Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror sequel to 2010’s Alan Wake, one of the best games of that decade. The sequel is out in shining new armour, which includes features such as:
- Supports PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
- Breathtaking visuals via a revamped game engine (Northlight Engine).
- Maddening design language down to the many monsters in the game.
- It features a deuteragonist system, where you control Saga Anderson and Alan Wake in the beginning and ending sequences, respectively.
It’s a great game with almost perfect ratings for its settings, pacing, and storyline. However, this isn’t an Alan Wake 2 review; Instead, this article is a breakdown of its ending. Alan and Saga’s journey is dark, monotonous, and deadly, which all ends in a nightmarish ending. You’re left with more questions than answers. Video game endings are determined by the final missions that lead to that last moment. So, we included a mini-walkthrough of the final events of the game.
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The Final Missions Before the Climax
This highlights the final missions in Alan Wake 2 and for convenience, a short walkthrough for each one. It’s paramount to investigate the events that made the ending so satisfying, especially as Scratch is also Alan Wake, or, to be specific, he’s the writer’s alter ego who’s maniacal. The final plan is to use the Clicker, a magical item, to change reality, so it’s like a miniature and portable version of the Dark Place.
That said, below is a breakdown of the last three missions of the game.
Return 7: Summoning
Return 7: Summoning is the chapter where Saga Anderson frees Alan Wake from the Dark Place before the Dark Presence wins. Avoid the blockade, follow the openings, and cross a bridge to reach Cauldron Lake. This is one of the best finales in video games because of the musical score, the sheer scale of the enemies, and the number of resources you’ll need to craft throwables. Without throwables like flares and flashbangs, Initiation 8: Masks is almost too difficult. However, craft enough flashbangs, and you’ll ace this challenge because throwables kill, whereas flares don’t.
Nevertheless, this mission is memorable because you can’t progress without playing Initiation 9: Gone. Alan Wake battles Scratch in Initiation 9: Gone and escapes to a parking lot soon after. Scratch is a supernatural serial killer who doesn’t mind murdering his original ego, Alan Wake. Sadly, his skills are up to par so it’s up to players to predict his moves and act accordingly. However, he has to battle a horde of Takens and dispel some blockades before the mission is concluded.
Recommended Games: Check out other Remedy Entertainment games here.
Return 8: Deerfest
Return 8: Deerfest is one mission where you’ll briefly control Alan Wake to progress in the mission. Alan’s end goal is to reach the parking lot and, from there, hunt down the manuscript that Scratch wrote to murder innocents. You’ll need to resupply on ammo for your Shotgun, Pistol or Revolver, and Flare Guns to gain an edge in combat. Because you have limited ammo, you may want to run away from some fights. Alan Wake 2 doesn’t have a multiplayer mode; It would have made a world of difference in this mission.
The protagonist wants to rewrite his doppelgänger’s story so that he and the other good guys will win the show. However, the show goes on for quite a while before it’s concluded. Ultimately, you’ll add the Pay the Price plotline to the manuscript. You’ll meet Rose and Ahti along the way. Throughout the mission, Saga Anderson is missing, having been overpowered by Scratch. So, Tor and Odin Anderson are determined to help her escape the Dark Place.
Major Tip: Group enemies together to kill them with flares.
Return 9: Come Home | The Final Chapter!

Come Home is the last chapter in Saga’s journey, where she must help Alan write an ending that’ll thwart the Dark Presence. However, since Saga was thrown into the Dark Place by Scratch, she must battle her demons first. This time around, the Dark Place is different in the sense that some elements are missing.
- The Case Board is empty.
- Manuscript Pages and your Profiling Notes are also missing.
- Finally, there also doesn’t seem to be any way to exit the Dark Place.
Try to open the door to the right of the mounted deer head and Saga’s final Case File: The Mind Place, will begin. Already, the board has started highlighting our protagonist’s woes, foes, and everything in between. Nevertheless, this is the only way to proceed — but not before you compile clues on the Other Saga, Failed “Them”, Casey, and Logan.
Compile Clues
So, this mission is particularly memorable because of the detective work you must do. You’ll have to move around and explore, and yes, you won’t be fighting any Taken or the Dark Presence here. Instead, Saga will unearth clues such as:
- An injury report about weapon upgrades adds the “Casey Corrupted” and “Scratch Was Wake” clues.
- Some drawings atop Logan’s bed near the manuscript pages add the “Logan Was Alone” clue.
- Interacting with the mounted deer head will add the “Hallucination” clue.
- The TV adds the “Took Logan Away from her Father” clue.
- The symbols of the Cult of the Tree are atop the maps; They add the “Ilmo and Jakko Were Running a Cult” clue.
