one yet. On a fence southwest of
the TV, a manuscript page named [NIGHT SPRINGS, ARIZONA] is waiting for you.
Follow the railway west into a tunnel, where the Battery is located. Once you
pick it up, flashlight the spiders to death, then run back to Emma for her to
charge it. Once charged, head towards the oilfield, but stop by the
greenish/yellow building for some ammo and the [MY BEST FRIEND] manuscript.
Use a couple of flashbangs to deal with the Taken up by the oilfield, then
activate the CD, the Battery and the Valve just like last time. Head back to
Emma after the Destruction has been escaped, and throw flashbangs at the
enemies outside of the garage.
Talk to Emma to get the Motel Key again. Using the key, unlock all the Motel
Rooms, but make sure to unlock the one with the dead man last. Inside the
east-most room you will find [WAKE’S FRIENDS]. In the final room, take the key
to the Observatory to finish the level.
--- OBSERVATORY PROGRESS ------------------------------------------- [fi03] ---
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| |
| M A N U S C R I P T C H E C K L I S T |
| |
| Dr. Meadows...................[ ] The Nature of Stories..........[ ] |
| Lost in the Dark Place........[ ] Cosmological Truths............[ ] |
| The Taken.....................[ ] The Darkness...................[ ] |
| |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Here we are, back for our second run through the Observatory level. This run
will be pretty quick, since we don't have to go back and forth between the
Observatory itself and the outside area so much. First, head into the shack
next to the starting area for a radio broadcast. Also make sure to grab all
the ammo from the same shack. Now, across from the shack is a square-formed
area with some huge tanks and a ammo box in it. In the middle of this area,
behind the middle tank, is the [DR. MEADOWS] manuscript. From here, head north
to the building with a parking space next to it, and grab the [LOST IN THE
DARK PLACE] Manuscript just east of said building.
The next Manuscript can be found up on the hill next to the Combat Shotgun
Weapon Crate. It's called [THE TAKEN]. Turn around to the truck filled with
ammo to get the next Manuscript: [THE NATURE OF STORIES]. From here just
follow the mark on your map towards the Array. You'll end up at a building to
the next of which you will find the now openable Hunting Rifle Weapon Crate
that costs 15 pages to open, and the [COSMOLOGICAL TRUTHS] Manuscript. After
getting those two items, grab the Array from behind the building itself, in
the Doc's car. Also don't miss [THE DARKNESS], a manuscript page found on the
other side of said car, in a hole in the fence.
We have everything we need for now, so head back up to the Observatory. Just
run and dodge the birds that start chasing you, and turn on the television
once you are inside the Observatory. The fifth TV show is yours to watch. Once
done, install the Array to fix the telescope. The next step is fixing a
cooling valve, which is down at the beginning of the level again, next to
those huge tanks mentioned earlier. Go there, but be prepared with some flares
or flashbangs, since it's crawling with Taken down here. Once the valve has
been activated, watch a car get thrown into the air. Now you need to make your
way back to the Doctor, but watch out, as some stones will fall from the hill
above you. Just stay away from the mountain wall, and run as fast as you can
back up to the top. There really is no need to fight off all the flying items
and Taken. Just use your speed, and use the lift to go see Meadows again. Talk
to the Doctor, then pick up the Printout to end the level again.
--- DRIVE-IN RELAPSE ----------------------------------------------- [fi04] ---
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| |
| M A N U S C R I P T C H E C K L I S T |
| |
| The Dangers of Creating.......[ ] Survival in the Dark Place.....[ ] |
| Equilibrium...................[ ] The Plan.......................[ ] |
| The Doppelganger..............[ ] Mr. Scratch's Trap.............[ ] |
| Serena Valdivia...............[ ] |
| |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
Head over to the Guard House where Serena is waiting, but before you go
inside, take [THE DANGERS OF CREATING] from the ground just outside. Talk to
Serena, grab the Keys from the Guard House, and listen to the radio broadcast
then leave and go as far north from the Guard House as possible. This will
reveal a building next to a tree. On the tree you will find a Crossbow, and
next to it, [EQUILIBRIUM]. Head west towards the mark on your map to reach the
parking area. Outrun the birds, and pick up [THE DOPPELGANGER] on your way.
Run for the Safe Haven next to the stairs, and watch the TV show before
heading down towards the building with the three switches. Between the stairs
and the building with the three switches, you can now unlock a Weapon Crate to
get the Assault Rifle. Do it!
Now keep on moving, unlock the gate, and go inside the building with the
switches. This is where you will find [SERENA VALDIVIA]. Does that sound like
an Adult Movie Actress's name, or is that just me? Anyway, activate the
middle switch, flash the spiders to death, and escape the building. On your
way back, you will run into [SURVIVAL IN THE DARK PLACE] ontop of a table.
Head over to the Projector Building, flash the statues to death before the
Taken get to you, then run straight southwest from the building to find
the manuscript page [THE PLAN]. Even farther southewest (same direction),
there is an old shack with [MR. SCRATCH'S TRAP] inside. Grab it!
Afterwards, enter the projector building. The puzzle has been extended, so
make sure everything is altered to this state:
- CALENDAR: August
- TIME: 2:36
- POSTER: A Gift of Thorns
- LAMP: Illuminates the Fire Extinguisher
Done! Except for the fact that we need to run through the entire thing -- all
three levels -- once more! I bet your dying with joy right now! Right?
