After the short introduction to the episode, the game starts with Alan walking into the Oh Dear Diner. He notices that something wrong as the atmosphere is darker and heavier and the characters are distorted. The first thing that the player needs to do is to walk to the back of the diner and to the bathroom just like in the first level of the full game. Also like the full game, Odin will call you over to ask you to play Coconut, which you can do but the music comes out distorted just like the other character's voices.
When you get to the men's bathroom, the door will be jammed, press B to make Alan break the door in. Inside the room is a large mirror, which Zane communicates to you through. He tells you that you are going deeper and Alan is going into insanity. Zane shows you what is happening inside Cauldron Lake Lodge, Alan is on the floor, mumbling to himself and caught up in his own self-madness. After a short speech, a flashlight and a revolver will materialise through the mirror. Press B to pick them up.
EASTER EGG: In the final cubicle is the words "Mirra was here" this references back to the Max Payne games and the Address Unknown series involving the antagonist named John Mirra.
After arming yourself, walk back into the main diner. On the way back the protagonist will experience the first of a series of waves which changes the location slightly. When you arrive back where you started, Alan will appear on the television screens which are dotted around the area. The TV tells you that enemies are about to attack Wake, including one that will smash a door down. When you have control again, head to the front door of the diner, despite what you're thinking this isn't the door which the TV mentions but rather it's the door leading to the kitchen on the opposite side of the room. You will have a few seconds before the ambush begins, so train your flashlight on the kitchen door since one of the big tough enemies will enter through there.
Four enemies will attack you. The first is one of the big strong Taken who will smash down the kitchen door. The other two are not as strong but incredibly sneaky. One of them will appear from behind the counter and the final two appears from the hallway that you just left. Since you have no flares this battle can be a little tricky. You can follow these tips to survive:
- The first one on the right is the fastest, so take him out first.
- Make your way to the second one in the hallway, but always have your torch boosted at him to drive him back.
- Turn around, the big Taken should be close by now but you can always back up now that you have the hallway. Focus on him and take him out.
- Stay in the hallway since this means you don't have to worry about surprise attacks.
- The final one should be on the left sneaking up, wait until he enters the hallway to use the light. If you shine the torch at him early then he can jump to the right and avoid it.
The light leads you inside a house, when you enter the front door will close behind you, for now you are safe. Follow the light to the back of the house, and press B to pick up the manuscript page on the floor. Picking up the page will initiate a cutscene in which Alan uses the torch against hovering words. Using the light on the words makes them come true. Now Alan has a phone including a GPS system to guide him through his fractured memories. Go through the house to the front rooms. In the hallway you can see the word "flashlight", use the light of the torch to make the item appear. Now Alan is equipped with a heavy-duty torch. Another way will surge through Alan's mind and the location outside the cabin will change. You can go outside via the main front door that you entered previously, but I suggest you don't just yet. Instead walk into the room on the left to pick up a flaregun, one flaregun ammo and a box of batteries. Now leave the house through the front door.
CHECKPOINT
Alan is now opposite the Oh Deer Diner, the target now is to get to the book store to the right from the current posistion and on the opposite side of the road. The only issue is that poltergeists will try to kill you. Walking forward will cause the three television sets in front of you to come to life. The screens shows Alan lying on the ground, the voice telling him that the cars will turn against the character and try to kill him.
EASTER EGG: A 1957 Plymouth Fury is parked outside of the house, this is a reference to Stephen King's Christine. Ironically it is one of the only few cars that will not turn against you.
The cars which will become poessed by the Dark Presence are:
- A White Car (First wave)
- An Orange and Red Pick-Up (First wave)
- A School Bus (Second wave)
- A Rusty Tow Truck (Third wave)
After getting to the bookstore, use the flashlight to burn away the possessed door so you can enter.
CHECKPOINT
Inside there is another ambush waiting. Inside there's a word reading "Tools", when you use your flashlight on this, it will give you three flares, shotgun ammo, a shotgun and revolver ammo. Now prepare yourself for a fight. As you walk into the next room on the right, two Taken will appear behind you. Three more in the room in front of you including a large Taken.
Here are tips for surviving the fight:
- Immediately place down a flare.
- Switch to your revolver
- Turn to the two that are sneaking up behind you.
- Take out the one closest to you then the one behind.
- Walk into the other room but not completely in so you will get overrun.
- One Taken should jump out at you so prepare for this and take him out quickly.
- There should be a large Taken behind him.
- Switch to your shotgun.
- Back away slowly but make sure you don't back into a corner.
- When the darkness is burned away, two shots are all you need to kill him.
- There's a small Taken who will appear. Switch to your revolver and kill him.
Walk out of the door, and into a car park covered with red laterns. You will get another call from Zane informing you that you are still sinking. The call is followed by another surge of force and the locations change again.
Walk directly in front of you to the stack of wood piled up against a wire fence. Climb on the wood and over the fence.
CHECKPOINT
Alan is now on a street which has been destroyed. You can hold the left analogue stick to get a better view of the broken road. Your destination is directly in front of you but I reccomend going left down the road instead to pick up several items. On a porch you can get two packs of batteries, revolver ammo and shotgun ammo. Further down the road on the corner, you can get a flashbang and a flare.
STATUE #1 - SARAH BREAKER
If you continue to travel around the corner you will also find another flare as well as the cardboard statue of Sarah Breaker.
If you went to get the items/statue, return back to the fence.
Cross over the road by using the broken pathway and head into the park directly in front of you. Once again it's another ambush, not just by the Taken but by a flock of crows. There are a large group of Taken, so I highly recomend running up the stairs directly in front of you and following the path to the street light. Use flares to keep the Taken away from you and try to run when you aren't using them.
If you detirmined to fight against the Taken, then you're insane. But you can use these tips:
- Don't fight straight away, instead back away so that the Taken gather in a group.
- Equip your flashbang by pressing the down button on the directional pad twice.
- Throw the flashbang at the group.
- As the crows swoop down, use a normal flare.
- Take note where the remaining Taken are and back away in the opposite direction, your main focus should be on those birds.
- After defeating the birds, return to any remaining Taken.
If you do defeat all the Taken, you can get the Tools which are located at the back right corner of the park which will give you a pack of revolver ammo, 2 flares, a pack of batteries and a pack of shotgun ammo.
Now run into the streetlamp light. to restore Alan's health.
Walking into the street will make Zane phone you again. He informs you again that Alan is sinking. Another surge will destroy the phone connection. Over to the left hand side of the road is a blinking light, head in this direction. Use the boxes to climb over the wooden fence. Prepare yourself for another ambush. One Taken will jump down from the roof behind you with three other Taken in front of you and a fifth walking downstairs. You can run up the steps to the right and use a flare to get past the Taken walking down. Quickly jump over the fence to the left. Or you can fight them all, here are tips if you want to do that:
- Light a flare
- Take out the enemy that is sneaking up behind you first.
- Run down the alleyway you just came from.
- The Taken will all charge at you at once, so share the flashlight beam between them all keeping them a comfortable distance.
- Once all of the Taken have had the darkness burned away shoot up them.