- A dressing tray of bloody bandages adds the “Casey Injured” clue.
- A stack of manuscript pages adds the “Manuscript Pages as a Crutch” clue.
- A deer mask beside a lamp adds the “Casey Was Wrong” clue.
The more clues you add to your Mind Place, the more changes appear in it. After gaining several positive affirmations from admitting your wrongs and remembering your loved ones, Saga concludes the Case of the Closed Mind. So, you continue deeper into the Dark Place, where you’ll meet Sheriff Breaker, who’s hunting Warlin Door, an individual with the power to walk through different realities.
Eventually, you dialogue heavily with Alan and devise a plan to leave safely and lock away the Dark Place. You’ll meet up with Alan, shoot Scratch, and seemingly win the day. However, the Dark Presence and the Dark Place have always been elusive, feeding on the negativity of special individuals across realities to sustain themselves.
Alan Wake 2’s Ending Quickly Spirals Out of Control
Alan wakes up during the mid-credits scene and utters “It’s not a loop, it’s a spiral”. This is to the utter confusion of Saga and any player that stuck around to that point. Alan Wake doesn’t seem to die no matter how many times he’s short and consequently, his alter ego is always lurking. Also, the mysterious and convenient presence of a shoebox full of supplies that Saga found in the final chapter hasn’t been explained yet.
Obviously, Alan Wake influenced himself to leave Alice’s shoebox at another point in the story. Gamers haven’t been able to play that part of the story yet and sure, it’s beyond the current ending. In short, we should expect expansions to complete the story and open up new parts of Alan Wake 2’s sandbox.
Alex Casey Confirms This Theory
Alex Casey also confirms this theory in Thomas Zane’s movie, Nightless Night. He says, “It’s not a loop, it’s a spiral” when he realises that Thomas Zane can only be freed by replacing him with someone else. Barbara Jagger, his new flame, intends to free Thomas by using Alex as the substitute. However, Alex isn’t trapped yet, but he has foreseen his downfall.
In the case of Alan Wake, he’s already at the bottom of the spiral, having tried to escape the Dark Place many times already. For Alan, there’s an exit at the top of the spiral and to get out, he’ll most likely need a substitute too. Since Alan has partnered up with Saga Anderson and, by proxy, her FBI partner, Alex, a showdown between Thomas Zane and Alan is inevitable. Games with this type of plotline are.
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What Happened to Saga?
Saga’s fate is uncertain following the closing scenes but she still seems to be in the Dark Place, together with Alan Wake. Remember that Tor and Odin went after Saga Anderson so they’ll probably encounter the Dark Presence. DLCs will surely clear up any misunderstandings, but we shouldn’t expect any expansion for some time. Other characters like Sheriff Tim Breaker and Warlin Door also have roles to play and so far, gamers haven’t seen them in action yet.
Who Is Thomas Zane?
Thomas Zane is the filmmaker who first manipulated Cauldron Lake’s power to change reality. However, his wife, Barbara Jagger, drowned, and in his bid to save her, he unleashed a miniature version of the Dark Presence that wore his dead wife’s form. Thomas is also the man who created Alan Wake and wrote about his encounters with the Dark Presence until it was eventually killed. He’s heavily referenced in Control as a poet, further linking the two games. You can read about the link between Control and Alan Wake here.

Zane is also trapped in the Dark Place and seeks to be replaced by Alex Casey. To do this, he doesn’t mind working with Scratch, who regularly uses Darkness to fight. At the conclusion of the game, only Scratch, influenced by the Dark Presence, was killed. So, Alan Wake 3 is probably being developed already. Still, if that’s not enough incentive to begin development early, the sales figures of Alan Wake 2 have been impressive so far.
The Missed Opportunities
There are some missed opportunities in Alan Wake 2’s storyline and final missions. For one, throughout the game, players can dialogue with different characters. Yet, your choices don’t affect the conclusion, whereas your chosen dialogue options should have led to multiple endings. We feel this is a missed opportunity on Remedy Entertainment’s part. However, that’ll lead to a longer development phase and, thus, bigger budgets.
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Alan Wake 2 Is Still a Great Game
Alan Wake 2 is still a great game, regardless of its ending. It accurately captures the uneasy feeling of being the hunted and the hunter at once. Alan Wake and Saga Anderson know no peace throughout the events of the game. Gamers and even viewers feel it, which is why it’s such a memorable experience. The game offers peak entertainment and it’s only going to sell more copies with time. Not to mention, its second-hand value will be strong, which is a testament to the game’s quality. Thankfully, Remedy Entertainment announced DLCs in a recent update.
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