A few extra notes from a Finn: - 3:13 Järvisen vene could be translated as "McLake's boats". Järvinen is a fitting name for someone who sells boats, but it might also be a reference to Sam Lake's real name, Sami Järvi. - 4:05 Ahti the Janitor gets his name from Ahti, the ancient God of Water. As a sidenote, I once jokingly said a "prayer" to Ahti when fishing and actually got a nice fish soon afterwards. Maybe the ancient Finns were onto something. - 4:48 Remedy had a co-operation with Airam to make real-life thermos bottles with the Oh Deer Diner logo. Airam is over 100 years old company, so they know their thermoses. Finns also take everything coffee related more seriously than you'd think. - 6:18 Ahma means wolverine, and the beer is a combination of all top 3 popular Finnish beer labels. Visually it looks like Koff beer, the animal theme is a reference to Karhu beer (meaning bear) and if you really want to stretch it, the four letter word starting and ending with a vowel is kind of similar to Olvi beer. - 7:11 Koskela's biker jacket says "Kalevala Knights". Kalevala is the ancient Finnish epic, kind of our version of Iliad and Odyssey of Homeros. It's the most significant book about Finnish roots.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out, I never would have found any of this stuff in my searches! I really enjoyed learning about Finnish culture and I still get to learn more from comments like yours. :) I might have some Finnish blood in my ancestors somewhere because I'm right there with you on all things coffee ☕
Koskela is also a classic surname in Finnish literature - the books 'Täällä Pohjantähden Alla' (Here Under the North Star) and 'Tuntematon Sotilas'/'Sotaromaani' (Unknown Soldier, originally creatively named 'War Novel') by Finnish author Väinö Linna follow the Koskela family through three generations: from Finnish Independence at the end of WW1 through the Civil War and the two wars against Soviets in WW2.
As a Finnish person who lives in Sweden, i have always been so proud over Remedy. They have always been my top 3 favorite game developers, because of many things but them celebrating Finnish Culture to the masses is do beautiful to see. Proud Finnish 🇫🇮
I think they are introducing Finnish culture to a generation of gamers who might not have had any other venues of exposure, and it's just incredible. They are a special part of this industry for sure.
Martti Suosalo's Yötön Yö is a real masterpiece of a song, I keep going back to it over and over! It's a perfect example of Finnish "iskelmä" style music that is popular in karaoke, and the lyrics are just so on point with that melancholy, stereotypical small town tragedy interwoven of course with major Alan Wake lore and foreshadowing. "Kuin painajainen hän luoksesi saapuu, hänet verhottu on varjojen kaapuun..."
Thank you for sharing this! I really wanted to do a section about Finnish music in the game because there are so many amazing pieces, but I just couldn't justify it due to a lack of knowledge.
I love that song, too. I listen to it a lot after beating the game. Martti Suosalo is such a great actor. I was lucky enough to get him to sign an autograph on my Alan Wake 2 thermos. Better than any physical edition of the game.
@Sammo212 his genre would definitely be iskelmä. I think youd enjoy Yölintu, the late Vesa Matti Loiri, that man had a golden voice. Many more if you want
As a Dane I can confirm that it is incredibly Scandinavian to scatingly tease the sister nation's of Norway, Finland, Iceland and... Sweden. We make so many, so harsh jokes about each other's nations - but you can also trust us to always defend each other from any outsiders. We may have had some of the longest wars in world history (Denmark/Sweden at least) but we're still sister/brother nations. For anyone curious I really recommend the Scandianvia and The World webcomics.
Really appreciate your perspective here, thank you for taking the time to comment this. After reading this, I can see that the jokes definitely have a certain "brotherly teasing" tone to them. I'll certainly check out that web comic I love learning about new types of history
agree. It is like brothers competing who can run faster, jump higher or hold a matchstick longer. But if someone else would come to bully any of them then brothers would stand side by side.
People really need to chill about this. Why is non-white folks just existing woke all of a sudden. It's not like we didn't have black or female protagonists before.
Incredibly sad. I mean, I don't like forced or disingenuous content, but there's nothing "woke" about this story. One of the two heroes is black, that's it. The rest of the story isn't political so I don't even understand these people.
@@StarsAndSticksminus the Russian joke (and mayor setter) there's nothing political in this game. Anyone who thinks it's woke is missing 99% of their brain.
Great video! Alan Wake 2 made me so proud to be a Finn, seeing how they include all these big and small references to our culture while making a fantastic game on it's own. You caught on to a lot of them quite well. Couple others that I loved to see were the traditional finnish pastry called Karjalanpiirakka (or Karelian pie in english), they were usually on plates next to the coffee thermos in safe rooms. And then there is of course Ahti who speaks through Finnish idioms translated straight to English and sometimes just completely in Finnish which causes his dialogue sound nonsensical if you dont understand finnish.
I made a brief mention of the Karelian pies in the Suomi hall section, I just didn't have any footage of them. :) The funny thing about Ahti is that I played the game with subtitles hoping to get a translation, but NOPE they just subtitled it in Finnish laugh😂 So that definitely felt like it was a bone for the Finnish people playing the game.
I don't know if this is odd, but ive grown to love Finnish culture because of Remedy. Ive started learning Finnish, and plan to visit Finland. I believe it helped I live in Washington State, so Alan Wake hit different for me. Plus, coffee is a plus
Nothing odd about that brother! I feel the same and I'm sure many others do as well! Consider how many millions of people are fascinated by Japanese culture through media exposure. Why shouldn't it be the same for the Finns? Personally, I'm happy the nation has gotten the entertainment industry limelight from Alan Wake 2 because it's a really interesting place with interesting people and I've certainly grown a cultural appreciation and understanding I didnt have before. :)
@@StarsAndSticks That's definitely a good point. I feel my own Sisu, My own Finnish pride, with my environment being that of Finland. I've decided to study abroad there next school term I'm delighted to have been brought into this wonderful culture, and I'm glad to learn more
Too true, if anyone in the world can appreciate coffee like a Finn... It would certainly be a Brazilian. Glad you liked the video, thanks for commenting. :)
I did not know that! One of the best parts of this video for me has been learning all sorts of new information from the comments section so thank you for sharing this.
