Alan Wake 2 is full of easter eggs and references to Remedy's games, including Control, Max Payne, Quantum Break and the first Alan Wake game. Moreover, plenty of movies, books and TV shows have influenced their writing and the world of Alan Wake 2, with nods-and-winks to True Detective, the works of Stephen King, a whole lot of Twin Peaks and more besides. Some of these are obvious, some are a lot more sly, but we've found all the best easter eggs in Alan Wake 2 for you below, with an ocean - or is it a lake? - of references to uncover.
Warning: The following page has some spoilers for Alan Wake 2, Alan Wake 1, and Control.
Control and FBC Easter Eggs in Alan Wake 2
The game Control and Alan Wake take place in the same universe, and the FBC, or "Federal Bureau of Control", has a pretty major presence within the game that goes beyond being a simple easter egg - it's effectively a crossover between the two franchises. However, there are a lot more subtle nods and pointers within Alan Wake 2 to Remedy's previous game that some players might not have noticed. Here are some key examples:
Ahti the Janitor
Ahti the eccentric Finnish janitor appears both to Saga and Alan Wake, and was a major character in Control, appearing as a simple custodian in the FBC headquarters but also clearly something more, though what exactly was never explained. A god? An extra-dimensional being? An avatar of the Oldest House? Whatever the case, in both games he has a habit of showing up out of nowhere, providing pretty cryptic help and knowing much more than any normal person should. Still, he seems benevolent overall, helping the protagonists hold back the evil forces present in both games.
The Oceanview
Alan spends an extended sequence in the Dark Place exploring the Oceanview Hotel. Might seem innocuous, but in Control, Jesse goes to a limbo realm called the Oceanview Motel. Alan Wake 2 also has numerous doors with simple symbols painted on them - which match the strange doors that lead in or out of the original Motel in Control.
Jesse Faden and Casper Darling
Doctor Darling was a scientist in the FBC who serves as a major driving force in Control - and if you explore the TV studio, you can find a book he wrote on dimensional travel. You also get a brief image of him along with Control protagonist Jesse Faden in certain TV scenes, with the implication that they're attempting to make some sort of contact - likely a tease for future games and DLC.
Mr. Door
Mr. Door, the enigmatic TV host who interviews Wake and is clearly more than he seems, as he's actually briefly mentioned in Control. In dialogue, Jesse's brother Dylan says he went to a "dark place" and met somebody called Mr. Door, who moves between worlds and declined to help Dylan bring the cosmic horror known as the Hiss into ours.
Remedy, Max Payne and Quantum Break easter eggs in Alan Wake 2
There's no reference like self-reference, and Remedy are nothing if not clearly proud of their own back catalogue of work. Even once you get past all the things relating to Control, there's tributes and mentions to all sorts of things they've made - the cream of which we've pointed out below.
Max Payne, Sam Lake and James McCaffrey
Creative director and Alex Casey actor Sam Lake is also famous in video games for being the outrageously squinty character model for detective Max Payne. Having Lake play the detective role again, and even doing the squinty-face that Payne was known for in the initial interview, is a pretty clear in-joke for the fans. Not only that, but Casey's voice actor is James McCaffrey - the same VA who voices Max Payne in all the games! Basically, the character of Alex Casey is one big homage to Payne as a whole, even if he's never mentioned by name (though even then, at one point Casey does refer to "the pain inside me").
Quantum Break and Shawn Ashmore
The Bright Falls sheriff Tim Breaker is played by actor Shawn Ashmore. He's probably best known for being Bobby Drake/Iceman in the X-Men movies, but he was also the protagonist in Remedy's time-bending action game Quantum Break. The fact he's called "Tim Breaker" (as in, Time Breaker) is a pretty obvious reference to QB, as well as is his occasionally alluding to dreaming of other worlds and a red-headed woman. Could be Jesse from Control, but could also be a hint at the character Beth Wilder, another main character from Quantum Break (both Wilder and Faden are played by actor Courtney Hope).
Alan Wake 1 easter eggs in Alan Wake 2
Alright, the phrase "easter egg" might be a little generous considering that we're basically talking about recurring imagery, characters and ideas from the previous game in the series, but there's a fair few elements to Alan Wake 2 that it's easy to forget have a foundation in the original game. Did you catch all of these?
The Shoebox
The shoeboxes you store items in when you reach the Break Rooms are actually significant to Alan - in the first game, the guiding spirit of Tom Zane says that whatever's left of him will be found inside an old shoebox. In fact, there're three separate shoeboxes in the first game - one of which is where the all-important Clicker is stored.
Cynthia Weaver and the Well-Lit Room
Cynthia Weaver, the elderly woman who manipulates Tor in the Valhalla Nursing Home, served a small but important role in the first game. In love with Thomas Zane, she also serves as the guardian of the Clicker and a watcher against the Dark Presence, though Bright Falls at large perceives her as simply being an eccentric. Photographs of the power station and the "Well-Lit Room" she kept the Clicker in can both be found on the dresser in her room.
Blue Oh Deer! Thermoses
The thermoses that serve as the means to the Alan Wake 2 manual save function in Break Rooms also appeared in Alan Wake 1. They were the game's main collectible, with several dozen thermoses spread around Bright Falls and the forests nearby.
American Nightmare
When emerging from the Dark Place for the first time, Alan is wearing an open plaid shirt. If you don't remember him wearing that in the original game, that's because he didn't - no, he wore it in the standalone expansion, "Alan Wake's American Nightmare!"
Alan Wake 2 pop culture references
Beyond Remedy's own games, Alan Wake 2 is not shy or subtle about its many influences, wearing its lineage of horror, detective and thriller inspirations on its sleeve. Here's a few examples we could see going through:
Twin Peaks
Both Alan Wake games owe a lot to Twin Peaks, whether it's the original show or the more recent return. The Dark Place and "In Between" talk show both mirror the Red Room and Black Lodge in Twin Peaks, as does the initial framing of detectives heading to a small, mildly-peculiar American town to investigate a murder. Even the slightly oddball tone and colorful characters feel like a match for the David Lynch drama.
Stephen King
The first Alan Wake game was very inspired by King's work, as is this one. Specifically "The Shining" is the influence that looms large, whether it's the novel or the Kubrick movie. The opening credits heavily mimic the movie's credits, the "alcoholic writer with personal demons in a small town beset by unknowable horror" is a classic King trope, Alan himself is basically analogous to the supremely famous horror author, and spends one sequence in the haunted Oceanview Hotel - a match for the Overlook in which The Shining takes place.
True Detective
Remedy has cheerfully admitted that True Detective was a major influence on Alan Wake 2, both the content and the framing alike, and you can see it at work. Cultish serial killings, FBI investigations, two cop buddies, strange symbols - it's all at play here.
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