Alan Wake 2: Every Reference to the Original in the Trailer

Although it’s brief, there’s a lot to unpack with theAlan Wake 2trailer that debuted at the 2021 Game Awards. After getting over the initial excitement that the game was coming out at all, many fans have taken torewatching The Game Awards trailer forAlan Wake 2in search of clues hinting at what’s to come for the titular writer and his potential escape from the bottom of Cauldron Lake. As is to be expected from Remedy Entertainment, there are actually quite a bit of references packed into the minute-long trailer, both to the originalAlan Wake, and to the other entry in the Remedy-verseControl.

Because the two games share so much connective tissue that is primarily seen in the form of easter eggs, many fans knew thatAlan Wake 2’s trailer would likely have its fair share of easter eggs as well. Luckily, Remedy didn’t disappoint with its hints that only some of the most eagle-eyed fans would pick up on to fuel their speculation. Below are the references to the originalAlan Wake, as well as those toControlfound so far in the first trailer forAlan Wake 2.

alan-wake-thermos

RELATED:Survival Horror Games to Play in Anticipation for Alan Wake 2

The Coffee Thermos

The coffee thermoses ofAlan Wakeseemed to be a throwaway collectible item that was a thinly-veiled reference toTwin Peaks, which served as a major inspiration for the game.Controllater detailed that the thermoses were actually Altered Items which gave them an in-universe reason to be spread out all over Bright Falls. In the trailer, the blue thermos is innocuous enough and is simply laying on its side at a crime scene.

Double Triangle Carving

Triangles, specifically upside-down ones, were a major part ofControlas they represented the mysterious Board. The trailer forAlan Wake 2features two right-side-up triangles which were featured briefly inControl’s AWE DLC. Although they likely aren’t referencing the Board, they were seen in one of the many fast-moving montages of flashing images in the DLC. It’s unclear what they mean or if they have any relationship to the Board, but given its prominence in the trailer, it seems like the mystery surrounding them may be revealed in the upcoming sequel.

The Oceanview Motel

Also a reference toControl, a neon sign for the Oceanview Motel can clearly be seen in the background of the city that the trailer cuts to. This likely isn’t the same motel as seen inControlgiven its Montana location. However, as a Threshold, there are many different ways that it could interact with the world. What’s more, the Oceanview is where Jesse sees Alan for the first time in the AWE DLC. The name “Oceanview” could also be in reference to the fact that Alan gets trapped at the bottom of Cauldron Lake atthe end of the originalAlan Wake,where he has the discovery that “it’s not a lake; it’s an ocean.”

Caldera St. Station

Caldera St. Station wasn’t mentioned inAlan WakeorControl, however, a caldera is a deep lake formed from the eruption of a volcano, the type of water body that Cauldron Lake is. There isn’t much to this other than a reference to Cauldron Lake, but it could end up being important inAlan Wake 2.

Bright Falls Deer Festival

Alan and Alice end up visiting Bright Falls for the weekend of its annual Deer Festival, which seems to be back and unaffected from the events ofAlan Wake, as it can clearly be seen celebrating its 81st festival. Inthe originalAlan Wake, Bright Falls was celebrating its 68th Deer Fest which means that there may have been a time gap similar to the real time fans have spent waiting for the sequel between games.

Thomas Zane’s Quote of the Day

The sign behind the food truck reads “Quote of the day: Your friends will meet him when you’re gone,” a line that fictional poet Thomas Zane told Alan about Mr. Scratch, the body double that would replace him in the real world after he gets trapped at the end of the game. Fans discovered inAlan Wake’s American Nightmarethat Mr. Scratch isn’t as harmless as he may appear, however, and it seems as ifAlan Wake 2might be confronting the doppelganger in some way or another.