--- REST STOP RESOLVED --------------------------------------------- [fi05] ---
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
| |
| M A N U S C R I P T C H E C K L I S T |
| |
| Old Gods of Asgard............[ ] The Giant......................[ ] |
| Barry and the Old Gods........[ ] Emma and Mr. Scratch...........[ ] |
| |
o---------------------------------------------------------------------------o
A King Hillbilly carrying a chainsaw will spawn near the entrance! Take him
down using 10 or so headshots, and take the manuscript he leaves behind. It's
titled [OLD GODS OF ASGARD]! Head to the main area to find the oilfield
"puzzle" spawn at your feet this time around. Before you do that puzzle
though, you might want to follow the dirt road northwest towards the gate,
since that gate is where you will find [BARRY AND THE OLD GODS]. Now go back,
Activate the valve, CD player and Battery to continue. Escape the destruction
once things blow up, and run towards the motel.
Turn on the radio there to hear another radio show, then look behind the
radio, ontop of the stair to find [THE GIANT]. Turn on the TV to see another
show, then look just right of the TV for the Manuscript
[EMMA AND MR. SCRATCH]. Go to Emma in the garage. After the conversation
where she talks about the fuse box, go in front of the motel. Just below the
"Desert Shore Motel" sign, the manuscript page [OLD GODS IN THE STUDIO] can be
unearthed! I mean... found. Now go to the fuse box, take down the Taken there,
and return to Emma after fixing it. Talk to her, then end the level by opening
the motel room where the corpse, as usual, can be found in all its misery.
--- OBSERVATORY COMPLETED ------------------------------------------ [fi06] ---
o-----------------------------o
There is an interview with Alan's wife on | MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST |
the radio in the shack next to the | |
entrance, so make sure you listen. | Everything is as......[ ] |
Activate the switch next to the tanks as | Dr. Meadows and.......[ ] |
usual, then start running up the hill. | |
o-----------------------------o
A King Hillbilly will spawn, then the page
[EVERYTHING IS AS REAL AS EVERYTHING ELSE] will be on the ground just
behind him. If you're quick, you can grab this page, then run to the top of
the hill without even fighting him. On the top of the hill, you can now
unlock the Weapon Crate to get the Combat Shotgun. This Shotgun makes the
"Split Splat" achievement really easy to get. Just wait for some splitting
enemies to attack you, then shoot away at them until you have killed two of
them with one shot. Before entering the Observatory, follow the asphalt road
down the hill on the opposite side.
You will find [DR. MEADOWS AND MR. SCRATCH] down here. With this page found,
it's time to re-enter the Observatory and turn on the TV in there in order to
see the wonderful new broadcast. Head upstairs and prepare for battle!
You will have to survive and kill enemies until the Doctor contacts you
through the speakers. Just remember to use flares and flashbangs, and the
fight should be a piece of pie. Also remember that there is an ammo box next
to the lift. When you are done, head upstairs, speak to the Doctor, and grab
the printout as usual, to finish the level off.
--- UNITED AT THE DRIVE-IN, AT LAST! ------------------------------- [fi07] ---
Near the beginning a King Hillbilly will o-----------------------------o
spawn, so make sure to be prepared for | MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST |
that. There is some ammo to be found just | |
next to where he spawns, so load up on | Serena and Mr.........[ ] |
that once he is down. Make your way into | Focusing the Beam.....[ ] |
the building with the three switches, and | Alice's Film..........[ ] |
this time activate the right one only. | The Clothes...........[ ] |
Make your way outside past the electric | |
beams again, and take out the enemies o-----------------------------o
waiting for you, one by one. If you need
healing, use the safe haven just outside of the building.
Start making your way towards the mark on your map. Mr. Scratch will
eventually stop you and spawn two King Hillbillies. Rather than fighting them,
lure them towards you, then quickly just run past them. Follow the path you're
on, and ignore the stairs when you see them. At the end of the path you will
find [SERENA AND MR. SCRATCH]. Read it, then go back to the stairs. Head
upstairs this time, and watch Mr. Scratch appear ontop of the Projector House.
Stop by the shack with the TV, where you can find [FOCUSING THE BEAM] as well
as the final TV show. Now, rather than going to take the fountains out like
the game suggests, head back towards the Guard House. On the hill just north
of the Guard House [ALICE'S FILM] can be found, and just below this hill next
to a yellow car, the Sawed Off shotgun can be found in a Weapon Crate. You've
seen it earlier, but now you're actually able to unlock it since you have way
more than the 30 required manuscripts.
Now, go back to the very beginning of the level where you started out the
first 2 times you came here. It's just north of the guardhouse. This is where
you will find [THE CLOTHES]. They explain why Alan wears the redneck clothing
he wears in this game. Now go into the Guard House and switch on the lights to
speak to Serena. Also, listen to the final radio show, and shed some tears
since it's the last one in the game game. Afterwards, go flash those fountains
to bits. As always, focus on the statues rather than the Taken. With the
fountains down, enter the building and alter things to reflect the following:
- CALENDAR: August
- POSTER: A Gift of Thorns
- LAMP: Turned towards Fire Extinguisher
- TIME: 2:36
- FILM REEL: In the Projector
Watch the live action ending and congratulate yourself for having completed
Alan Wake's American Nightmare and popping that "Happy Ending" achievement!
Man, I love those cut-scenes! And that's all! Hope you had as great a time as
I did! Bye now!
