Taken is the second episode of Alan Wake. It follows Alan's journey to meet a kidnapper who claims to have his wife.
Plot
Part One: Call From The Kidnapper
The episode begins with a flashback set three years ago in Alan and Alice's apartment, one year before Alan got writers block, Alan and Alice are shown living a happy life. During a blizzard, the lights go out, and Alice starts to freak out. Alan checks the fuse box and tells her the power has gone. They light some candles and snuggle together. Alan tells Alice of the clicker, which was something Alan could use as a kid when he was afraid of the dark. Whenever he thought he heard a monster, all he had to do was click it and the monster would go away. He then hands her the clicker so it can keep her safe too.
It is now back to the present and Alan is being checked out by the local doctor, Doctor Nelson, who gave up his fishing morning to help Alan. Nelson tells Alan that Sarah would like to see him. He walks to her office and walks in. Sarah tells him that his phone is on her desk, and just before he could tell her details on what happened, Alan receives a phone call from an unknown caller. He walks out of the office for a moment and takes the call. He hears his wife calling out for help on the phone and then a man is on the other end, who claims that he has Alan's wife. He tells Alan to meet him at Lover's Peak and to walk outside and go behind a fence to an old truck in the parking lot and receive the item that is there and to follow the instructions he receives. Alan finds Alice's driver license and he realizes the caller is serious about having his wife. Alan walks back into the station and see's Sarah talking to Emil Hartman, the psychologist doctor. He invites Alan to stay at the Cauldron Lake Lodge, stating he was the one who convinced Alice to bring Alan to Bright Falls in the first place. Alan, in anger, punches him in the face. Sarah holds Alan back as Emil checks to see if his nose is broken. Soon, Barry Wheeler walks into the station. Emil tells Alan that his offer still stands and will not press charges. Barry walks Alan out of the station and they get into the car and head to rent a cabin in Elderwood National Park.
Alan tells Barry everything that has happened, but Barry really only believes the "Alice has been kidnapped" part. Everything else was just nonsense, but Barry being Barry, he tries to convince Alan to write it all down to try and get money out of him. They stop at the Ranger Hut and meet Rose, who again is very excited to see Alan. She tells Alan and Barry that Rusty, the lead Ranger of Elderwood National Park is around the back. She walks off and Barry tells Alan that Rose is a very sweet girl and shouldn't think badly of her. They walk in and Barry stays by reception, trying to convince Alan to think about what he's saying. Alan walks to meet Rusty who is trying to help an injured dog. He tells Alan to go get the form on the reception desk, sign it and bring it to him. Alan does so and he receives the key to a cabin. Alan asks Rusty on how to get to Lover's Peak, and he tells him to go through Elderwood National Park and to follow the trail. Alan and Barry leave the hut and head to their cabin.
Part Two: Meeting the Kidnapper
Once they reach the cabin, Alan tells Barry to wait in the cabin, and if he was not back by morning, to call the cavalry. Alan then walks in the direction to the main reception. Whilst on the way there, he has another vision in his mind, but once it was over, Alan sees a tornado around the main reception, with gunshots and a man screaming, who sounds like Rusty. Alan meets Rusty who is seriously injured. He tells Alan that he found a page in the office that came true and to go get it and to turn the lights on. Alan reaches the fuse box, but he was too late as he sees an axe has destroyed it. Before Alan could go back to Rusty, Alan hears more screaming from Rusty, and what sounds like the tornado. Alan rushes to help him, but some Taken stand in his way. He deals with them and notices Rusty and the dog, Max, had gone. Alan goes through the mammoth sized hole in the wall, but before he can go any further, he is stopped by Rusty, who has now turned Taken. He wields an axe and can travel at super quick speeds. Alan manages to deal with him, but before he could take a quick rest, more Taken begin to attack him. He deals with them and heads down the path that the Taken uncovered for him. Barry calls Alan, and asks what those gunshots were about, but Alan just tells him to keep calm and not to worry. Alan hangs up and carries on through. Alan finds a sign pointing to Lover's Peak and follows the path, and along the way encounters even more Taken. Alan soon defeats them and carries on along the path. He follows more signs that all lead to Lover's Peak, but has to be even more careful, as the wind starts to pick up, making Alan more vulnerable. After a few moments, the wind calms but it is not long before Alan encounters a barricaded fence, blocking his path. He manages to find a fence he can jump over, so he does so. He then reaches a cable cart, which moves towards him. Alan walks onto it and makes it travel to the other side. But it is not long before he is attacked by ravens, and the cart soon becomes hijacked, causing it to crash on the other side.