Hey thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment Finn friend! It means a lot to me that this made it's way to a few Finnish people, I hope you enjoyed it! I definitely enjoyed learning about your home country.
I can only imagine how special it must have been for people from Finnish heritage to experience this game. Already it's one of my favorite games as an American!
3 months of Yötön Yö and 9 months of Päivätön Päivä (Dayless Day). It's 4 pm here and sun set hours ago =( luckily we got some snow even when living in southernmost Finland.
"Finland has many lakes, mountains and rivers." I live in Finland, and if i want to see a mountain, i'd have to travel to Sweden... Everything else said here is spot on.
My great grandfather was an immigrant from Norway, so I can detect some of the references, but I’m sure I’m missing most of them. The anti-Swedish jokes were pretty funny, I grew up being told to “hate” the Swedes. The joke about ignoring small talk at the bar in the commercial is definitely Scandinavian. I also live in Washington, and the developers did a really great job in portraying this region of the world. There’s another town that reminds me a bit of Watery, Poulsbo WA. It’s a little Norway instead of Finland, but it is worth checking out photos online at least if you are a fan of Alan Wake.
Thanks for your comment man, I bet this game must have been really special for you considering your heritage and that you live in the Northwest. Going to go search for some of those photos now.
Another great video, very well done. The subject matter you choose to focus on for a gaming channel is very unique. I'm really glad you enjoyed the games. If you haven't played Quantum break I think you'll love it. "We've got bolt cutters"
Thanks Aaron! I did play Quantum Break and while it gets a bad rep, I think it's a good little game. Can't wait for more from Remedy they're becoming my favorite studio.
The guy who acts the two brothers in the commercials is a popular Finnish actor named Peter Franzen. He is known internationally for his role as King Harald in Vikings.
Even without the newly established expanded universe, Remedy made a solid reputation for themselves 20 years ago, same as Valve. I'm truly glad to be here for all of it.
I couldn't agree more my friend, I'm here excited for the Max Payne remakes as I've never played them. It feels like the mainstream gaming audience is starting to recognize Remedy as a Top 10 studio with AW2 and I think thats wonderful.
Good video! I enjoyed all the references to and inspirations from Finnish culture immensely. I really think that is one of the aspects that elevates Remedy as a game studio, and AW2 as a game (it's also my GOTY tied with BG3).
I can't wait to play Baldurs Gate 3, I'm just waiting for the Xbox version to come out next month. But anyways yes I also think the culture makes Remedy distinguished! I hope to see more of this in their future titles as well.
I really enjoyed your video!😃 If you Google 'landscapes of Koli, Finland,' you'll encounter a similar scenery as in the game Alan Wake. In Finland, we have Fells in Lapland and hills elsewhere (for example, Tahkovuori). On the other hand, Ostrobothnia (Pohjanmaa) is entirely flat, without hills or slopes. The Assassin's Creed video game series has taught me, among other things, bits of history about individuals and Roman architecture. I would like to see a video on that topic.
Thank you for sharing some knowledge my friend, I'm learning much more about Finland from the various comments I've been getting! I appreciate the suggestion as well, I do love Roman history and I think a video on that could be fun. :)
What a great breakdown of the Finnish culture in the game! Especially for someone outside of the culture sphere this is pretty impressive. You picked up on a lot of the things I took note of when playing too! I do feel that this game is special for all the Finnish players. At least I got a lot of good laughs out of Ahti's Finnish idioms translated into English and then hearing him swear in Finnish afterwards. It is also cool that Ahti and the Koskela brothers, who are the most platant depictions of finnish people in the game, are also played by famous Finnish actors Martti Suosalo and Peter Franzen.
What a kind comment! Thank you so much for saying these nice things it made my day. That's so cool that Ahti and the Koskela are actually famous Finns! I liked how much of the music was from Finnish music groups too.
I do indeed value the sunlight a whole lot, as someone who's born and still lives in Sweden (same height as finland almost, depending on which part). It gets dark at about 15:00 here in the almost southern part of Sweden, in the north it's much worse. It's still okay for now though since christmas is coming, so something to look forward to, however every year jan-late march I get genuinely much more depressed. As in actual fatigued, low energy, no motivation, dead inside, not sadness, just nothing. Seasonal depression is a big problem here, especially for people from closer to the equator. Either way I'm very happy to see my Finnish neighbors succeeding so much in games :)
Thank you for your comment! It's been really interesting to get insight from people from the Nordic belt on this video, I've been learning so much. :) I can imagine the lack of sunlight makes seasonal depression common, here in America I hear that happens a lot in Alaska as well , which shares the same latitude as Sweden.
Actually Finland is quite a flat land. Not a lot of mountains and almost all that there is are a couple of hundred meters high and they are mostly in northern Finland.
Haha I'm happy someone noticed! That song is Build Mode 6 from the first game. I think that soundtrack is not only one of the best in gaming but some of the best jazz ever made.