===============================================================================
ACHIEVEMENTS [mi01]
===============================================================================
Like pretty much all games on Xbox Live Arcade, American Nightmare comes with
a bunch of achievements, for a total of 200 Gamerscore points. Here's a list
of them all, along with strategies explaining how to earn them. Happy hunting!
o----------------------.----------------------------------------------------o
| ACHIEVEMENT NAME | HOW TO EARN |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Escape! | This one is impossible to miss, and will unlock |
| | during your first playthrough of the Rest Stop |
| | level. It will pop once you've entered the |
| | Motel area (10G). |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Rewrite | Will unlock as part of the first Rest Stop |
| | playthrough. Pops once you have finished the |
| | CD/Battery/Valve puzzle (10G). |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Cool It | This one will unlock during the second |
| | playthrough of the Observatory level. Like the |
| | preceding achievements, it is impossible to |
| | miss (20G). |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Happy Ending | This achievement unlocks as you finish the |
| | storyline. This means playing through every |
| | level for a total of three times (25G). |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Glorious Dawn | To get this achievement, play Arcade Mode and |
| | survive until dawn breaks on any of the |
| | levels. Just keep your cool -- simply |
| | surviving should be quite easy for anyone who |
| | has played the game before, and can easily be |
| | done without unlocking any weapons at all (10G). |
| | |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Poetry in Motion | This achievement requires you to score 100,000 |
| | points and survive for six minutes on any arcade |
| | mode level. One of the easiest (still hard!) |
| | ways to do it, is on the Cemetery level. |
| | |
| | - Get the flare from your front right |
| | |
| | - Run around the map, collecting all flares |
| | and flashbangs. |
| | |
| | - You will be followed by the first wave of |
| | two Taken. While running, dodge their |
| | attacks instead of shooting them. This will |
| | raise your multiplier. |
| | |
| | - While running, make sure to also grab the |
| | revolver. It's left of the starting point. |
| | |
| | - Once you have used the first two taken to |
| | boost your multiplier up 'til 6x, kill them |
| | and wait for the remaining waves of Taken. |
| | |
| | - Kill them using the revolver. If you get |
| | surrounded, just use a flare of flashbang. |
| | You should have plenty from collecting them all.|
| | |
| | - If you can keep this up without losing your |
| | multiplier, you should have around 110,000 by |
| | the time dawn breaks (250). |
| | |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Pile 'em High | Kill 2,000 Taken. Kills in both Story and |
| | Arcade Mode count here. It will most likely |
| | unlock after you have completed the entire |
| | storyline, while you are working your way |
| | towards unlocking all the Arcade levels. For me |
| | personally, it unlocked on my second-to last |
| | arcade level, while playing to unlock the very |
| | last one (20G). |
| | |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Split Splat | On the Observatory level you will come across |
| | enemies that split into two parts when shot. |
| | On the same level you will also find a crate |
| | (just next to the observatory building itself) |
| | containing a Combat Shotgun. Use it to shoot |
| | at a pair of split enemies to kill them both |
| | off at the same time. The Combat Shotgun has |
| | enough of a spreading effect for this to happen |
| | within a few tries (15G). |
| | |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Skill Beats Gun | Survive and Arcade level without using guns |
| | and flashbangs. This one is not too hard. Just |
| | load up a level. Do not kill any enemies. |
| | Instead, just keep on running in front of the |
| | first wave of Taken (there are 2 of them), and |
| | make sure to time your dodges so that you can |
| | avoid their attacks. Not being hit is actually |
| | not as hard as you might think before actually |
| | watching their moves and trying this for your |
| | self. Simply press L to dodge once you see |
| | one of the Taken raise their arm to attack (10G). |
| | |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| One Day I'll Buy | Find all of the manuscript pages. The main |
| A Stapler | walkthrough contains the location of every |
| | single page. To search for one specific page |
| | that you have the name of, simple use your |
| | web browser's search function, usually CTRL + F. |
| | (20G). |
| | |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Enter the Nightmare | Unlock all Arcade Levels by scoring 27 stars. |
| | To earn stars, score points in Arcade Mode (10G). |
| | |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Survivor | Score 70,000 on any Nightmare difficulty Arcade |
| | level. This is likely the hardest achievement in |
| | the game. I pulled it off in the Ghost Town by |
| | following this procedure: |
| | |
| | - Go get the Assault Rifle left of where you |
| | start out. |
| | |
| | - Run around the map in a big circle and |
| | collect all flashbangs/flares you can find. |
| | |
| | - Now, in the center of the map, go get some |
| | ammo from the red ammo box on the wall. |
| | |
| | - Now that you are stocked up, go camp on |
| | top of the stairs west of the ammo box. The |
| | Taken cannot come at you from behind if you |
| | camp on the stairs, making the whole thing |
| | way easier than it usually is. |
| | |
| | - When you run out of ammo, go back to the |
| | red ammo box, fill up on ammo, then return |
| | to the stairs. Keep on doing this until time |
| | runs out. If you can keep your multiplier |
| | between 5 and 9 for most of the match, you |
| | should reach higher than 70,000 (30G). |
| | |
o----------------------'----------------------------------------------------o
===============================================================================
MANUSCRIPT PAGE TRANSCRIPTS [mi02]
===============================================================================
This section contains transcripts of all the manuscript pages scattered
throughout the game. I decided to include them in this guide for archival
purposes, as they together make up quite a large part of the Alan Wake
storyline continuity. As such, this section will not explain WHERE to find the
pages -- it focuses on the actual content of the manuscripts. If you're
looking to find the actual pages in game, use the main walkthrough.
Alternatively, you can use your browsers search function (CTRL + F) and type
in the name of the page(s) you're looking for.