Alan lands on the floor, and spots Taken heading towards him. He tries to reach for his flashlight, but the Taken block his path. It is not before long when a man kills them all and saves him. Alan picks up his flashlight and follows the man. The strange man also gives Alan some flares, and Alan is amazed to notice that the man can see them too, and it is not just in his head. Alan says that he lost his gun, but the man has a gun on him. He tells Alan to be the light source and he'll be the weapon. Alan seems to not trust the man, and soon realizes who he is... the kidnapper. Alan demands the gun from him several times when they are attacked by Taken, but the kidnapper turns him down every time. The kidnapper and Alan reach a wooden ledge, and the kidnapper tells Wake that this is the last stand, and to be prepared for the Taken that are about to attack. The light above them goes out, and the Taken attack. They are severely outnumbered, but just manage to defeat them all.
Now things get serious, when Alan asks the kidnapper where his wife is. The kidnapper knew he was going to say that, as he read it all before in manuscript pages written by Alan. The kidnapper demands the entire manuscript or else Alan's wife is going to suffer. Alan punches him in the face and they both fall off the ledge, landing luckily on solid ground. The kidnapper loses his gun, and Alan finds it. Just before Alan could shoot him, the kidnapper runs away into the distance. Alan encounters bear traps, which Rusty warned Alan about earlier. The bear traps are shiny, so this allows Alan to avoid them by spotting the reflection bounced back. Alan's only choice is to head back through the woods and get back to Barry. Alan comes across an old water mill, which he uses to try and get to higher ground, and to try and find a pathway. He reaches the top of the mill, and it's not long before logs start to fall and more Taken start to attack, including even more dangerous Taken... one wielding a chainsaw.
Part Three: Saving Barry
Alan finally makes it through the woods, but soon gets another call from Barry, saying that there are birds around the house that are just watching Barry. Alan manages to find a vehicle and uses it to get to Barry, but can go no further with the car since the road was blocked. Alan walks the rest of the way, but soon gets a call from the kidnapper, and tells him to meet him at the Coal Mine at noon in two days. Alan notices many birds in the sky around the house. Using some flares, his flash light and a flare gun, Alan fights off the birds until it is safe. Barry now believes Alan over everything he told Barry.
Alan sent Barry into town the next morning to try and figure out who the man was, Alan has no clue what to do. He tries to write a fake manuscript, but his writers block stops him from doing so. In town, Barry gets a call from Rose, telling Barry that she has Alan's pages. Barry cannot believe what he is hearing and says he'll be over right away. As he hangs up, at Rose's house, it is clearly seen that Rose has been touched by the darkness and was used by the dark presence to bring Alan to her house and trap him...
Cast
- Ilkka Villi (model) and Matthew Perreta (voice) as Alan Wake
- Brett Madden as Alice Wake
- Fred Berman as Barry Wheeler
- Benita Robledo as Rose Marigold
- Jessica Alexander as Sarah Breaker
- Jason Nuzzo as Ben Mott
- Mark Blum as Emil Hartman
- Linda Cook as Cynthia Weaver
- Kate Weiman as Barbara Jagger
- Jeff Gurner as Rusty
- Clark Warren as Doctor Nelson
- R.J. Allison as Pat Maine
- Helen Greenberg as Deputy Grant
- Bill Buell as Deputy Mulligan
- Bill Lobley as Deputy Thornton
- Gianfranco Negroponte, Navid Khonsari and Andrew Totolos as The Taken
Mission Objectives
- Switch on the coffee maker. - After Alice suggests some coffee.
