10 Simple Questions That Break Famous Video Game Stories In Half

4. How Does Barry Wheeler Power Anything In Bright Falls?

While Mount Massive Asylum had numerous visible escape routes that were seemingly ignored by the protagonist in Outlast, Alan Wake suffered no such similar problems. Bright Falls is a veritable nightmare, and our hero's inability to leave or even figure out what's going on is backed by strong storytelling for the most part.

Working his way through the eerie town, Alan has to rely on the powers of light to work his way past shadowy figures under the influence of the mysterious 'Dark Presence'. Light sources and battery-powered torches are, of course, at a premium in the town and Alan's adventure becomes a series of mad yet measured dashes from one safe spot to the next.

Fortunately, Alan is not entirely alone, but that's also where the events of a wonderful story sadly start to unfold. With his agent Barry Wheeler appearing periodically to offer aid, we quickly find that not everyone is bound by the same light constraints. Despite Alan's struggle to re-light the dark areas of Bright Falls, Barry is always conveniently able to find something to illuminate things.

From a set of Christmas lights that never run out of power to the countless rooms and areas that he powers with ease, Barry becomes a plot device that advances the gameplay elements well. This comes as the expense of the story, however, leaving us wondering why Alan wouldn't simply stay by Barry's side if he's always so immune to the dark?