--- REST STOP MANUSCRIPTS -----------------------------------------------------
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| ALAN WAKE, THE WRITER |
| |
| My name is Alan Wake, and I'm a writer. |
| |
| I did not become one overnight. Like most writers, I struggled with |
| it -- a short story here, an article there. Then i got lucky and spent |
| a year as a staff writer on the Night Springs TV show. |
| |
| It wasn't the great American novel of my fantasies, but it taught me |
| dicipline and craft, and the difference between wanting to be a |
| writer and actually writing. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| HUNTING MR. SCRATCH |
| |
| Mr. Scratch is a twisted copy of me, powerful and dangerous, but I |
| know I can fight him. I don't think anybody else can. They don't |
| understand what he represents, or that all the horrible things he does |
| here are almost insignificant compared to what he will unleash on |
| Earth, given the chance. |
| |
| But I have survived the Dark Place, and it has taught me things -- how |
| to cope, how to stay sane when the world goes crazy. He's two steps |
| ahead of me, but I can find him. And I believe I can stop him. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| REWRITING REALITY |
| |
| The reality we take for granted is softer, more adaptable than we |
| think. Under correct conditions, you can reshape it, turn it into |
| almost anything you want. when it happens, almost nobody notices. It's |
| not that we forget; its's that after the change, there's nothing to |
| remember. |
| |
| Only those who have been directly touched by the powers that can shift |
| reality are aware of the changes. Many are driven mad by it. Others |
| can cope. I am one of those people, and I know to wield that power |
| to rewrite reality. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS |
| |
| To change reality, you nudge it into the right direction. Your version |
| of it is there, waiting; it wants to come true. All you need to do is |
| to help it achieve its potential. The devil is in the deatails. |
| |
| You change the details of the scene to match those on the page. If you |
| get the details right, if you achieve that critical mass, the shift |
| will come, and the rest of your new reality overrides the existing |
| paradigm. |
| |
| The lie, no matter how outrageous, is now the truth. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE SPLITTER |
| |
| Some of the Taken aren't protected by the darkness like their |
| comrades. Instead, their aversion to light is so extreme that they |
| literally split into two when they encounter strong light. It leaves |
| the two halves weaker, but of course there's strength in numbers. |
| |
| It's a disturbing development: Dark Presence I faced two years ago |
| was powerful, but it didn't have much in the way of imagination. |
| Clearly, the same cannot be said of Mr. Scratch. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| TOO MANY LEGS |
| |
| The strands of webbing glistened in the beam of my flashlight, fine, |
| almost ethereal. They were fresh, and right in my path. |
| |
| I held my breath and waited, ears straining. Nothing. I moved on, |
| concentrating on the task at hand. Just get what I was looking for, |
| then leave, that's all, I kept telling myself. |
| |
| For a moment, I actually thought it might be as simple that. Then I |
| heard too many legs skittering across the ground. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE TWISTED MIRROR |
| |
| My own face peered back at me from the TV screen. For a moment, I |
| struggled with the sensation of deja vu -- how many times had I seen |
| myself like this now? |
| |
| And then there was that easy grin that never seemed quite as quick or |
| natural on my own lips, the dark, malicious twinkle in the eyes, and I |
| knew who I was looking at. |
| |
| As he pulled back and reavealed the room behind him, my throat went |
| dry. There was nothing I could do but watch. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| NEW REALITY: THE SATELLITE |
| |
| At the oil derrick the wheel had been jammed in the place and turned |
| untill the oil gurgled and flowed, thick and flammable. The warning |
| lights were blinking in a fast rhythm, bright and steady, powered by |
| the battery. The Kasabian CD was playing in the boom box, all |
| distorted guitars and intense beat. |
| |
| High above, some piece of orbital junk or another collided with the |
| satellite, knocking it radically off course. Trailing debris, it |
| screamed down from the skies at an impossibly steep angle, all that |
| high-tech-engineering reduced to nothing more than a bullet that would |
| destroy whatever it hit. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE APPEARANCE OF MR. SCRATCH |
| |
| I'm trapped in the darkness. HE has started appearing to me. Mr. |
| Scratch. |
| |
| He can travel back into the world effortlessly, and he loves to rub my |
| face in it. At first, he was just an echo in the darkness, a flicker |
| beyond the edge of my vision. Now he's started showing himself, |
| getting bolder all the time. Telling me what a great time he's having |
| in the world while I'm stuck here. And what he plans to do, especially |
| to Alice. |
| |
| All the moves I have left are dangerous and desperate. I have no |
| choice. I have to hunt him. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| PAGES AND INSTINCTS |
| |
| I know that when I arrive, the clarity of vision I have now may |
| disappear. I have made my plans. I have prepared for this. But I know |
| the transition from the Dark Place will be hard on me -- and not just |
| physically. It may affect my mind, my memory. |
| |
| These pages should help me remember and focus. That's worked for me |
| before. Even if that fails, I think I will be able to trust my |
| instincts. |
| |
| I'm navigating my own story. I'm hoping I'll know where to go and what |
| to do, even if the details elude me. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| MY BEST FRIEND |
| |
| I don't make friends easily -- I know plenty of people, but I don't |
| let most of them close. I've known Barry wheeler ever since we were |
| little boys. We had the time of our lives. I'd get us in trouble, and |
| he'd talk us out of it. |
| |
| Things haven't changed that much now that we're grown-ups. He's the |
| most loyal and dependable person I've ever met -- in all the things |
| that count, anyway. |
| |
| You could call him a weasel, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong; you |
| could call him a clown, and i would reluctantly agree. But he has |
| never let me down. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| WAKE'S FRIENDS |
| |
| Alice and Barry -- my wife and my best friend -- are easily the two |
| most important people in my life, and they've never really gotten |
| along with each other. I suppose both of them resent the other's |
