History YMMV / AlanWake

** There are people out there who dislike the game for some very odd reasons such as not enough gore, different weapons, or that there are lots of trees around. It becomes really bad, however, when a person buys the $80 limited edition and complains about the overall tone of the game. [[FlatWhat Apparently, they didn't even read]] the ''box'' before they bought it.

* ThatOneLevel: The battle after you find the radio that plays "War". It's a very cramped warehouse full of the large Taken that take forever to light up and have a tendency to bum rush you. It's also full of smaller, faster guys who can sneak up behind you very easily. Oh, and did I mention that you have recently lost all of your stuff and only get three flares to go along with your revolver?

*** Which even then is pretty full of [[HateDumb]] when you actually play the game. The way they talk you'd swear all this game consists of is runs through the woods when that comprises about three levels. They ignore the mountain areas, caves, ghost towns, abandoned buildings, the interior and exterior of a clinic, a fricking town, bridges and power plants.

*** Which even then is pretty full of [[HateDum]] when you actually play the game. The way they talk you'd swear all this game consists of is runs through the woods when that comprises about three levels. They ignore the mountain areas, caves, ghost towns, abandoned buildings, the interior and exterior of a clinic, a fricking town, bridges and power plants.

* InformedAbility: Some people find Alan's writing too cheesy to believe that he's a best-selling writer. Others point to ''{{Twilight}}'' to show that "best-selling writing" doesn't mean "good writing", and/or [[NarmCharm are entertained anyway]]. Possibly justified in that the pages Alan found were written [[spoiler:at the bottom of a possessed lake while he was insane]].

* CharacterAlignment:
** LawfulEvil: The Dark Presence. It has great power and influence but it is limited to what artists have written for it to do, among other rules. However, while it must act out its part, it also works between the lines to make things happen the way it wishes. In addition, it need only act by the letter of the law - if a writer fails to write about something or leaves something out, it can act within those bounds. This is one possibility on why [[spoiler:you see Nightingale at the end of the game; Alan had only written that Nightingale was attacked but not killed, resulting in the Dark Presence using the man similarly to Barbara Jagger]].
** LawfulNeutral: Surprisingly, Agent Nightingale is this instead of LawfulEvil. While he is without a doubt a huge {{Jerkass}} and a KnightTemplar, [[spoiler:he refuses to murder Alan while he's passed out at the Anderson farm]], and he comforts [[spoiler:a broken Rose]] during her interview.
* CompleteMonster: The Dark Presence, ''[[CaptainObvious literally]]''.

** Barry, for his constant pop culture references from {{Zork}} to [[TheLordOfTheRings Mordor]] and for [[TookALevelInBadass taking a couple of levels in badass]] from Episode 4 onwards.\\
\\
Barry is also liked because he gives Alan some PetTheDog Moments. Once Alan starts snarking back and forth with Barry you realize, hey, Alan's not just a mopey {{jerkass}}. He's got a sense of humour!

** It ends on [[DavidBowie Major Tom]].

* HellIsthatNoise: When the wind starts blowing hard, and the shadows start moving of their own accord, it's time to ''run like hell.''

* NarmCharm: As strong an element of Lake's writing as ever. His occasionally stilted and unnatural dialogue, often propped up with gratuitous film references right in the fore-text, is still very sincere in its desire to entertain and has won him many new fans.

** It's hard to stay mad at [[spoiler:Mott the fake kidnapper]] once you realize that the only reason he tried to wrestle a manuscript out of Alan was because [[spoiler:Hartman was forcing him to]]. Additionally, he runs into the Dark Presence shortly before he and Alan meet for the last time. We don't see what the Dark Presence does to him, but by the time Alan catches up to him, he's broken and sobbing, begging for mercy.

