Watery is a fictional town in Washington, United States; serving as a prominent location in the Alan Wake franchise. The town was founded in 1891 by Finnish immigrants to support the logging and fishing industries in the area. Watery developed into a tourist attraction due to the popularity of Coffee World and the annual Moosefest. Since 2010, Watery has attempted to grow under the business ventures of the Koskela Brothers.
The town is occasionally affected by Cauldron Lake like the nearby town of Bright Falls. The lake is a place of power where the works of art created there shape reality. It also acts as a threshold to another dimension called the Dark Place. Within this world is the Dark Presence - a nightmarish entity wanting to be unleashed upon the world. The Dark Presence has since manipulated the artists of Bright Falls to do its bidding. The Darkness has also possessed various people, animals, and objects in the area - known as the "Taken".
After the disappearance of Alan Wake in 2010, the Taken have increased in numbers and threatened the citizens of Bright Falls and Watery. The Koskela Brothers rebranded the Torchbearers as the Cult of the Tree to protect the area. Various community members of both towns have joined the cult. Watery was a site of an Altered World Event in 2023, when FBI Agent Saga Anderson brought Alan Wake back from the Dark Place.
History
Watery was founded in 1891.[1] According to Ilmo Koskela, its founders were Finnish immigrants who built the town around the logging and fishing industries, and to this day it rivals the nearby town of Bright Falls for its spectacular views and friendly locals. Their annual festival, Moosefest, exists in competition with Bright Fall's Deerfest.
A manuscript written by Alan Wake, "Watery," describes the town as slowly dying out as of 2023. Watery's lumber mill, which was its main economic driver, closed down years ago, and the fishing yields from the nearby lake are starting to decline. Most of the town's residents have moved away searching for jobs elsewhere, with only the most stubborn locals sticking around.
The Koskela Brothers' business ventures have managed to stave off total collapse; their theme park, Coffee World, provides jobs for locals and attracts tourists to the town, while the Kalevala Knights motorcycle club build parade floats and perform volunteer work around town. However, Alan writes that this is merely delaying the inevitable.
Notable Locations
Map of Downtown Watery
- Coffee World
- Freshwater Fishery
- Järvisen Vene Boat Storage and Repair
- Kalevala Knights Workshop
- Kari's Garage
- Saimi's Catch of the Day
- Suomi Hall
- The Laughing Näkki
- Watery Lighthouse
- Watery Lighthouse Trailer Park
- Watery Ranger Cabin
- Watery Sauna
Known Residents
- Logan Anderson (Alternate Universe)
- Saga Anderson (Alternate Universe)
- Tapio Annala
- Ilmari Huotari
- Jaakoppi Huotari
- Charlie Koskela
- Charline Koskela
- Ilmo and Jaako Koskela
Behind the Scenes
Ahti Postcard from Control
- Back when Alan Wake was planned to be an open world game, Watery was intended to be another location on the map that could be visited. The town location and layout can be found out of bounds on the ma, but there is nothing there outside of roads and fields.
- According to Alan Wake Illuminated, one of the scrapped moments in the game included a massive plane crash. In one of the screenshots depicting the event, Watery's layout can be spotted, making this the only known glimpse into the town before Alan Wake 2.
- In Alan Wake Remastered, more reference to Watery were added to coinside with the town first official appearence in Alan Wake 2, including signs reffering to Ahma Beer, Kalevala Knights, Coffee World and more.
Trivia
- By the end of the events of Control, Jesse Faden finds an image of Ahti in a bathtowel at a red lakeside cabin, enjoying his vacation. In the AWE expansion of Control, Jesse can obtain a postcard which uses the same image, stating that the location is in Watery.
- In Alan Wake 2, the sauna in Watery (as well as a similar building in the Coffee World Overlap) resembles to the building and landscape shown in these images.
- A darkened version of this image can also be found framed in Ahti's room at the Valhalla Nursing Home in Alan Wake 2.
Gallery
Alan Wake
Alan Wake 2
References
- ↑ Mural on the wall of the Freshwater Fishery in Watery