Confused about the ending of Alan Wake? Are the mysteries of Bright Falls still gnawing at you? Well, you're not alone. After beating the game, I went hunting for answers, and thanks to a fictional librarian named Clay Steward, I found them.

Steward is the "author" of the Alan Wake Files, a book that accompanied the Collector's Edition of the game. He was plagued by recurring dreams and visions of Wake's adventure, so Steward finally travelled to Bright Falls to conduct his own investigation. He discovers a cache of documents and notes belonging to Agent Nightingale, which provide some interesting background and depth to the game, as well as some subtle clues. These documents, along with Steward's own notes and a sampling of Wake's and Hartman's published works, comprise the Alan Wake Files. If you were looking for answers, look no further.

***WARNING! Major Spoilers Below. Only read if you have finished Alan Wake.***

Was it real or not?

The most clarifying proof in the Alan Wake Files is not the content, but rather the author. The book is composed and written by a separate character, who is most definitely not Wake or Zane, which means we finally have a second opinion. The entire game was told through Wake’s eyes, so it was entirely possible that he had dreamt up the events or that he himself was a character created by Thomas Zane. But Steward gives us the facts from a different perspective, someone who was not present during those weeks before Deerfest, which is invaluable in solving the game’s mysteries. Instead of a single unreliable narrator, we finally have a second, trustworthy one.

So thanks to Steward’s alternate perspective, we can say with some certainty that the events of the game did happen, and that Alan Wake and the accompanying characters are real people, not figments of Wake or Zane’s imagination.

The Files also include specific proof. Steward has seen Wake before on TV, and has spent time researching him before going to Bright Falls, so Wake was real. Steward also finds info on Alice, and sees her car crashed in the woods by Cauldron Lake, so we know Alice was real and was alive at the beginning of the game (contrary to Hartman’s claims). Old newspaper articles about Barbara Jagger and Thomas Zane, written by Cynthia Weaver, confirm that the original couple were real people as well (Zane wasn’t just a creation of Alan’s).

While Steward was not present for the events of the game, he sees a lot of evidence afterwards to prove they happened. He sees the destroyed Visitor Center and hears about a huge number of missing and dead people; on the day of his arrival, alone, there were three funerals, none with a body to bury. He hears about the strange storms and tornadoes, sees devastation and bullet holes all over town, and gets a sense of despair and survivor guilt from the people. He even does forensic testing to confirm that the each manuscript page in the Files was found at the location described in the page. This is good news for any gamers who were disappointed by the game not being “real,” and bad news for that lying bastard Hartman.

What happened to all the characters?

So we know it was real, but the ending still left a lot of questions. First and foremost, what happened to everyone? Since Steward travels to Bright Falls a few weeks after the game, he gives us insight into who lived, who died, and who is still MIA. The good news is that Barry and Sheriff Breaker survived, and seem generally well. Steward tried to contact both of them, but the sheriff wouldn’t give him any new information, and Barry threatened to sue if Steward didn’t leave him alone.

Steward searches very hard for Agent Nightingale, since the documents he found belonged to the agent, but can’t find any details on his whereabouts. This makes sense, since we saw Nightingale taken by the darkness, and in the final cutscene we see him looming in a window, wrapped in darkness. This implies that Nightingale is the new face of evil, to replace Barbara Jagger. It seems that Dr. Hartman was also taken or killed by the darkness, since Steward said he “has been unresponsive to my interview request.”

Which leaves the two main characters, Alice and Alan. In the book’s afterward, Steward says he is “still unaware of whether Alan Wake is dead, missing, or in hiding,” which seems in line with the game’s ending (there is a catch though, addressed below). The intriguing part is that Steward says Alice went missing, but doesn’t find anything more on her. At the end of the game, we are led to believe that Alice is now free and alive, so why couldn’t Steward locate her? Perhaps she just reatreated to a private life, or maybe there is a greater implication. Does this mean Alice goes searching for Alan in the sequel, or that she was never really freed? 

Is Alan Wake really gone?

 While Steward cannot find any information on what happened to Wake, he does have a very important encounter. While walking in the forest one day, he sees what looks like Alan up ahead, and runs to catch up. Despite the fact that the figure walks at a steady pace, Steward is never able to catch him, and the figure vanishes mysteriously. But before it goes, it turns to look at Steward, and Steward is sure at that moment that it’s Wake. He says that Wake “smiled at me as though he were letting me in on a big secret.” This is a few weeks after the game’s ending, so it seems that the writer is not gone for good. This could be his doppleganger, Mr. Scratch, or some teaser for Alan’s future in the sequel.

Who was Agent Nightingale?

Since the majority of the Alan Wake Files are notes, interviews and documents collected by Nightingale, they give a lot of insight into the man. Steward comments on his mental state often, how Nightingale is bizarrely obsessed with catching Wake. We also get some facts about the agent’s past. A while earlier, Nightingale’s partner was killed in action, and he holds himself to blame. His subsequent depression and alcoholism led to his dismissal from the FBI.

 The question we still have though, and the question that Steward cannot answer, is what drove Nightingale to hunt Wake in the first place. Steward’s best guess is that Nightingale had the same kind of dreams that he had, and was motivated to prevent the dream’s events from becoming reality. The dreams do make Wake sound like a threat: “Alan Wake was somehow at the center of what I was experiencing…he was the cause of everything… Each night, I was killed, or witnessed others killed. Finally, I saw a small town destroyed and a whole world consumed by darkness. And it was all his fault!” While this is a plausible explanation for Nightingale’s motive, Steward feels something more personal and conrete happened.

The Wake/Zane Relationship

The relationship between Thomas Zane and Alan Wake, with their freakishly parallel experiences, is one of the biggest mysteries left in the game. While Steward is too far removed to solve this problem, the short stories by Wake do provide some food for thought. In them, Wake shows a very grim personality, and a focus on father-child relationship problems (a lighthouse is also prominent in his writings). In “Errand Boy,” a young man meets his father for the first time, a father who abandoned him out of necessity, but later sacrifices himself to save the son. This could lend some support to the theory that Zane is Wake’s father, who “wrote himself out of the story” and Wake’s life to protect the son, leaving him the clicker. While we certainly don’t know enough about the Zane/Wake connection to be conclusive, the father theory could explain why the Old Gods confuse Alan for Tom at the clinic.

Dr. Hartman’s Plan

If there were any doubts about Hartman’s intentions, the Files help put them to rest. In the excerpt from the doctor’s book, “The Creator’s Dilemma,” he talks extensively about taking the artist out of the artwork, letting the power of the art and imagination take over. This seems in line with his ambition, to manipulate artists and use the power of Cauldron Lake for his own ends. There is also an interesting quote from Mott (the kidnapper) in his interview with Nightingale. He scoffs at Nightingale’s government affiliation, and says that “a new system’s on its way.” Since Mott worked for Hartman, this new system would presumably be something Hartman had planned. Coupled with the recordings in Hartman’s office, where he talks about trying to manipulate and control Alan, the evidence is pretty damning.

The FBI Investigation

A couple of times in the Files, Steward mentions that his investigation hits a roadblock because of the FBI. The Bureau says there is an “ongoing investigation” preventing them from helping him or giving him info. He can’t find out what the investigation is about, but we may learn more in the DLC or the sequel.

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The information discussed here is based on analysis of the Alan Wake Files. It has not been confirmed or denied by Remedy, and therefore cannot be considered absolute fact. But assuming the Files are considered canon by the developers, these are the logical implications. Let us know your thoughts on the game, the ending or the Files below.