I'm not Finnish myself, I'm an American with Hungarian and Scandinavian ancentry, but I find Finland very interesting and like the inclusion of Ahti a lot in Control. While my knowledge of Finnish culture is still pretty shallow, I'd thought I'd list some things I find interesting that you might find interesting as well. The first is Pesapallo, which is a Finnish spin-off of baseball first played in the 1920's and continues to be a somewhat popular televised sport to this day. I dream of a day that I can watch it here in America with English commentary, but that might be a pipe dream. Moomin, a series of Finnish childrens novels and later TV show that has cemented itself in the country's culture. There a theme park based on the show in Finland, and merchandise of the show, particularly mugs, is notorious for being expensive. There was an early Moomin cartoon that was very unfaithful to the source material, there was a later one in 2D that is much more beloved, was dubbed in English, and was popular in other European countries and other places around the world. There's even a game coming out on Steam based on the show pretty soon. Something that comes up a LOT when discussing Finnish culture are also saunas, since the Finn's invented them. They have them in a lot of homes, and some apartments and office spaces by the sound of it. Finnish President Urho Kekkonen even talked even talked with foreign diplomats in a sauna. There's also a RUclips channel with a few short videos called, "In Finland We Have This Thing Called..." that makes short videos about Finnish culture that are pretty good.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this my friend! I really should have remembered to put Saunas in this video .. wasted a good opportunity because there's a sauna in Watery. I loved the bit about pesapallo as I'm a bit of a baseball fan myself. Definitely going to check out the RUclips series as well.
That's definitely possible, I haven't seen Austin Powers but I listened to a few interviews where Sam Lake said the games had many influences from American media
The saddest moment in the game IMO was [spoilers]: ... ... ... ... ... When Mr. Scratch killed one of the Koskela brothers in the blink of an eye. Normally I don't feel much for video game characters but that one hurt. Ilmo and Jaakko were so close, and now there's only one of the bros left. Breaks my heart :(
I keep seeing here and there some people trying to say this game is somehow woke (and of course, never explain it more than that) and I'm so glad I don't see that shit from the people i follow online. I'm watching someone play the game (my PC wouldn't be able to run it) and it looks amazing so far. The only "woke" thing i see is having one main character be a woman, and a black woman at that, how scandalous! But it literally doesn't affect the game whatsoever. I haven't seen anything in-game yet that would have been made better if she was white or a man. She just happens to be a black woman, and mother at that. All in all, game looks great so far and I'm SO glad to be able to experience this world again!
It feels like people just use woke as a catch all term for anything they don't like and so they don't have to commit brainpower to an actual sensible argument. But good media is good, whether it is a man, woman, whatever the race, sexuality, etc. If you think a piece is media would be better by turning women into men, turning black people white, turning gay people straight, etc. That isn't a problem with the media, that's a problem with you!
Listen man I'm with you. I try to be balanced in all things and understand everyone's point of view, and In some cases I get why people would be upset about something being "woke". But not Alan Wake 2. There's nothing political or "woke" about this game. It's a masterfully crafted story that has a black female protagonist, that's literally it. I'm beyond frustrated with those criticisms because they aren't justified. Now, I guess there is some controversy because Saga was white in some sort of film before the game was released, but to my knowledge she was not an established character at that point.
If you play the game to the end, you can learn some hints about Saga’s heritage, which makes her even more interesting. She’s a great character, masterfully written, and fun to play as. A good addition to the game and franchise.
Ahti and the kostkala brothers are the only good things I've ever seen about Finland. Especially when ilmo said "fuck the goverment we have bolt cutters."
Stars and Sticks, said what I thought was factual and informative earlier. Deleted the post. Just happy we can agree not only it is a great game worthy of GOTY, but also you see the flaws obviously decided by the game Devs more likely the Directors/team. Can't wait for the expansion and I hope we as a society can do better than the W crap. Sure your tired of it to take care.
Much love man, thanks for stopping by and having a chat about it. Also tired of forced disingenuous diversity in bad taste, just think AW2 was mild at best and want to pick my battles. Here's hoping for a quick expansion release!
You know, in Poland there's a very popular brand of vodka named "Finlandia"("Finnland"), which has a cult classic status - although I don't think it even is finnish to being with 😆
It's saddening to read that "Remedy Entertainment is becoming one of the most preatigious studios..." because the quality and story telling has been then since Max Payne 1. Maybe we humble finns are not as good selling ourselves us like Trump, but take my word. Remedy has been there for a long time.
I think you're disingenuously misinterpreting what I meant by that sentence. Remedy is incredibly talented and I think all of their games have been outstanding, even Quantum Break. Everyone who has played Remedy games almost universally agrees. However, Alan Wake 2 marks an undeniable shift in the mainstream appeal of a Remedy game. Alan Wake 2 received mainstream global recognition in a way that previous games hadn't. Also I'm not sure what Trump has to do with video games.
@@StarsAndSticks the Trump was was meant to be ironic like the the fame Remedy never got. Alan Wake 1 was a masterpiece also. The thing is that Red Dead Redemption got launched almost at the same time and Microsoft with it's restricting xbox first ruined everything for the game.
@@StarsAndSticks Maybe I was adopted from another country, because this might shock the faint of heart..I haven't been to a sauna in ten years!!! Can I call myself Finnish anymore:D
People who calling Alan Wake WOKE are sad and depressed people. People just wanna find ways to criticise and hate on stuff. I find that stuff tiring and miserable. I just don’t get the point of any of this hate stuff. Can people just be more open minded to other people, at least look at more positive things in your life then all of this bullshit hate crime and stuff. They’re always will be people like this, I just hope for less of them type of people. I just want more excepted and happiness in this world. We need more like Sam Lake in this world, kind and respectable for any other communitys. And he is just so amazing and adorable too
Thats one of tye things i didnt like about this game. Brightfalls is supposed to be a quiet little american town in the middle of nowhere and then in the sequel it suddenly became a Finnish town. Almost 60% npcs are finnish ppl. They even change zane’s background. It feels like a bad retcon
Hmmm. Well I can certainly understand your point of view. What I will say however is that Bright Falls largely keeps the same aesthetic and vibe that it had in the first game. In the sequel, the neighboring town of "Watery" is the actual location we visit where the Koskela brothers live and where the Finnish population is - Not Bright Falls. But I do see how it might feel jarring either way.
