The Stephen King effect...spoilers

[2guapo]

Disclosure: I have yet to finish this game or read a single of King's books but...

Based on the few movies I've seen of his, a recurring theme seems to be that the real bad guys aren't the monsters in the story, but the people in them. Hear me out; monsters are inherently monsters. They are one dimensional. You could say it is hardwired into their DNA to do those evil things. The people are the real monsters because they have free will and yet they choose to do bad things.

I have my suspicions with Wake but Nightingale is on the top of my possible "true" monster list. The game is steering me to this direction so only time will tell if it is valid or a red herring.

Would love to hear feedback from true King fans, or anyone who's seen "The Mist" or "Needful Things."

[BSM]

I'm not sure if you care if I give a spoiler or not, but here goes:

Spoiler


I thought Nightingale just happened to read the manuscript page and, naturally, didn't want to die. Therefore, he was trying to control his destiny by trying to get Alan. I think his impending doom was what drove him to drinking and he couldn't kill Alan even when he had the chance because he's not a murderer. Plus, Alan wouldn't have written that in anyway.

Having said that, I'm still very confused about the game and need to play through it again. Particularly, the chapters that explain Zane and Barbara.

[SyphonX]

You're probably on to something.

Regarding the characters, and the true nature of the "evil".

Spoiler, don't read if you haven't at least finished Alan Wake, and thought about the game throughout.

It's a theory that Alan himself killed his wife, and that Alan has gone completely insane, and everything is imagined. If you listen closely to the scene where his wife goes "missing" at the cabin on the lake, you'll hear her scream, "ALAN, NOO!". Right before she goes 'missing', he has a complete fit of rage and starts screaming at her for no particular reason, other than his wife suggesting he could write if he wanted to. Alan doesn't even have a fit at Barry, who is the person that pesters him most about his writing.

I think he probably killed his wife, and he either had a complete insane breakdown, or his own consciousness went off the deep-end into other "dark" dimensions after the murder.

Most of the game is left to interpretation. The mystery may be a little frustrating, but the atmosphere more than makes up for it.