It’s worth reading the original write up on Bright Falls in The New York Times Arts Beat blog. If you haven’t seen it yet, the article was written by Seth Schiesel and talks about Bright Falls an an introduction to Alan Wake. “These days”, the article states, “the best and most interesting games are distinguished not by their graphics or combat mechanics, but by their writing, design, portrayals of character and depth of story.” It goes on to explain Bright Falls as a way to convince potential players that Alan Wake is prepared to deliver on that promise.
There’s a few quotes from Phillip Van (the director and co-writer of Bright Falls) about the making. Van talks about attempting to match locations from the game. Dr. Harman’s lodge, for instance, is the same location that Stanley Kubrick used for the Overlook Hotel in the Shining. On an unrelated note – who knew Phillip Van was only 29?! I suddenly feel like I haven’t done anything with my life!
It’s great to know we’re going to be revisiting some of the locations from Bright Falls in the game. I really love the diner and the lodge. Being able to explore those places would is really enticing. In a broader sense, this just adds more credence to the hope that the game will mirror the experience of Bright Falls.
The full article is at Creating a Video Game’s World With Real People.