** There are people out there who dislike the game for some very odd reasons such as not enough gore, different weapons, or that there are lots of trees around. It becomes a WallBanger, however, when a person buys the $80 limited edition and complains about the overall tone of the game. [[FlatWhat Apparently, they didn't even read]] the ''box'' before they bought it.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel:
** The Dark Presence in general, but particularly its avatar [[spoiler:Barbara Jagger]], who is especially terrifying the scene where Alan is talking to her and she jumps at the screen and appears to be threatening the player. And, if you consider what you're doing at the time, well... she actually ''is'' threatening the player.
** Struggling to reach the light of a Safe Haven, only for the light to flicker out and/or the bulb to break as you approach. Many an expletive has been uttered out loud by gamers upon these moments.
** Manuscript pages dealing with every aspect of your life and other peoples' interactions with you, an unnatural force possessing people who did nothing wrong, having to kill half the town and have their blood on your hands, [[spoiler: a woman with a hole where her effing ''heart'' should be,]] and two cases [[ShootTheDog in which a dog dies]]. ''How the hell did this game get a Teen rating again?!''
** The poor drunk guy you hear when you enter a cabin, screaming and firing his gun as he's being murdered by his Taken friend. Who then smashes through the window when you come back downstairs. Just the sheer terror of the poor bastard is ''palpable''.
** The ending of "The Signal" DLC. [[spoiler:The televisions Alan's been seeing of himself almost going insane actually ''are'' what's happening to him. He manages to fight off several possessed TV's showing him losing hope and giving in to the Dark Presence. He suddenly has a blinding headache and wakes up in Cauldron Lake Lodge, a ghostly Dr. Hartman standing over him and calmly telling him it's all in his head. As Alan struggles to leave his room, the camera moves out of his eye to reveal him lying on the floor in the cabin, twitching and mumbling incoherently to himself about being unable to escape.]] Cue credits.

** It's hard to stay mad at [[spoiler: Mott, the fake kidnapper, once you realize that the only reason he tried to wrestle a manuscript out of Alan was because Hartman was forcing him to. Additionally, he runs into the Dark Presence shortly before he and Alan meet for the last time. We don't see what the Dark Presence does to him, but by the time Alan catches up to him, he's broken and sobbing, begging for mercy.]]
** This can also apply to [[spoiler: Agent Nightingale, if you have access to ''[[AllThereInTheManual The Alan Wake Files]]'' from the Limited Edition: he feels guilt over his partner's death and is taking it out on others on the job. Of course, Alan receives the full brunt of Agent Nightingale's behaviour.]]

* EarWorm: "Put de lime in de coconut, you drank em both up..."
** [[spoiler: "Find the lady of the light, gone mad with the night..."]]
* EnsembleDarkhorse: Barry, for his constant pop culture references from {{Zork}} to [[TheLordOfTheRings Mordor]] and for [[TookALevelInBadass taking a couple of levels in badass]] from Episode 4 onwards.
** Barry is also liked because he gives Alan some PetTheDog Moments. Once Alan starts snarking back and forth with Barry you realize, hey, Alan's not just a mopey JerkAss. He's got a sense of humour!

** There are people out there who dislike the game for some very odd reasons. Reasons such as: Not enough gore, or different weapons, or that there are lots of trees around. It becomes a WallBanger problem, however, when a person buys the $80 limited edition, and complains about the overall tone of the game. [[FlatWhat Apparently, they didn't even read]] the ''box'' before they bought it.
** Arguably, the thing about the trees isn't completely unreasonable when you realize that it's not just that there lots of trees, it's just that ''that's all there is''. The game pretty much has one setting and one setting only, and that's dark, misty forest. The utter lack of variety in the levels does get old after a while.
*** [[RealityIsUnrealistic Which is typical for the Cascades mountain range]] Unless Alan's going above the tree line, there's not gonna be much variation in a hundreds-year-old forest.

** The Dark Presence in general, but particularly its avatar [[spoiler: Barbara Jagger]], who is especially terrifying the scene where Alan is talking to her and she jumps at the screen and appears to be threatening the player. And, if you consider what you're doing at the time, well... she actually ''is'' threatening the player.

** Manuscript pages dealing with every aspect of your life and other peoples' interactions with you, an unnatural force possessing people who did nothing wrong, having to kill half the town and have their blood on your hands, [[spoiler: a woman with a hole where her effing ''heart'' should be,]] and two cases [[ShootTheDog in which a dog dies.]] ...''How the hell did this game get a Teen rating again?!''

** The ending of "The Signal" DLC: [[spoiler:the televisions Alan's been seeing of himself almost going insane actually ''are'' what's happening to him. He manages to fight off several possessed TV's showing him losing hope and giving in to the Dark Presence. He suddenly has a blinding headache and wakes up in Cauldron Lake Lodge, a ghostly Dr. Hartman standing over him and calmly telling him it's all in his head. As Alan struggles to leave his room, the camera moves out of his eye to reveal him lying on the floor in the cabin, twitching and mumbling incoherently to himself about being unable to escape. Cue credits.]]
* InformedAbility: [[YourMileageMayVary Some people]] find Alan's writing too cheesy to believe that he's a best-selling writer. Others point to ''{{Twilight}}'' to show that "best-selling writing" doesn't mean "good writing", and/or [[NarmCharm are entertained anyway]]. Possibly justified in that the pages Alan found were written [[spoiler:at the bottom of a possessed lake while he was insane]].