@StarsAndSticks In the US it's not uncommon to find places, especially small cities or towns, where everyone is a certain ethnicity anyway. I live in a city with a heavy Polish contingent, for instance.
@@StarsAndSticks Then try to learn. At the very least find a google image or something and stick some text on. It’s better than using a program that steals from artists and ends up looking like shit regardless.
@@garyking1986 How is using someone's photo any better? AI-generated images are at least only derivative, and not the actual work. Do you hate photographers?
Yeah stealing a Google image isn't the move either man. I think the best look would be to use something ubiquitous like cover art with text or reach out to somebody for help.
@@StarsAndSticks What I meant was a screen grab of the game you could get on google images or something. I should’ve clarified that. Either way, it doesn’t justify using AI art.
Yes, as others have pointed out that was a mistake on my part. Learning about Finland was a new experience for me and while the Pacific Northwest is very mountainous, I now know Finland is not.
Compared to Baltic countries, Denmark or even Netherlands or Ireland, Finland is not that flat. Yeah it's not known for mountains but saying it's as flat as one can be shows you don't know much about other countries.
@@Renk1Yeah. The first commenter clearly knows nothing about Finland himself. Its so hilarious he tries to play such smartypants He needs to stop sipping wine like an asshole and have Ahma beer.
A few extra notes from a Finn:
- 3:13 Järvisen vene could be translated as "McLake's boats". Järvinen is a fitting name for someone who sells boats, but it might also be a reference to Sam Lake's real name, Sami Järvi.
- 4:05 Ahti the Janitor gets his name from Ahti, the ancient God of Water. As a sidenote, I once jokingly said a "prayer" to Ahti when fishing and actually got a nice fish soon afterwards. Maybe the ancient Finns were onto something.
- 4:48 Remedy had a co-operation with Airam to make real-life thermos bottles with the Oh Deer Diner logo. Airam is over 100 years old company, so they know their thermoses. Finns also take everything coffee related more seriously than you'd think.
- 6:18 Ahma means wolverine, and the beer is a combination of all top 3 popular Finnish beer labels. Visually it looks like Koff beer, the animal theme is a reference to Karhu beer (meaning bear) and if you really want to stretch it, the four letter word starting and ending with a vowel is kind of similar to Olvi beer.
- 7:11 Koskela's biker jacket says "Kalevala Knights". Kalevala is the ancient Finnish epic, kind of our version of Iliad and Odyssey of Homeros. It's the most significant book about Finnish roots.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this out, I never would have found any of this stuff in my searches! I really enjoyed learning about Finnish culture and I still get to learn more from comments like yours. :)
I might have some Finnish blood in my ancestors somewhere because I'm right there with you on all things coffee ☕
Koskela is also a classic surname in Finnish literature - the books 'Täällä Pohjantähden Alla' (Here Under the North Star) and 'Tuntematon Sotilas'/'Sotaromaani' (Unknown Soldier, originally creatively named 'War Novel') by Finnish author Väinö Linna follow the Koskela family through three generations: from Finnish Independence at the end of WW1 through the Civil War and the two wars against Soviets in WW2.
As a Finnish person who lives in Sweden, i have always been so proud over Remedy. They have always been my top 3 favorite game developers, because of many things but them celebrating Finnish Culture to the masses is do beautiful to see. Proud Finnish 🇫🇮
I think they are introducing Finnish culture to a generation of gamers who might not have had any other venues of exposure, and it's just incredible. They are a special part of this industry for sure.
There's so many things fascinating about Finland. Culture, music and games as well.
And food! I want to try a Karelian pie.
I am in Ukraine eat Elovena flakes :))) Finnish
Martti Suosalo's Yötön Yö is a real masterpiece of a song, I keep going back to it over and over! It's a perfect example of Finnish "iskelmä" style music that is popular in karaoke, and the lyrics are just so on point with that melancholy, stereotypical small town tragedy interwoven of course with major Alan Wake lore and foreshadowing.
"Kuin painajainen hän luoksesi saapuu, hänet verhottu on varjojen kaapuun..."
Thank you for sharing this! I really wanted to do a section about Finnish music in the game because there are so many amazing pieces, but I just couldn't justify it due to a lack of knowledge.
I love that song, too. I listen to it a lot after beating the game. Martti Suosalo is such a great actor. I was lucky enough to get him to sign an autograph on my Alan Wake 2 thermos. Better than any physical edition of the game.
Do you have any Finnish singers, songwriters, or bands that I could check out? I really enjoy Yötön Yö and would love to hear more music like it.
@@Sammo212 The late legend, Vesa-Matti Loiri did a lot of this type of music in his later years.
@Sammo212 his genre would definitely be iskelmä. I think youd enjoy Yölintu, the late Vesa Matti Loiri, that man had a golden voice. Many more if you want
As a Dane I can confirm that it is incredibly Scandinavian to scatingly tease the sister nation's of Norway, Finland, Iceland and... Sweden.
We make so many, so harsh jokes about each other's nations - but you can also trust us to always defend each other from any outsiders. We may have had some of the longest wars in world history (Denmark/Sweden at least) but we're still sister/brother nations.
For anyone curious I really recommend the Scandianvia and The World webcomics.
Really appreciate your perspective here, thank you for taking the time to comment this. After reading this, I can see that the jokes definitely have a certain "brotherly teasing" tone to them.
