Do You Need To Play Alan Wake Before Alan Wake 2?

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• Should You Play Alan Wake Before Starting Alan Wake 2?

• Does It Matter What Order You Play Remedy Connected Universe Games?

• What Are The Differences In Alan Wake's Remastered Version?

Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2 couldn't be further apart from each other in terms of gameplay, mechanics, story progression, and visuals. The original Alan Wake followed only the titular writer in his fight against the Dark Presence. However, the sequel includes an additional FBI agent protagonist, transforming the game into a more detective mystery approach.

11 Biggest Differences Between Alan Wake And Alan Wake 2

To say Alan Wake 2 takes things in an original new direction would be an understatement.

Alan Wake 2 is now a part of the Remedy Connected Universe, meaning it has connections to other games like Control and the first game. But it's not necessarily a direct sequel to the first game, so you may want to find out more about whether playing the first game has any repercussions.

Should You Play Alan Wake Before Starting Alan Wake 2?

It's a question that's a bit of a double-edged sword. There are pros and cons to playing the first game before diving into Alan Wake 2,even thoughRemedy intended the sequel to be its own standalone experience without needing much background knowledge.

When taking into account the complete picture of both games, you should not play Alan Wake.In fact, it's probably best to avoid it and American Nightmare before heading into Alan Wake 2.

Playing Alan Wake 2 without any knowledge of the first game makes the experience more immersive since Saga Anderson is introduced as also being new to Bright Falls and unaware of what's been happening.

Later in the story, you find out not all is as it seems for Saga, and she is losing memories of her life in Watery and Bright Falls, but the journey will still feel like you're going through everything with her for the first time.

If you don't have any prior knowledge of the Clicker, Taken, or Scratch, it'll all still be easy to follow, and Alan Wake 2's story even introduces new elements not in the first game, like the Cult of the Tree and the FBC. Even some important main characters from the first game don't show up and are briefly mentioned.

Having no prior knowledge of the first game also helps with Alan's storyline since Thomas Zane is not the same Diver character as in the original game and can make things even more confusing than the storyline already is.

Alan Wake 2, in general, does a pretty good job of separating itself from the 2010 game's story and helping you piece together characters and plotlines as the new story progresses, and all the twists will land regardless.

Where Are Areas You Benefit From Playing The First Alan Wake?

Some characters do show up from the first game, and they are still important to the story. Those would be Cynthia Weaver, Robert Nightingale, and brothers Tor and Odin Anderson of the Old Gods of Asgard.

There are slight references made by Saga's partner Alex Casey that Nightingale was a former FBI agent, like that he might've crossed paths with him at Quantico. But the greater significance of how he became a Taken and his story of what he was doing in Bright Falls gets completely lost.

The same goes for Cynthia Weaver, who was the Lantern Lady and one of the most important allies to Alan in his fight against the Dark Presence in the original 2010 game.

While there is some backstory lore provided through documents and pictures, not getting that knowledge beforehand about her significance will alter how you see her in Alan Wake 2.

Cynthia can come off as some random old lady at Valhalla Nursing Home obsessed with Zane, who's now become a Taken trying to drown Tor Anderson.

The Anderson Brothers have an even larger presence now in the story than they did in Alan Wake, and how they're introduced will feel a bit jarring without knowing much about them.

In these cases, it might be more helpful to play the first game and better familiarize yourself with the returning characters.

There are also Easter eggs you might be unaware of if you haven't played the first game or American Nightmare.

Does It Matter What Order You Play Remedy Connected Universe Games?

The fun with the Remedy Connected Universe is that the games can be played in any order you choose. These include Alan Wake, American Nightmare, Control, and Alan Wake 2. Even Quantum Break can be argued for its connections.

If you play Control first, you will see some connections to Alan Wake, which may lead you to play that game next before starting Alan Wake 2. The same could be said as vice versa.

Alan Wake 2 Vs Control: Which Game Is Better?

Alan Wake 2 and Control are both made by Remedy, but which is the better game?

Alan Wake 2 might spark more curiosity about the FBC, the enigmatic janitor Ahti, and the events that happened in the first game, so you can jump into Control after Alan Wake 2 and then Alan Wake after finishing Control, working the timeline backward while still not getting things too mixed up.

And you can always go in order by playing Alan Wake, American Nightmare, Control, and all its DLC, which will all tie directly into Alan Wake 2.

What Are The Differences In Alan Wake's Remastered Version?

If you decide to play Alan Wake, you might be considering whether to play the original 2010 version or the 2021 Remastered edition.

The Remastered version is the one you should go with, as there are lots of improvements to Alan Wake's visuals (now in 4K), character models, graphics, and framerate. And like Peter in the Spider-Man remaster, Alan's face gets updated to have more of Ilkka Villi's likeness.

It also comes with DLC expansions The Signal and The Writer, and offers more connections to Control than the original. And it's also available on every console, including Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 and 5, so it will be easier to find as well.

Alan Wake 2: What Happened In The First Game?

Catch up on Alan Wake before playing Alan Wake 2.