* LargeHam: Stucky. For someone who gets barely a few minutes worth of appearance, he's very charismatic. And loud.
** [[spoiler:The insane side of Alan]] in the DLC episodes.
* LawfulEvil: [[spoiler: The Dark Presence qualifies. It has great power and influence but it is limited to what artists have written (or what have you) for it to do, among other rules. However, while it must act out its part, it also works between the lines to make things happen the way it wishes. In addition, it need only act by the letter of the law - if a writer fails to write about something, leaves something out, etc, it can act within those bounds. This is one possibility on why you see Nightingale at the end of the game; Alan had only written that Nightingale was attacked but not killed, resulting in the Dark Presence using the man similar to Barbara Jagger.]]
* LawfulNeutral: Surprisingly, Agent Nightingale is this instead of LawfulEvil. While he is without a doubt a huge {{Jerkass}} and a KnightTemplar, [[spoiler:he refuses to murder Alan while he's passed out at the Anderson farm, and he comforts a broken Rose during her interview.]]

* MoralEventHorizon: Agent Nightingale. Besides trying to kill Alan, he almost shoots Randolph and Pat Maine and, after capturing Alan, taunts him about putting him in jail for a long time.

* TheScrappy: Quite a few people dislike Barry for being annoying and trying to be plucky comic relief in what is otherwise a very dark game.
** Agent Nightingale, though Remedy may have special plans for him [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap in the upcoming DLC episodes.]]

* SurvivalHorror: Though given one discussion over at Gamasutra, YMMV on whether Alan Wake is survival horror or whether it would be better to call it a psychological thriller. The distinction being along the lines of Halloween versus The Shining. In some ways, Alan Wake is best played like ''SystemShock 2'' or ''{{Bioshock}}'' rather than ''MaxPayne'' [[RecycledInSpace in the woods]].

* XMeetsY: {{Metroid}} Prime II meets {{Misery}} meets Bag Of Bones meets {{Infected}}.

* AlasPoorVillain: It's hard to stay mad at [[spoiler: Mott, the fake kidnapper, once you realize that the only reason he tried to wrestle a manuscript out of Alan was because Hartman was forcing him to. Additionally, he runs into the Dark Presence shortly before he and Alan meet for the last time. We don't see what the Dark Presence does to him, but by the time Alan catches up to him, he's broken and sobbing, begging for mercy.]]

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: A lot of it, especially songs - such as "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwV0jMmvtt0 Children of the Elder God]]" by a [[FakeBand fictional band]] named "The Old Gods of Asgard".

*** And it ends on [[DavidBowie Major Tom]].

* [[GoddamnedBats Goddamned Crows]]: The Dark Crows, which are about as close to the trope namer as possible without actually being mammals. Also those damned {{Bear Trap}}s in certain parts of the woods.
** And in The Signal it becomes [[{{GoddamnedBats}} Goddamned Books]]
* HateDumb: There are people out there who dislike the game for some very odd reasons. Reasons such as: Not enough gore, or different weapons, or that there are lots of trees around. It becomes a WallBanger problem, however, when a person buys the $80 limited edition, and complains about the overall tone of the game. [[FlatWhat Apparently, they didn't even read]] the ''box'' before they bought it.
** Arguably, the thing about the trees isn't completely unreasonable when you realize that it's not just that there lots of trees, it's just that ''that's all there is''. The game pretty much has one setting and one setting only, and that's dark, misty forest. The utter lack of variety in the levels does get old after a while

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: The Dark Presence in general, but particularly its avatar [[spoiler: Barbara Jagger]], who is especially terrifying the scene where Alan is talking to her and she jumps at the screen and appears to be threatening the player. And, if you consider what you're doing at the time, well... she actually ''is'' threatening the player.

* NightmareRetardant: Having a deranged hybrid of [[KingdomHearts the Heartless]] and [[ResidentEvil the Ganados]] flail at you wildly with a rusty sickle is unnerving right up until he kindly informs you, "Omega-3 fatty acids are GOOD for your health!".
** But then swings back to HighOctaneNightmareFuel when you realize that the random phrases are ''all that's left of the original person.''

* DesignatedProtagonist: Alan is a bit of a jerkass. Every death in the story is the case of him writing it in. Rusty and Carl are taken because he needed someone to create conflict with. Rose is mind raped because he needs way to create a cliffhanger. Every time he needed to script a tense battle in the forest he doomed 20 towns folk. He killed off tons of police officers, an entire mining company, and caused untold property damage all to bring back one person.

*** [[RealityIsUnrealistic Which is typical for the Cascades mountain range]] Unless Alan's going above the tree line, there's not gonna be much variation in a hundreds-year-old forest.