The Elderwood National Park is a location featured in Alan Wake.
Background[]
The entrance to Elderwood
Elderwood National Park is located on the outskirts of Bright Falls in the Pacific North West. Lovers' Peak is located north from the park. Many animals live in the park, these include deer, grizzly bears and pumas. There is a river flowing above the park and this leads out into a larger river which leads into the Bright Falls docks.
Events of Alan Wake[]
In Taken, Alan must meet the kidnapper at Lovers Peak. Alan rents a cabin in Elderwood with Barry, waiting until it is night to head to Lovers' Peak. On the way Alan encounters the Dark Presence attacking Rusty at the Visitor Center, which turns into a confrontation with Rusty transformed into a Taken. After defeating the Taken Rusty, Alan continues towards Lovers Peak while being attacked by Taken and Ravens. Alan reaches a cable car only to get thrown off it encountering the kidnapper Mott. Both Alan and Mott fight through the Taken hordes to eventually reach Lovers Peak. Alan and Mott then fight and Mott escapes into the forest. Alan gives chase only to find out that Mott has escaped the forest. Alan makes his way out of the forest and drives back to the cabin, finding the cabin being attacked by Ravens with Barry trapped inside.
Trivia[]
- Elderwood National Park was described as one of the oldest areas which were designed during the development of Alan Wake.
- The section in the Elderwood Visitor Center was designed differently in the demo for Alan Wake:
- In the demo, you had to meet Rusty in the Visitor Center at night. In game, you have to meet "the kidnapper".
- In the demo, after the Visitor Center was attacked and you had to go out and fight poltergeists. In game, you fight Taken Rusty.
- In the demo, after you fought the poltergeists you followed a trail that lead you to dying Rusty in Stucky's Gas Station. In game, you go in the forest.
- In the demo, you take a cable car ride to a snack bar. Then a bulldozer pushes half off the cliff and you fight the bulldozer. In game, the bulldozer pushes a cabin off in Episode 1: Nightmare and you don't fight the bulldozer. Also the cable car ride just goes to the side of the cliff.
- In the demo, your last objective was to go to the lighthouse. That was taken out and instead you had to go to Lovers' Peak.
- In the demo, Alan's cabin is single story. In game, the cabin is double story.
- Remedy planned to have possessed animals such as wolves and bears in the game but scrapped the idea because they didn't seem real enough and couldn't be polished in time.
- When Alan leaves the cabin he and Barry rented there is no light sensitive paint, but when Alan comes back, there is a hidden cache in the backyard, showing that the "Lady of the Light" must have visited while Alan was gone. A recently arrived Bright Falls Power truck can be seen on your way back to the cabin, lending further credibility to this.
- The tree you encounter called "The Great Old One" is most likely a reference to the work of H.P. Lovecraft, in his work there are demons who go by that title.
Locations[]
- Lovers' Peak
- Alan's Cabin
- Elderwood Visitor Center
- The Granary
- The Trailer Park
- Moonshine Cave
- The Great Old One
- The Plane Crash Site
- Elderwood Ring Slice
Gallery[]