| intrusions into what they consider their domain. |
| |
| After I was gone, they maintained an uneasy truce -- my books stayed |
| in print, still selling, the licensing machine churned away. she was |
| my wife and controlled the intellectual property: he was my agent and |
| took care of the business. |
| |
| I wish they'd found more common ground than that. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| NIGHT SPRINGS, THE CULT TV SHOW |
| |
| Night Springs doesn't exist. It's a fictional town from the TV show I |
| used to work on. It was Anyplace, USA, a place we used as a backdrop |
| for whatever strange story we had that week. |
| |
| One of the stories I wrote for the show involved a man, "the champion |
| of light," fighting his evil double, "the herald of darkness". It ws |
| something I'd written back in the real world -- something I had a |
| lingk to, a framework I could build on. |
| |
| I adapted it into a new story -- This story. |
| |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| NIGHT SPRINGS, ARIZONA |
| |
| Now Night Springs is in Arizona, although not for long. It's in |
| Arizona because whatever the town that has become Night Springs is |
| really called is located near one of the thin, worn places in the |
| world -- where dreams and reality flow together and life is always a |
| little strange. Aperfect analogy for Night Springs. |
| |
| I can't return to the real world. I've tried. But I'm operating on |
| dream logic, forcing the door open a crack so I can slip through. I |
| can enter the strange little town of Night Springs. |
| |
| All I did was put it in Arizona for one night. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE SPECTRE |
| |
| In Bright Falls, I was constantly under attack by birds that were more |
| shadow than flesh and feathers, but this is an evolution: some of the |
| Taken are actually capable of turning into a flock of birds to escape |
| my attacks... and turning back into human form to make surprise |
| attacks. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| EMMA SLOAN |
| |
| With all the herbs, cystals and the rest of her New Age |
| paraphernalia, Emma Sloan had been called a hippie and a freak, and |
| worse; it was that small town mentality. She was a female mechanic, |
| and even in 2011, there were always going to be backwards shitkickers |
| who thought that was a hoot. |
| |
| She didn't mind. She could deal. She could take any engine apart, even |
| the new ones with all the computers in them. |
| |
| Turned out that these boys were awful polite while waiting for here to |
| put them back together. |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| OLD GODS OF ASGARD |
| |
| Tor and Odin Anderson. Old Gods of Asgard. I still don't quite know |
| what to make of them. I know they used to be rock stars who modeled |
| their stage personas after Norse gods. I know they're old. I know that |
| in their day, they fought the darkness as I do. I know they're |
| demented and insane, ravaged by age and self-abuse. |
| |
| But there's something in them, something powerful that took hold when |
| they were touched by the powers beyond, a thing that goes far beyond |
| just stage names. Something godlike. |
| |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| BARRY AND THE OLD GODS |
| |
| The Anderson brothers should probably have been in a facility |
| somewhere, despite their tendency to escape form such places. It could |
| be argued that they had no business being on tour, considering their |
| condition. Their lives mostly revolved around a laundry list of |
| ailments and their endless quest for liquor. |
| |
| But barry wheeler managed them now. And whatever else they might say |
| about Barry, he knew how to make things happen... And honestly, it's |
| not like the Andersons were the most difficult clients he ever had. |
| |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| OLD GODS IN THE STUDIO |
| |
| Getting the Andersons into the recording studio was a struggle and a |
| half, but once they actually picked up the instruments, something |
| happend. |
| |
| They were two old men, and they weren't: they were doddering bags of |
| bone, and they were barely contained power. And there was music. |
| |
| Barry rubbed his hands together; he knew how to pick a winner. Now all |
| they needed was some direction on how to make things a little more |
| modern. Barry had never produced a thing in his life, but he knew what |
| he liked. He knew "Balance Slays the Demon" was going to be a hit. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE GIANT |
| |
| I have seen the darkness twist flesh into new shapes before, but |
| encountering these giants is an extreamely disturbing experience. |
| |
| It's as if the genre has been switched on me; they're something out of |
| pulp fiction -- twice as tall as normal men and stronger than |
| forklifts, their lumbering gait and slow-witted demeanor brings to |
| mind some kind of a mean- spirited caricature of a febble-minded |
| hillbilly. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| EMMA AND MR. SCRATCH |
| |
| Emma wasn't sure exactly when the man arrived at the hotel, but from |
| what she could tell, the party started almost immediately. It was |
| infectious, spreading from one room to another. He was mercurial, |
| almost as if he was flickering through the scene, telling a joke here, |
| throwing an insult there, oozing sex and violence and excitement. |
| |
| She had never seen someone like this before. He looked at here and |
| smiled, and she felt her heart flutter a little. |
| |
| She knew he was the kind of a man mothers warned their daughters |
| abought, but she told herself it didn't matter. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
--- OBSERVATORY MANUSCRIPTS ---------------------------------------------------
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| SUCCESS |
| |
| As a storyteller, my first real love was crime, and it was in that |
| gene that I finished my first novel starring the perpetually miserable |
| Alex Casey, whome antire life was a wound that never healed. |
| |
| The book sold as fast as they hit the shelfs. I wrote five more Alex |
| Casey books, and they all were bestsellers. I became rich. I became |
| famous. Success brought pressure,and I didn't handel it very well. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| PRESSURE |
| |
| The pressure of the success got to me. My wife, Alice, was the sole |
| thing in my life that anchored me. Suddenly, it wasn't enough. I |
| couldn't write anymore. |
| |
| I distracted myself with wild parties and whatever trouble I could |
| scare up. I wallowed in the drama of my life, sure that Alice would |
| stick with me, even though she didn't sign up to be the lifeline of a |
| tortured artist. It was dumb luck she's not the type to give up. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE GENESIS OF MR. SCRATCH |
| |
