You don't even recognise me, do you writer? You think you're god? You think you can just make up stuff? Play with people's lives because you think it adds to the drama? YOU'RE in this story now, and I'll make YOU suffer! 
- ― The Hitchhiker to Alan Wake, Episode 1: Nightmare
The Hitchhiker is a minor character and enemy appearing on Alan Wake. He was a fictional character created by writer Alan Wake for one of his stories.
Appearance[]
The hitchhiker is a Caucasian man with blonde hair. He wears a light brown coat over a dark blue quarter zip pullover, dark blue pants and black shoes. He also wears a black woven knit cap. After he is taken over by the Dark Presence, his appearance and clothing becomes darker.
Personality[]
Unlike other individuals possessed by the Dark Presence, the hitchhiker seems to be able to communicate properly. This may stem from the fact that, unlike other Taken, the hitchhiker is a fictional character existing only in Alan Wake's mind and not a real person. Alternatively, his comments may be a reflection of Wake's own subconscious thoughts.
After becoming a Taken, the hitchhiker shows an immense hatred towards Wake, accusing the writer of being a god that plays with other people's lives for the sake of his stories. He also taunts him by mocking his writing skills, claiming that his stories lacks artistic merits and that the success of his books is solely due to his editor.
Biography[]
During one of his nightmares, Alan Wake found himself driving towards a lighthouse when, while exiting a tunnel, his car hit the hitchhiker, who was standing in the middle of the road. Wake stepped out from his car to help him, only to see that the man was dead. The lights of the car suddenly went out. When Wake looked back at the corpse, it had vanished.
The hitchhiker is killed by Alan Wake.
As the collision damaged his car, Wake continued his journey on foot. Soon after, the hitchhiker, now possessed by the Dark Presence, reappeared in front of the vehicle before suddenly appearing in front of the writer on the hiking trail. As he taunted Wake, the hitchhiker began attacking him with an axe. The writer fell off the wooden platform and escaped as the hitchhiker continued to mock his writing skills. Shortly after, when Wake arrived at a small clearing, the hitchhiker reappeared and attacked him again, but the writer managed to dodge his attacks. After he vanished, Wake realized that he was a character from a story he was working on. The Taken reappeared once again and transformed into a dark tornado. Fleeing down the hiking trail, Wake soon reached a cabin, where Clay Steward was waiting for him. However, after Wake entered the cabin, the door closed and Steward was left outside. When the hitchhiker returned to his human form, Steward tried to kill him with his gun, but as the darkness protected him, the bullets had no effect on him. The hitchhiker then impaled Steward with his axe, killing him.
The Taken Hitchhiker
Inside the cabin, the hitchhiker's eye appeared on the televisions and continued to threaten Wake. The cabin then began to tremble, hurting him before one of the walls was disintegrated by Bright Presence, allowing Wake to escape. After healing him, the Bright Presence guided him to a nearby clearing, where the hitchhiker reappeared. Explaining that he had been taken over by the Dark Presence, the Bright Presence gave Wake a flashlight to burn away the darkness, leaving him vulnerable. Giving him a revolver, it then stated that the darkness was still inside the hitchhiker and that there was nothing to do to save him. Doing as he was told, Wake shot and killed him. After the Bright Presence left, the writer continued to make his way to the lighthouse, encountering several copies of the hitchhiker. When he reached the highway, the dark tornado appeared once again and chased the writer, throwing several vehicles at him. Nevertheless, Wake managed to reach the lighthouse and enter in time. The tornado was then destroyed by the light of the lighthouse.[1]
Gameplay[]
Description[]
The Hitchhiker is a Ranged Taken-type enemy. While he has more health than a normal Taken of this type, he does not have as much as other bosses such as Carl Stucky or Rusty Johnston, having roughly the same as a normal Tele-flanker or Assault Taken. Subsequent copies of the hitchhiker will have the same health as a regular Ranged Taken.
| Weapon | Difficulty | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Normal | Nightmare | |
| Revolver | 4 | 6 | 8 |
Strategy[]
- Given that he appears during the tutorial section, all the encounters with the hitchhiker are designed to teach the player the basic gameplay mechanics.
Achievements[]
| # | Icon | Name | Description | Further details | Points | Trophy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Follow the Light | Take a night course of light education. | Complete the tutorial section at the start of Episode One: Nightmare (story related; cannot be missed) | 10G | Bronze |
Quotes[]
- "You're a joke. There wouldn't be a single readable sentence in your books if it wasn't for your editor."
- "You'll never publish another one of your shitty stories, 'cause I'm going to kill you!"
- "It's not like your stories are any good, not like they have any artistic merit. You're a lousy writer. Cheap thrills and pretentious shit! That's all you're good for. Just look at me! Look at your work!"
- "You missed your deadline!"
- "How does it feel to die by the hands of your own creation?"
- "Die, die, die, die, die..."
- "You made me this way! And now I'm gonna kill you!"
- "This is it, Wake!"
- "You're dead, just like me!"
- "Die!"
- "I can keep this up forever!"
Trivia[]
- The hitchhiker is one of the only two known enemies to be fought more than once, the other being the imaginary Barry Wheeler.
- Before being hit by the car, the hitchhiker looks dully at the car, suggesting that he was possibly intoxicated.
Behind the scenes[]
- On early versions of the game, the Hitchhiker was going to be picked up by Alan Wake after collecting the keys to his cabin from Ben Mott (who at that time had a role similar to that of Carl Stucky). Wake tells the hitchhiker about the similarities between what was happening in the real world and the new novel he was working on, and that in the story, the hitchhiker was about died. Then, the two men notice a body lying in the middle of the road next to a crashed car. As Wake steps out of the car to check the body, a six-wheeler appears from nowhere and collides with his car, presumably killing the hitchhiker.[2]
- This cut scene might have served as inspiration for the Night Springs episode The Doomed Samaritan.
Appearances[]
- Alan Wake
- Episode 1: Nightmare (single appearance)
Gallery[]