I'll certainly check out that web comic I love learning about new types of history
agree. It is like brothers competing who can run faster, jump higher or hold a matchstick longer. But if someone else would come to bully any of them then brothers would stand side by side.
it's just sad for some people to say this game is Alan Woke and missing all other parts of important stuff, what a shame to be alive among these
People really need to chill about this. Why is non-white folks just existing woke all of a sudden. It's not like we didn't have black or female protagonists before.
Incredibly sad. I mean, I don't like forced or disingenuous content, but there's nothing "woke" about this story. One of the two heroes is black, that's it. The rest of the story isn't political so I don't even understand these people.
@@StarsAndSticksminus the Russian joke (and mayor setter) there's nothing political in this game.
Anyone who thinks it's woke is missing 99% of their brain.
There's nothing woke in this game.
@@StarsAndSticksMost likely people say woke because Saga was supposed to be a white swedish/finnish woman.
Alan Wake 2 is a masterpiece! Love the heavy cultural aspects! Finland is just beautiful! 😃 - Chris
Thanks for your comment Chris! I stopped by your channel and subscribed, I like your style. :) - Tommy.
@@StarsAndSticks No worries! Loved the video! and thanks xD I subbed to you too! - Chris
Ahti's performance is a nice depiction of Finnish dance hall culture as well as the melancholy of many Finnish songs.
That's the perfect word for it - Melancholy. I found myself idling in Suomi hall just waiting for him to finish up.
Great video! Alan Wake 2 made me so proud to be a Finn, seeing how they include all these big and small references to our culture while making a fantastic game on it's own. You caught on to a lot of them quite well. Couple others that I loved to see were the traditional finnish pastry called Karjalanpiirakka (or Karelian pie in english), they were usually on plates next to the coffee thermos in safe rooms. And then there is of course Ahti who speaks through Finnish idioms translated straight to English and sometimes just completely in Finnish which causes his dialogue sound nonsensical if you dont understand finnish.
I made a brief mention of the Karelian pies in the Suomi hall section, I just didn't have any footage of them. :) The funny thing about Ahti is that I played the game with subtitles hoping to get a translation, but NOPE they just subtitled it in Finnish laugh😂 So that definitely felt like it was a bone for the Finnish people playing the game.
As a Finnish person, great video man! Always appreciate when foreigners take interest in our culture/like our beautiful scenery!
Thank you for stopping by! My favorite part about making this video has been getting to talk with the Finnish viewers and learning even more. 🇫🇮🇺🇲
I don't know if this is odd, but ive grown to love Finnish culture because of Remedy. Ive started learning Finnish, and plan to visit Finland. I believe it helped I live in Washington State, so Alan Wake hit different for me. Plus, coffee is a plus
Nothing odd about that brother! I feel the same and I'm sure many others do as well!
Consider how many millions of people are fascinated by Japanese culture through media exposure. Why shouldn't it be the same for the Finns?
Personally, I'm happy the nation has gotten the entertainment industry limelight from Alan Wake 2 because it's a really interesting place with interesting people and I've certainly grown a cultural appreciation and understanding I didnt have before. :)
@@StarsAndSticks That's definitely a good point. I feel my own Sisu, My own Finnish pride, with my environment being that of Finland. I've decided to study abroad there next school term
I'm delighted to have been brought into this wonderful culture, and I'm glad to learn more
I'm from Brazil and I loved learning more about Finland through Alan Wake. We also love coffee lol
Great video!
Too true, if anyone in the world can appreciate coffee like a Finn... It would certainly be a Brazilian. Glad you liked the video, thanks for commenting. :)
7:16 You know the Ahma (Wolverine) beer also represents actual beer sold here in Finland, Karhu (Bear) beer 😀
I did not know that! One of the best parts of this video for me has been learning all sorts of new information from the comments section so thank you for sharing this.
I live in Astoria and can confirm they modeled buildings from the town and used them in bright falls for both games.
Someone in Astoria actually saw the video! Thanks for commenting friend that is too cool
Great video, glad to se my home country's culture has made such a positive impact on people abroad!
Hey thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment Finn friend! It means a lot to me that this made it's way to a few Finnish people, I hope you enjoyed it! I definitely enjoyed learning about your home country.
As a Finn, this game was like an early Christmas present.
I can only imagine how special it must have been for people from Finnish heritage to experience this game. Already it's one of my favorite games as an American!
3 months of Yötön Yö and 9 months of Päivätön Päivä (Dayless Day). It's 4 pm here and sun set hours ago =( luckily we got some snow even when living in southernmost Finland.
That is crazy! I like when the sun goes down early in the winter because I go to sleep early and wake up early, but 1pm is not what I had in mind.
"Finland has many lakes, mountains and rivers."
I live in Finland, and if i want to see a mountain, i'd have to travel to Sweden... Everything else said here is spot on.
Yes that was a mistake on my part, a lot of others pointed that out. Now I know better!
You live in Finland and if you want to see a mountain you have to travel to the United States or at least Canada.
My great grandfather was an immigrant from Norway, so I can detect some of the references, but I’m sure I’m missing most of them. The anti-Swedish jokes were pretty funny, I grew up being told to “hate” the Swedes.
The joke about ignoring small talk at the bar in the commercial is definitely Scandinavian.
I also live in Washington, and the developers did a really great job in portraying this region of the world. There’s another town that reminds me a bit of Watery, Poulsbo WA. It’s a little Norway instead of Finland, but it is worth checking out photos online at least if you are a fan of Alan Wake.
Thanks for your comment man, I bet this game must have been really special for you considering your heritage and that you live in the Northwest. Going to go search for some of those photos now.
Another great video, very well done. The subject matter you choose to focus on for a gaming channel is very unique.