| I've seen the enemy, and it's me. I've faced dark horrors before, |
| things that live in the unimaginble pressures of the world beyond our |
| own. Sometimes they masquerade as humans. |
| |
| That's what ultimately lurks inside Mr. Scratch. He's every mean- |
| spirited tabloid story about me, an evil caricature, a creature formed |
| in that vague territory of misconception, half-truths and the dark |
| imagination of people who "heard a story about me". An urban legend |
| made flesh. A serial killer. |
| |
| My dark half, brought to life by the power of Cauldron Lake. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| FIGHTING THE TAKEN |
| |
| I've carried a flashlight and gun for so long that I feel naked |
| without either. It's all too often that I need them. |
| |
| The darkness protects the Taken. Shadows crawl over their forms like |
| living things, protecting them from harm. Blows that would injure or |
| kill an human outright mean nothing to them as long as the darkness |
| persists. But light makes them vulnerable. Light burns the shadows |
| away. The darkness that drives them is still in them, but now they'ra |
| vulnerable. |
| |
| Flashlight and gun. Sometimes, it feels they're all I have left. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE SPIDERS |
| |
| The spiders aren't really the work of the enemy. They're a side |
| effect, a part of the Dark Place's less significant fauna that has |
| managed to slip through the opening I made when I arrived; less an |
| animal than an idea that has assumed the form of an animal. |
| |
| It makes them no less dangerous, but at least they'ra a little easier |
| to deal with: the darkness doesn't protect them like the Taken, and |
| thus they can be destroyed by either light or bullets right away. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| NEW REALITY: FRAGMENT 1 |
| |
| The atmosphere in the projection booth at the drive-in was charged, |
| almost unreal. Despite that, the air felt cool and refreshing this |
| late at night. It had been a hot day. The summer was nearing its end, |
| but it wasn't over yet. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE DARKNESS |
| |
| The darkness rose from the depths of Cauldren Lake and took Alice. It |
| needed words. It needed me to write its way into our world. She was |
| leverage, a hostage. |
| |
| I complied, but with a twist -- I put in a loophole that gave me a |
| chance to fight back. I was hunted by shadowy enemies, but I faced the |
| darkness. I fought it with light. I drove it back. I saved Alice. But |
| it came with a cost: I was trapped in the Dark Place below Cauldron |
| Lake. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| LOST IN THE DARK PLACE |
| |
| After my disappearance, they thought I was dead. I might as well have |
| been. I know it's been two years; I know Alice has moved on. I have |
| tried to find a way back to her, back to my life, but escaping the |
| Dark Place is almost impossible. |
| |
| Time does strange things here. But dreams and radio signals can pierce |
| the veil between the worlds. |
| |
| I catch glimpses and echoes of the world. Sometimes I send messages |
| out. I can only pray that they hear them. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE NATURE OF STORIES |
| |
| Stories come naturally to us. We can't help it. There are many |
| different worlds, many competing realities within our heads, fueled by |
| books, television, even barely remebered childhood tales. There's an |
| endless supply of fictional concepts more familiar to us than anything |
| or anyone real. We have a far greater connection to the fictional |
| characters we know and love than the random people we pass on the |
| street. Our destinies and inspirations are shaped by lies, myths and |
| fables. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| COSMOLOGICAL TRUTHS |
| |
| There are places where our world is worn thin and another reality |
| brushes against ours. One such site is Cauldron Lake near Bright |
| Falls, Washington, but there are others. |
| |
| That other reality is dark, vast and malleable, always in flux. In its |
| depths dwell vast forces and alien energies. They are dangerous, but |
| in one of these places, if you know how, you can channel the power of |
| that place and use it to shape reality. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE TAKEN |
| |
| The Taken may well be the tool the darkness favours over any other. At |
| some point, they used to be human, but whatever humanity they once had |
| is long gone. Now they're just shells covered and filled by darkness. |
| |
| The Taken Mr. Scratch throws at me are more grotesque and varied than |
| the ones I first encountered in Bright Falls, but I know how to deal |
| with them. I'd be lying if I said they don't frighten me, but I have |
| survived worse. I can't let them stop me. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| DR. MEADOWS |
| |
| When Dr. Rachel Meadows got the call from Michael telling her to hurry |
| to the observatory, she didn't waste any time. It had been a nice |
| party, and she'd had a good time, but her social life would always |
| play second fiddle to the mysteries of space. |
| |
| Michael never showed up, of course; he'd pulled over at the wrong rest |
| stop. She never even thought about him at the time; the phenomenon in |
| the sky above her was too fascinating. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| NEW REALITY: FRAGMENT 2 |
| |
| |
| The film noir poster reminded me of Alex Casey, the detective's cool |
| exterior never cracking even with the gun pointed in his face. In the |
| back room, all of the lights had been turned off, except for the lone |
| spotlight, which illuminated the bright red fire extinguisher on the |
| wall. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| EVERYTHING IS AS REAL AS EVERYTHING ELSE |
| |
| This act of creation is exhilarating and frightening. Subtext and |
| symbols loom, eager to take effect. Causality and consequence become |
| domino chains that stretch into infinity. The more fundamental the |
| change, the more unpredictable the variables become; reality is too |
| complex to control completely. Ordinary questions become meaningless. |
| |
| "Who created who?" |
| |
| "What is really real?" |
| |
| Everything is as real as everything else. You learn to let go of the |
| things you can't control and go with the flow, or go insane. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| DR. MEADOWS AND MR. SCRATCH |
| |
| The man before Dr. Meadows was handsome and slick. He moved with lazy |
| confidence and didn't bother to pretend that he wasn't staring at her. |
| She didn't mind, at first. |
| |
| Then the man flicked open the knife and shoved here out of the control |
| room so she wouldn't hear the signal -- whatever it was. Outside, she |
| pulled here lab coat closed and thought about running. She didn't. She |
| didn't think she'd get very far, not from him. |
