As promised last week, the first image from the upcoming downloadable Alan Wake game, rumored to be called Alan Wake's Night Springs, has been revealed. While we typically can't tell all that much from a single image, this one actually gives us a good amount of material to speculate about.
Above: The full image, which debuted on Game Informer's website
Three things about this image stand out to us. The first is the sign to the right, which lists Night Springs as an actual location. In the original game, Night Springs was a fictional place that appeared on a TV series that was essentially a twisted, poorly-written version of the Twilight Zone. The fact that it's a real place reveals one of three things: either Night Springs is actually a real place (not likely), we're going to be playing a game that takes place inside of Wake's mind (more likely), or Alan Wake's Night Springs is a spinoff series that has nothing to do with the original game's plot (also likely).
The second thing that stands out is his attire. Wake is dressed more like a construction worker here than a best-selling author, and he appears to be toting a nail gun instead of a pistol. This ties into the possibility of the game taking place outside of the real Alan Wake world, as there's no reason he would randomly pick up carpentry (unless he really wants to put the house from the original game back together). The third thing we noticed in this image is the lights, which confirm that the gameplay will likely be the same as it was in the last game. Not only is Wake using a flashlight, but the presence of a massive, bright street light definitely reminds us of our time with the original.
We'll know more in a few weeks, when the full trailer is shown off during the Spike TV VGA awards. In the meantime, feel free to continue speculating!