I'm really glad you enjoyed the games. If you haven't played Quantum break I think you'll love it.
"We've got bolt cutters"
Thanks Aaron! I did play Quantum Break and while it gets a bad rep, I think it's a good little game. Can't wait for more from Remedy they're becoming my favorite studio.
The guy who acts the two brothers in the commercials is a popular Finnish actor named Peter Franzen. He is known internationally for his role as King Harald in Vikings.
Thanks for the info! I think I will look into that, I'd be interested to see him in other works.
Funny thing is that the creator of Twin Peaks, David Lynch, has Finnish roots in hes family.
I never knew that, but that's too perfect. Had I known I would have mentioned it in the video!
My computer cant run this game like i want it. These videos are perfect! You have done this video good and editing/narrating is very good
Thank you so much!! I'm very new to this and a bit self conscious about the rough editing quality so that means more than you know.
Even without the newly established expanded universe, Remedy made a solid reputation for themselves 20 years ago, same as Valve. I'm truly glad to be here for all of it.
I couldn't agree more my friend, I'm here excited for the Max Payne remakes as I've never played them. It feels like the mainstream gaming audience is starting to recognize Remedy as a Top 10 studio with AW2 and I think thats wonderful.
Good video! I enjoyed all the references to and inspirations from Finnish culture immensely. I really think that is one of the aspects that elevates Remedy as a game studio, and AW2 as a game (it's also my GOTY tied with BG3).
I can't wait to play Baldurs Gate 3, I'm just waiting for the Xbox version to come out next month. But anyways yes I also think the culture makes Remedy distinguished! I hope to see more of this in their future titles as well.
Amazing that someone touched this subject as it is an undernoticed thing in aw2 and for me as a finnish person one of the reasons to play
For me it started with the Swedish jokes, then I did more research and really enjoyed learning about Finnish culture!
The building where Athi Sings has a Suomi Hall badge on it, i guess it says something :)
I really enjoyed your video!😃
If you Google 'landscapes of Koli, Finland,' you'll encounter a similar scenery as in the game Alan Wake.
In Finland, we have Fells in Lapland and hills elsewhere (for example, Tahkovuori). On the other hand, Ostrobothnia (Pohjanmaa) is entirely flat, without hills or slopes.
The Assassin's Creed video game series has taught me, among other things, bits of history about individuals and Roman architecture. I would like to see a video on that topic.
Thank you for sharing some knowledge my friend, I'm learning much more about Finland from the various comments I've been getting! I appreciate the suggestion as well, I do love Roman history and I think a video on that could be fun. :)
There are little to no mountains in Finland though (maybe a couple in the very north). Only some cliffs and hills but mostly flat forest.
Yes thank you, others have pointed that out - I was mistaken, learning about Finland was a new experience for me. :)
A funny coincidence, Saga Anderson is also the name of a young Finnish female pole vaulter.
How funny would it be if she ended up taking an Olympic gold, forever causing confusion in Finland when the name gets brought up?
What a great breakdown of the Finnish culture in the game! Especially for someone outside of the culture sphere this is pretty impressive. You picked up on a lot of the things I took note of when playing too! I do feel that this game is special for all the Finnish players. At least I got a lot of good laughs out of Ahti's Finnish idioms translated into English and then hearing him swear in Finnish afterwards. It is also cool that Ahti and the Koskela brothers, who are the most platant depictions of finnish people in the game, are also played by famous Finnish actors Martti Suosalo and Peter Franzen.
What a kind comment! Thank you so much for saying these nice things it made my day. That's so cool that Ahti and the Koskela are actually famous Finns! I liked how much of the music was from Finnish music groups too.
@@StarsAndSticks Peter Franzen was in the Vikings TV series as well.
Thanks for the info I intend on checking it out. :)@@jonivirolainen4751
I do indeed value the sunlight a whole lot, as someone who's born and still lives in Sweden (same height as finland almost, depending on which part). It gets dark at about 15:00 here in the almost southern part of Sweden, in the north it's much worse. It's still okay for now though since christmas is coming, so something to look forward to, however every year jan-late march I get genuinely much more depressed. As in actual fatigued, low energy, no motivation, dead inside, not sadness, just nothing. Seasonal depression is a big problem here, especially for people from closer to the equator. Either way I'm very happy to see my Finnish neighbors succeeding so much in games :)
Thank you for your comment! It's been really interesting to get insight from people from the Nordic belt on this video, I've been learning so much. :) I can imagine the lack of sunlight makes seasonal depression common, here in America I hear that happens a lot in Alaska as well , which shares the same latitude as Sweden.
Actually Finland is quite a flat land. Not a lot of mountains and almost all that there is are a couple of hundred meters high and they are mostly in northern Finland.
Yes I just discovered this from some of the commenters on this video, I'm still learning more about the country even after playing the game I guess!
Love the Saga wallpaper and sims song
Haha I'm happy someone noticed! That song is Build Mode 6 from the first game. I think that soundtrack is not only one of the best in gaming but some of the best jazz ever made.
Great video dude. Subbed.
Thank you for the compliment and subscription my friend! Happy you liked it!
@@StarsAndSticks Of course dude, cheers!
As a Finn myself, I completely agree Great video🇫🇮
Thanks for stopping by and watching :) The response from Finns has been so kind!