| |
| She never was entirely sure why he spared her. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| NEW REALITY: FRAGMENT 3 |
| |
| I'd found her film from the pile of containers is the back. I'd |
| threaded it into the projector. I swallowed hard, staring at the |
| screen hearing her voice, the sunrise I remembered so well only |
| moments away. |
| |
| And then Mr. Scratch was there, nailed by the projector's beam, caught |
| in his own trap. He shouted at me, first in confusion, then rage. And |
| then the sun came up, and things started to burn. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
--- DRIVE-IN MANUSCRIPTS ------------------------------------------------------
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| NIGHT FALLS |
| |
| My writer's block got worse. I didn't sleep much, anymore. My life |
| with Alice seemed like a constant fight. I was a wreck. |
| |
| Alice took steps: she booked a vacation in Bright Falls, a small town |
| in Washington. It was supposed to be a chance to break out of the |
| cycle I was in. |
| |
| She didn't know about the darkness in Cauldron Lake. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| ALICE |
| |
| Alice. My wife. The best thing that ever happened to me. She smiles, |
| and the darkness lifts. For her, I have tried things I otherwise never |
| would. I've never really minded if it's made me feel like a fool. |
| |
| She's a photographer, and the world she sees through her lenses is |
| unique and beautiful. She has the vision. She sees things others don't |
| and knows how to make them visible to everybody. |
| |
| She did it with me, too; she teased out things I was only vaguely |
| aware of. She always saw me in the best possible light. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| WHAT REALLY MATTERS |
| |
| It's been two years since I came here. Being that long without Alice |
| breaks my heart, and I know it broke hers. I know she thinks I'm |
| dead. How could I blame here for that? |
| |
| It would be a crime to pretend that she owes me anything. She took all |
| the stupid, self-indulgent bullshit I brought into her life and still |
| stood by me, still loved me. It's no betrayal. But I'm a better person |
| now than I used to be. I want to be that person with her. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE GRENADIER |
| |
| The taken were always single-minded. They had a certain animal |
| cunning, but the weren't very intelligent. That's one of the reason |
| why they prefer melee weapons; actual firearms are too complex for |
| them to use. |
| |
| Thats why seeing the one who threw grenades at me surprised me -- but |
| of course they aren't actually grenades. There's no pin to pull, no |
| fuse to set off an explosive. Just concentrated darkness. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| A CAR IN FLIGHT |
| |
| The car seemed to sail through the crisp moutain air in slow mothion, |
| spinning around one axis almost lazily. The moment was hypnotic. |
| |
| Then it struck the pipeline in a shower of sparks, the impact turning |
| the windshield into a burst of safety glass. As it hit the ground, I |
| snapped out of my reverie -- the car was rolling downhill, slowing |
| down as every bump killed momentum, but still coming. The fence |
| wouldn't be enough to stop it. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| SURVIVAL IN THE DARK PLACE |
| |
| The Dark Place is utterly hostile to human life. It eats at your |
| mind, wants you to succumb to madness. Your own thoughts can turn |
| against you. Every shadow conceals a threat that attacks at the |
| slightest sign of weakness. You're under endless assault; every "day" |
| is a struggle for survival. |
| |
| But I have learned to take care of myself. I focus on Alice, our life |
| together, my need to be with her. That takes me a long way in the Dark |
| Place... as long as I have my gun and the flashlight. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| EQUILIBRIUM |
| |
| I have changed, I know who I am now. I know that I can write my own |
| fate; Bright Falls taught me that. I know that indulging in my |
| weaknesses, giving in to fear and complacency will only drag me down; |
| the Dark Place taught me that. |
| |
| I am no zen master. I have not attained enlightenment. But I have |
| learned to let go of the things that I don't need. I know without that |
| balance within, I become my own worst enemy. Now I strive for |
| equilibrium, and with that, I'm strong enough to get were I want. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE DOPPELGANGER |
| |
| It's obvious that for all his power, Mr. Sratch is an agent of |
| another, greater being. The Dark Place he came from is full of |
| terrible alien intelligences, dark presences, and none of them should |
| be let loose in our world. He serves one of them. He'll open the way |
| for them if I don't stop him. |
| |
| But he'll do-more: he'll take over my life. He already has my face; he |
| already uses my name. He'll become Alan Wake in every way imaginable |
| and corrupt everything... Unless I can stop him. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| MR. SCRATCH'S TRAP |
| |
| The trap Mr. Scratch has set for me is as simple as it is impossible: |
| whenever I reach him, he sends me back to the beginning of the maze. |
| It's a loop in time; I go through it only to end up where I started. |
| There's a brutal genius to it. If I die, it's over for me; if I |
| survive, I end up where I started. Sooner or later, the odds will |
| catch up with me, and in the meantime, he gets to toy with me... |
| |
| But that's why I have a chance. He's caught in this pattern just as |
| much as I am. I know where he'll be, and I'm prepared. |
| |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE PLAN |
| |
| I have created the weapon that can put an end to this, a blueprint to |
| a new reality. All I have to do is survive long enough to use it. |
| |
| My arrival from the Dark Place will be painful and difficult. These |
| pages may be lost, but one way or another, I'll send the parts I |
| really need to myself. If I make it outside, I have a chance. |
| |
| Mr. Scratch is more powerful than I am, but he can't change the rules |
| in the middle of the game. He's not a creator. I am. |
| |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE DANGERS OF CREATION |
| |
| To change the world, you must craft a blueprint for the new reality. |
| Any work of art will do, as long as it's a genuine act of creation; |
| that's what the energies of the Dark Place respond to. The results |
| may be subtle and perplexing, or far-ranging and momentous. |
| |
| My area of expertise -- the written word -- gives much more precise |
| results than music or interpretive dance would, for instance. |
| |
| But words can be extremely dangerous. What you define may become |
| reality, but so can that which you imply... Even if you don't realize |
