![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Lake House is the second and final DLC for Alan Wake II. Kiran Estevez visits the Lake House, an FBC research facility run by Drs. Jules and Diana Marmont. Like with the previous DLC, this one is available through the menu screen. It's also available during a conversation Saga has with Estevez. This is the framing device for the DLC; Estevez provides narration throughout that makes it clear she's telling the story to Saga.
After Control revealed that Emil Hartman's Cauldron Lake Lodge had been seized by the FBC, I expected that this DLC would take place there. What would the Lodge look like 13 years later? What kind of research would the FBC have been doing? Unfortunately, Cauldron Lake Lodge isn't the Lake House. It's a separate place.
There are, however, plenty of similarities between the two places. Like how Hartman exploited artists in an attempt to control the Dark Presence, the Marmonts exploited artists in order to study it. They even mention Hartman, and how they'll do a better job. If you thought what Hartman was doing was bad, then you'll think the Marmonts are much, much worse.
The new enemy introduced is the Painted – spindly humanoid creatures that pop out of paint on the walls and are invulnerable to everything except a weapon you get late in the DLC. They were created by the Painting, which itself was created when Rudolf Lane (who you meet at Cauldron Lake Lodge in the first Alan Wake game) committed suicide by creating a painting using his own blood. It's very obvious that the suicide was a result of the Marmonts constantly pressuring him into creating art.
Diana Marmont's method of study is, essentially, "AI art" generation. She attempts to produce manuscript pages in Alan's writing style by feeding them into an algorithm which then spits out pages en masse. And I mean it – there is a giant room filled with typewriters creating manuscript pages.
Right when you enter the lobby of the Lake House, there is a video of the Marmonts, obviously emulating the style of Dr. Darling's videos in Control. They immediately fail to be as charismatic as Darling. In fact, there's quite a bit of resentment from Jules Marmont toward Darling, and both Marmonts toward each other. The manuscript pages written by Alan do describe the Marmonts' failing relationship – is this Alan's clairvoyance in action, or is it him influencing reality through his writing once again?
You learn some things about the FBC in this DLC. The Oldest House has been on lockdown since 2019. The FBC has been operating out of field offices – there's a mention of one in Boston. No one knows about Jesse or the Hiss, and everyone still thinks that Trench is the Director.
There is a completely optional visit to the Oceanview Motel where you travel to the Panopticon in the Oldest House. In the hallway leading to the Panopticon is a painting of the Director on the wall. The painting itself is halfway between Trench and Jesse – pretty odd, as all the paintings of the Director changed to Jesse immediately upon her gaining the Service Weapon. What's going on during the events of Control 2?
Inside the Panopticon itself is Dylan Faden, who gives a few cryptic comments that are definitely related to Control 2. There are some images (concept art, I imagine) of New York, seemingly confirming that we'll be going outside the Oldest House in Control 2. It's very similar to the conversation between Alan and Tom Zane in Control's AWE DLC, so I imagine we'll be able to see Dylan's perspective on this conversation with Estevez in a couple of years.
The final boss, a Taken version of Diana Marmont, was kind of disappointing. That's a bit of a recurring theme in Remedy's games – great atmosphere, great story, disappointing boss fights. I don't exactly play these games for the combat, so I have no issue with it. The room definitely could have benefited from better lighting; I had trouble telling where Taken Diana was because of how dark it was.
After the boss fight, Estevez sees a vision of Alan at his desk, giving her advice on how to find him – he's in the woods outside Bright Falls. That confirms that the events at the Lake House happened concurrently to Saga and Casey arriving at Bright Falls. I'd been under the impression that it happened earlier and that's why the FBC was already in the area to swoop in and take over Saga's investigation.
I'm now a little confused as to how long the events of Alan Wake II last. It can't be more than a few days, yet Ed Booker managed to get kidnapped by the Marmonts after meeting Saga in the Oh Deer Diner, the Marmonts got Taken, and the Lake House got wrecked beyond repair – and that's all before Estevez entered the Lake House.
I think I'll just have to assume that time works differently in FBC facilities, just like it (presumably) does in the Oldest House.