I'm not Finnish myself, I'm an American with Hungarian and Scandinavian ancentry, but I find Finland very interesting and like the inclusion of Ahti a lot in Control. While my knowledge of Finnish culture is still pretty shallow, I'd thought I'd list some things I find interesting that you might find interesting as well. The first is Pesapallo, which is a Finnish spin-off of baseball first played in the 1920's and continues to be a somewhat popular televised sport to this day. I dream of a day that I can watch it here in America with English commentary, but that might be a pipe dream. Moomin, a series of Finnish childrens novels and later TV show that has cemented itself in the country's culture. There a theme park based on the show in Finland, and merchandise of the show, particularly mugs, is notorious for being expensive. There was an early Moomin cartoon that was very unfaithful to the source material, there was a later one in 2D that is much more beloved, was dubbed in English, and was popular in other European countries and other places around the world. There's even a game coming out on Steam based on the show pretty soon. Something that comes up a LOT when discussing Finnish culture are also saunas, since the Finn's invented them. They have them in a lot of homes, and some apartments and office spaces by the sound of it. Finnish President Urho Kekkonen even talked even talked with foreign diplomats in a sauna. There's also a RUclips channel with a few short videos called, "In Finland We Have This Thing Called..." that makes short videos about Finnish culture that are pretty good.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this my friend! I really should have remembered to put Saunas in this video .. wasted a good opportunity because there's a sauna in Watery. I loved the bit about pesapallo as I'm a bit of a baseball fan myself.
Definitely going to check out the RUclips series as well.
As a polish person, I absolutely loved both Alan Wake games. I think the Finnish culture gave the world a more distinct and memorable atmosphere
Couldn't agree more! I thought it was a very unique touch that was a new experience for me in games.
Even the weekly meeting of the team in at work is officially called coffee break. I suppose we Finns do take our coffee seriously.
I keep saying to myself that maybe one of my hidden ancestors was a Finn, because Coffee is VERY special to me too my friend.
Nice topic
Thank you :)
A master piece!
Definitely a strong game of the year contender! One of my favorites of all time.
Dig this look into Finnish culture.
Happy you enjoyed the video, thanks for stopping by. 👍
I wonder if the "This coffee is shit" line was a nod to Austin Powers.
That's definitely possible, I haven't seen Austin Powers but I listened to a few interviews where Sam Lake said the games had many influences from American media
Highly doubt it. If he had said something like "it's too nutty", _then_ maybe. Shitty coffee is just shitty coffee.
Haha true enough. Even Elf had a throwaway line about shitty coffee.
Lmao youre the first one I see mention Ilmos reaction to Saga saying she has Swedish heritage instead of Finnish haha!
I laughed so hard when that scene happened as I was playing! Also, kudos on the profile/username
The saddest moment in the game IMO was [spoilers]:
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When Mr. Scratch killed one of the Koskela brothers in the blink of an eye. Normally I don't feel much for video game characters but that one hurt. Ilmo and Jaakko were so close, and now there's only one of the bros left. Breaks my heart :(
That one hit like a Mike Tyson uppercut. ): Even doubly so when we found out later in the game what the brothers were actually up to.
The Ahti bit is doubly as funny when you consider that every Swedish name is also a Finnish name, especially with last names.
I didn't know that! Is this because of some form of shared ancestry?
@@StarsAndSticks Yes, Finland was a part of sweden until 1809, and we do have two official languages, Finnish and Swedish. Our histories are entwined.
Very cool, thank you for the bit of history lesson. I think I will look for some books on the topic now.@@B1gLupu
I keep seeing here and there some people trying to say this game is somehow woke (and of course, never explain it more than that) and I'm so glad I don't see that shit from the people i follow online. I'm watching someone play the game (my PC wouldn't be able to run it) and it looks amazing so far. The only "woke" thing i see is having one main character be a woman, and a black woman at that, how scandalous! But it literally doesn't affect the game whatsoever. I haven't seen anything in-game yet that would have been made better if she was white or a man. She just happens to be a black woman, and mother at that.
All in all, game looks great so far and I'm SO glad to be able to experience this world again!
It feels like people just use woke as a catch all term for anything they don't like and so they don't have to commit brainpower to an actual sensible argument.
But good media is good, whether it is a man, woman, whatever the race, sexuality, etc. If you think a piece is media would be better by turning women into men, turning black people white, turning gay people straight, etc. That isn't a problem with the media, that's a problem with you!
Listen man I'm with you. I try to be balanced in all things and understand everyone's point of view, and In some cases I get why people would be upset about something being "woke".
But not Alan Wake 2. There's nothing political or "woke" about this game. It's a masterfully crafted story that has a black female protagonist, that's literally it.
I'm beyond frustrated with those criticisms because they aren't justified. Now, I guess there is some controversy because Saga was white in some sort of film before the game was released, but to my knowledge she was not an established character at that point.
If you play the game to the end, you can learn some hints about Saga’s heritage, which makes her even more interesting. She’s a great character, masterfully written, and fun to play as. A good addition to the game and franchise.
Absolutely! I wonder if one of the expansions will be for her, and one for Alan.@@Renk1
Ahti and the kostkala brothers are the only good things I've ever seen about Finland. Especially when ilmo said "fuck the goverment we have bolt cutters."
Can't relate to the Finnish commentary but as someone who admires American national parks that line made me laugh too, great stuff
@@StarsAndSticks I'm just making a joke because i don't like their flag because it makes me think of blue chease sauce
You forgot to mention that Ahti speaks almost completely in (poorly) translated Finnish sayings.
Indeed he does!
This video wasn't intended to be an exhaustive examination, more of an appreciation for Remedy's cultural accomplishments in the game.
GOTY!
It's got my vote too man
7:59
Stars and Sticks, said what I thought was factual and informative earlier. Deleted the post. Just happy we can agree not only it is a great game worthy of GOTY, but also you see the flaws obviously decided by the game Devs more likely the Directors/team. Can't wait for the expansion and I hope we as a society can do better than the W crap. Sure your tired of it to take care.
