Summary
One of the more popular characters from the originalAlan Wakewas Barry Wheeler, the titular Alan Wake’s literary agent and the game’s comic relief, so some fans may be disappointed to learn that he doesn’t make a significant appearance inAlan Wake 2.Alan Wake 2picks up where the original game left off, bringing back some familiar faces while also introducing new characters like FBI agent Saga Anderson.
THIS ARTICLE HAS SOME SPOILERS FOR ALAN WAKE 2
Alan Wake 2stands out from the original game for more reasons than just the new characters it introduces.Alan Wake 2is a pure survival-horror game, with gameplay that is more like theResident Evilremakes than the 2010Alan Wakegame. WithRemedy givingAlan Wake 2more of a horror focus, some fans of the franchise may not be surprised to learn that Barry Wheeler is not in the new game.
Barry Wheeler is not inAlan Wake 2, but that doesn’t mean that he’s been completely erased from the franchise. In fact, there are multiple mentions of Wheeler inAlan Wake 2that clue fans in on what he’s been up to since the events of the 2010 game. Following Wake’s disappearance, Wheeler became the manager of the Old Gods of Asgard band, eventually helping them set up the Valhalla nursing home that playersvisit in the game as Saga Anderson. A welcome plaque with a message written by Wheeler can be read in Valhalla.
Is Barry Wheeler in Alan Wake 2?
Whileexploring The Dark Placeas Alan Wake, players are treated to live-action footage of Wake’s wife Alice talking directly to the camera about her life in the aftermath of her husband’s disappearance. Alice talks about Barry and how he was convinced through therapy that the events ofAlan Wakewere not supernatural but the result of PTSD. Barry became Alice’s friend after Alan’s supposed death, bringing her meals and taking care of her as she grieved. Eventually, Barry “moved out west,” and so that’s presumably where he’s located during the events ofAlan Wake 2.
While Barry does not appear inAlan Wake 2, it’s entirely possible that he could show back up in a future game or DLC. Remedy Entertainment hastwoAlan Wake 2expansions plannedfor release in 2024, so hardcore fans may have their fingers crossed that Barry Wheeler will make an appearance in one of them.
Alan Wake 2
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A string of ritualistic murders threatens Bright Falls, a small-town community surrounded by Pacific Northwest wilderness. Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases arrives to investigate the murders. Anderson’s case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare beyond our world, writes a dark story in an attempt to shape the reality around him and escape his prison. With a dark horror hunting him, Wake is trying to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.Anderson and Wake are two heroes on two desperate journeys in two separate realities, connected at heart in ways neither of them can understand: reflecting each other, echoing each other, and affecting the worlds around them.Fueled by the horror story, supernatural darkness invades Bright Falls, corrupting the locals and threatening the loved ones of both Anderson and Wake. Light is their weapon—and their safe haven — against the darkness they face. Trapped in a sinister horror story where there are only victims and monsters, can they break out to be the heroes they need to be?
