I've seen "Alan Wake" at a few preview events over the years, and it's definitely unique. It's clear the developers are trying to take the feel of a network TV thriller and bring it into the game space. Because of their goals, I was curious what the driving inspirations were for the game. Sam Lake, the lead writer of "Alan Wake," talked with me about his specific inspirations for the story.
"We look into pop culture in general for sources of inspiration. Not so much video games, but other media, TV series, movies graphic novels, books. Things that haven't been seen in video games before, but are still something that people are familiar with. We look for those sources of inspiration and then make our own version of it into a game.
"One obvious source of inspiration for the setting is 'Twin Peaks.' From the story side we have a writer as a main character whose thriller novel is coming true, so Stephen King's works are one obvious source of inspiration.
"'LOST,' of the more modern TV series. We're big fans of 'LOST.' Not so much of the actual plot side…but more like the pacing of a TV series thriller. Also, books like Bret Easton Ellis' 'Lunar Park,' where he has made himself into a very flawed writer character who is losing grip of his reality, things like that."
These inspirations come through loud and clear in the game, but I also got a very strong "Silent Hill" vibe, especially from the mountain village setting and the kooky, over-the-top cast of characters. Lake addressed the similarities, but was pretty insistent that the Konami series isn't considered one of the inspirations for "Alan Wake."
"They are very good games but, as said, we have been looking outside games for sources of inspiration. 'Alan Wake' is a combination of different elements. This is an action game, so it's not so much an adventure game."
Fair enough, but if a dude with a triangle head starts trying to cut my head off in level two, I'm calling foul.