- Go to Alice. - After you have switched on the coffee maker.
- Examine cover mock-ups. - After Alice tells Alan she has nearly finished the mock-ups.
- Check the fuse box. - After the power goes out.
- Go to Alice. - After you have checked the fuse box.
- Talk to Sarah. - After you have been checked out by Doctor Nelson.
- Get your cell phone. - After you enter Sarah's office.
- Go to the back lot. - After the voice on the phone tells you to.
- Examine the junker. - After you go outside.
- Exit the sheriff's station. - After you get the call from Barry Wheeler.
- Talk to Rusty. - As soon as you enter the Elderwood National Park Visitor Center.
- Find the form. - After Rusty asks you to get the form.
- Take the form to Rusty. - After you've signed the form.
- Get the keys and get to the car. - After Rusty gives you the keys.
- Head for Lovers' Peak. - After a cutscene with Alan and Barry.
- Help Rusty. - After you hear gunshots and screaming.
- Get the lights on. - After you see to Rusty.
- Return to Rusty. - After you hear Rusty screaming again.
- Reach Lovers' Peak. - After you defeat Rusty.
- Follow the kidnapper. - After you meet the kidnapper.
- Hold back the Taken. - After you reach a blocked gate.
- Follow the kidnapper. - After the kidnapper unblocks the gate.
- Defend the viewing platform. - Just before a huge ambush and when you reach Lovers' Peak.
- Make it through the woods. - After you fall off the platform with the kidnapper.
- Reach the top of the mill. - After you reach the water mill.
- Make it through the woods. - After you reach the top of the water mill.
- Return to Barry. - Once you receive a call from Barry.
- Find garage keys. - Once you reach a truck.
- Return to Barry. - Once you find the keys.
- Save Barry from the birds. - Once you reach the cabin.
- Defeat the birds. - Once the birds begin to attack.
- Talk with Barry. - Once you defeat the birds.
Trivia
- There was a slight goof in Episode 2. The events in the station is said to of happened around 7:30pm, as Alan's phone shows the time as "7:29pm", yet people in the Sheriffs station and Pat Maine on the radio all claim it is morning. It's been revealed in a forum post that it was a texture mistake.
The scripted event of the Taken walking past the window.
- A rather creepy event occurs near the middle of the episode. After you leave your cabin for Lover's Peak, one of the cabins at the side of the road should have a radio. Turn it on and watch the window on the right side of the door. A Taken walks past the window slowly. If you run outside, it has disappeared. If you turn it on and sprint outside you can see the Taken for a second but cannot hurt it with light only see it disappear. (Even aiming your light from inside wont hurt it, which means it is a scripted event.) What's weirder is that the Taken doesn't cast a shadow in the moonlight either.
- There was a huge difference between the E3 Demo and the proper episode 2.
- In the E3 version, the house Alan and Barry stayed in was a lot smaller.
- In the demo, inanimate objects would just stop when the darkness is burned away. In the main game, they disappear.
- In the demo, where you would originally fight Rusty in the main game, it was originally going to be an inanimate object fight.
- In the demo, Rusty pointed out the Taken that was trying to kill him, but no longer does in the full game.
- In the demo, Rusty was pulled further and further away, eventually ending up at a light house. In the full game, he becomes a Taken.
- In the demo, the objective is to get to the light house. That objective was moved to a dream in episode one, with a different outcome to how the dream ended.
- In the demo, there was a large encounter and a generator that had to be switched on before going on the cable car. In the full game, this no longer happens. Also in the demo, the cable car section came a lot earlier than usual, and you did not encounter Mott either in the demo. Instead, you encountered Taken at the end.
- The section where the building is destroyed by a tractor is no longer present. It was moved to Nightmare, with the change of the building being pushed off. Also in the demo, you could destroy the tractor, but you could not in episode one. However, the same sequence is encountered in The Signal, in which the tractor can be destroyed.
- The combat screen was tonnes different that the current one.
- In the demo, you also ended up at Carl Stucky's gas station. In the full game, this does not happen. However, in episode two, the station is mentioned.