Sam Lake gets into the Mind Place of Alan Wake 2’s Saga Anderson

destructoid.com:

In an interview with Game Developer, Remedy’s Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley spoke at length about Saga Anderson, her importance in the story, and how the team went about creating this intriguing character.

Though Alan Wake 2 still tracks the story of the fictional famous writer who finds himself up against supernatural forces, the inclusion of Saga Anderson allows players to switch between two realities and experience the narrative from different perspectives. It was a bold move, especially considering how long fans have waited to finally spend some time with Alan, but judging by critical reception, the risk paid off.

Making Saga wasn’t easy, and finding her took more time than any previous game from the studio. Remedy had to get some help from narrative consultant Kim Belair of Sweet Baby Inc. who helped the studio refine Saga’s voice and perfect her character arc.

Saga, who is played by Melanie Liburd, was added to the game because the creators felt that players would benefit from having an outsider perspective on the supernatural shenanigans in Bright Falls. She contrasts well with Alan. While Alan tends to be dramatic and emotionally motivated, Saga is a cool-headed FBI agent who prefers to deal with facts.

She nonetheless finds herself embroiled in a reality-bending world and has to quickly learn how to defeat the Dark Presence if she wishes to save her daughter. To help her piece clues together, she has an internal Mind Place where she organizes the facts of the cases she’s dealing with. It’s a neat way to keep players in the loop regarding the game’s several sinuous plotlines.

Crafting Saga was a collaborative process, Lake explains. They would spend a lot of time discussing the character with Melanie who would