The latest part of our Alan Wake 2 IGN First is a section of exclusive 4K RTX gameplay played from the perspective of titular writer Alan Wake himself. The above video takes place in The Dark Place – a nightmare New York he’s trapped in - Alan finds a familiar face lurking in one of its many shadowy alleyways. This jacket-wearing, paisley tie-sporting detective is no other than Alex Casey, the hero from Wake’s successful crime book series.
Crucially, despite being voiced by the unmistakable James McCaffrey and sharing the likeness of Remedy Creative Director Sam Lake, this isn’t Max Payne, albeit if the similarities are there for all to see and hear. Lake explained the reasoning behind the playful appearance of Casey:
“The version of Casey In the Dark Place, the character come to life from Wake’s books, who is not exactly the FBI Agent Casey with Saga, is more over-the-top hardboiled and definitely drawing from the same inspirations and my love for noir as Max Payne did, including the outfit reminiscent of Brad Pitt’s character in the neo-noir film, Se7en.”
For more on Alan Wake 2, make sure to stick with IGN throughout September as we dive deeper into what more Remedy has lurking in The Dark Place.
Simon Cardy might start dressing like Max Payne. Follow him on Twitter at @CardySimon.