| you're doing so. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| SERENA VALDIVIA |
| |
| |
| For Serena Valdivia, burning the midnight oil was more of an exception |
| than a rule. A procrastinator and a perfectionist, she often worked |
| when she wouldn't be disturbed. |
| |
| Tonight was especially important: the film festival would open |
| tomorrow, and there was still so much to sort out. It wasn't that the |
| work hadn't been done; she just didn't feel like she had completely |
| mastered everything yet. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| FOCUSING THE BEAM |
| |
| |
| There's more to fighting the Taken than just burning away the darkness |
| that protects them. When I'm fighting for my life, I find myself |
| slipping into a state of intense concentration that makes the beam of |
| my flashlight seem more powerful and focused. I used to think it was |
| just my imagination, something brought on by the adrenaline and fear |
| of death, but now I'm not so sure. I have been touched by powers that |
| I can't begin to truly comprehend, and they've left a mark. I'm |
| starting to think this might be a part of it. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| SERENA AND MR. SCRATCH |
| |
| When the dark man's eyes suddenly locked into Serena's, she flushed |
| hot. They ignited a black fire in her. |
| |
| He was talking: he wanted the power turned off. He said something |
| about the projector booth. She hooked a finger under his belt buckle. |
| He grabbed a hold of her throat and twisted until it hurt. Somewhere |
| deep inside, a part of her screamed in paralyzed horror, but the moan |
| that escaped from her throat had no panic in it. |
| |
| "Pay attention," he said. "Business first." His eyes glittered |
| shamelessly. Hers did too. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| THE CLOTHES |
| |
| The clothes I wear now I shaped from dreams and memories. It's an old |
| outfit, originally from the 90s; the last time I wore it was when I |
| was still writing, and Alice and I took a vacation in the desert, |
| before our troubles began. |
| |
| The night before, we'd been at a party, and I'd dressed to the nines. |
| On that lazy day, I put on these old clothes, worn and comfortable. |
| Alice made a joke about grunge. I felt a little embarassed, but stuck |
| with them. |
| |
| We were very happy. I'm sheathed in good memories, to remind myself of |
| what is at stake. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
.---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| |
| ALICE'S FILM |
| |
| I held the film canister in my hands. I saw her name written across it |
| in big letters, followed by the title. |
| |
| It was a time capsule, moments snatched from times gone by, from a |
| past that I hoped could also be our future. It was my salvation -- our |
| salvation, our chance to be together. A tin can with a bit of magic in |
| it that she didn't even know about, something I could put to good use. |
| |
| There were only moments left before I had to face him. |
| |
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------'
===============================================================================
LEGAL STUFF [ka01]
===============================================================================
This document is intended for personal, private use only. It is protected by
international copyright laws, and may not be reproduced on any website not
listed below, or in any printed publication that has not received written
permission from me, the author. Breaking these rules can get you into legal
trouble. You are free to print the document out on paper, download it to your
computer and tell your friends about it. Anything is fine, as long as you
don't alter anything, or claim it as your own work. Selling this document for
money, or hosting it on your own website is unacceptable.
Only a small handful of sites are allowed to host this document. All of them
can be found listed below. New permissions will most likely not be handed out.
If you're reading this document on any site not listed below, you're dealing
with thieves. The ONLY sites that are allowed to host this document are:
- GameFAQs.com (latest version can always be found here!)
- IGN.com
- Supercheats.com
- Neoseeker.com
- Honestgamers.com
~ This document is copyright (c) 2012 snkupo
===============================================================================
GREETINGS AND SHOUTOUTS [ka02]
===============================================================================
I'm super-grateful to...
- Remedy for making Alan Wake and Max Payne!
- John Scalzi for writing "Old Man's War"!
- Hank Bordowitz for writing Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of
Creedence Clearwater Revival. A great read about a great band.
- Coke, for tasting as good in Japan as it does in Norway.
- Rockstar for... hopefully NOT messing up Max Payne 3. Pretty PLEASE?
- CAKE BOSS, for being an awesome combination of words. Never seen the show.
- You, for reading this guide! What a cliche, eh?
===============================================================================
CONTACT ME [ka03]
===============================================================================
If you have suggestions, comments or questions related to my work, please feel
free to drop me a quick heads up using one of the methods below. I respond as
quickly as possible! And you know what -- I don't bite either! :)
E-mail: snkupo@gmail.com
FB: http://www.facebook.com/snkupo
===============================================================================
VERSION HISTORY [ka04]
===============================================================================
Document Version 0.4 - February 23, 2012
----------------------------------------
First version of the guide. Currently covers the entire storyline, along with
the locations of all the collectibles. The next update should include an
achievement guide to smooth things out real nice. I'll probably also make
checklists to include in each section of the main walkthroughs. You know, for
all of those manuscripts. Other suggestions are more than welcome.
Document Version 0.9 - February 28, 2012
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Achievement guide added. Also wrote up a Game Basics section for newcomers.
Those checklists I mentioned are under their way and should make it to the
next final version.
Document Version 1.0 - March 04, 2012
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That's about it. All of the item checklists are in, the Gameplay Basics
section has been fleshed out, and some spell-checking in general has been
carried out as well. I don't see myself adding a lot of other stuff to this
guide for now. Except from reader-submitted contributions, that is.
--------------------- WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT SJOKONØTT? ----------------------
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