Much love man, thanks for stopping by and having a chat about it. Also tired of forced disingenuous diversity in bad taste, just think AW2 was mild at best and want to pick my battles. Here's hoping for a quick expansion release!
@@StarsAndSticks Can't wait for the expansion for sure!
You know, in Poland there's a very popular brand of vodka named "Finlandia"("Finnland"), which has a cult classic status - although I don't think it even is finnish to being with 😆
My old unit in the American army is in Poland right now! I will have to ask some of them if they've seen that.
@@StarsAndSticks Please do, also I hope they will remember their deployment here fondly!
@@Andriej69 I can assure you they are having a great time. :) I saw pictures of their recent Christmas celebrations and travel, they looked so happy.
@@StarsAndSticks Glad to hear that!
Jakko
Love hearing the cultural connection between the game and Devs home. Reminding me a little of Moon Channel.
www.youtube.com/@moon-channel
Of COURSE Frank watches moon channel! That guy is super intelligent, love his content as well man.
It's saddening to read that "Remedy Entertainment is becoming one of the most preatigious studios..." because the quality and story telling has been then since Max Payne 1.
Maybe we humble finns are not as good selling ourselves us like Trump, but take my word. Remedy has been there for a long time.
I think you're disingenuously misinterpreting what I meant by that sentence. Remedy is incredibly talented and I think all of their games have been outstanding, even Quantum Break. Everyone who has played Remedy games almost universally agrees. However, Alan Wake 2 marks an undeniable shift in the mainstream appeal of a Remedy game. Alan Wake 2 received mainstream global recognition in a way that previous games hadn't.
Also I'm not sure what Trump has to do with video games.
@@StarsAndSticks the Trump was was meant to be ironic like the the fame Remedy never got. Alan Wake 1 was a masterpiece also. The thing is that Red Dead Redemption got launched almost at the same time and Microsoft with it's restricting xbox first ruined everything for the game.
@@avoimena Yes, I'm well aware. They were smart to shuffle the release date around for Alan Wake 2.
It's insane to me that he a most well known for these poorly made movies. He's a giant, he's done so many amazing roles in incredible films.
"Finnish flavor"=all characters are drunk out of their mind.
Thanks Ahma Beer!
@@StarsAndSticks👍🏻
Im finnish and i hate coffee:D
This is.... Blasphemy!
@@StarsAndSticks Maybe I was adopted from another country, because this might shock the faint of heart..I haven't been to a sauna in ten years!!! Can I call myself Finnish anymore:D
Psst.. we finns dont have single mountsin our counrty.. maybe side/base of one but its peak is on Norway's side..
Yeah we have hills and cliffs but we don't have mountains.
Thank you for the knowledge, I knew about the forests but I should have looked into that more thoroughly before I used the word "mountainous"
Mountains here refer to tunturit (fjells).
So many typos.. argh
You clearly havent played Resident Evil Revelations where some of it happens in Finland and there clearly are mountains. :D
People who calling Alan Wake WOKE are sad and depressed people. People just wanna find ways to criticise and hate on stuff. I find that stuff tiring and miserable. I just don’t get the point of any of this hate stuff. Can people just be more open minded to other people, at least look at more positive things in your life then all of this bullshit hate crime and stuff. They’re always will be people like this, I just hope for less of them type of people. I just want more excepted and happiness in this world. We need more like Sam Lake in this world, kind and respectable for any other communitys. And he is just so amazing and adorable too
Thats one of tye things i didnt like about this game. Brightfalls is supposed to be a quiet little american town in the middle of nowhere and then in the sequel it suddenly became a Finnish town. Almost 60% npcs are finnish ppl. They even change zane’s background. It feels like a bad retcon
Hmmm. Well I can certainly understand your point of view. What I will say however is that Bright Falls largely keeps the same aesthetic and vibe that it had in the first game.
In the sequel, the neighboring town of "Watery" is the actual location we visit where the Koskela brothers live and where the Finnish population is - Not Bright Falls. But I do see how it might feel jarring either way.
@StarsAndSticks In the US it's not uncommon to find places, especially small cities or towns, where everyone is a certain ethnicity anyway. I live in a city with a heavy Polish contingent, for instance.
@@JeysieC in the us most migrants live in big cities. They are called “neighborhoods”. Not in suburban towns.
@@dhruvo100 As an American I see what I see. Especially in rural and other lower population areas.
@@JeysieC dude it was like that back in the industrial era. In modern day these people wave their confederate flags
Don’t use AI for thumbnails, man
Haha, you got me. I don't know how to design. ):
@@StarsAndSticks Then try to learn. At the very least find a google image or something and stick some text on.
It’s better than using a program that steals from artists and ends up looking like shit regardless.
@@garyking1986 How is using someone's photo any better? AI-generated images are at least only derivative, and not the actual work. Do you hate photographers?
Yeah stealing a Google image isn't the move either man. I think the best look would be to use something ubiquitous like cover art with text or reach out to somebody for help.
@@StarsAndSticks What I meant was a screen grab of the game you could get on google images or something. I should’ve clarified that.
Either way, it doesn’t justify using AI art.
You don't know nothing about Finland. We don't have any mountains. This country is level flat as one can be.
Yes, as others have pointed out that was a mistake on my part. Learning about Finland was a new experience for me and while the Pacific Northwest is very mountainous, I now know Finland is not.
Compared to Baltic countries, Denmark or even Netherlands or Ireland, Finland is not that flat. Yeah it's not known for mountains but saying it's as flat as one can be shows you don't know much about other countries.
Saying ”Finland is flat” is telling that you live in the southern half of Finland. Sure, we don’t have mountains, but the north is anything but FLAT.
You clearly know nothing. Finland is far from flat. Its heavily hilled country.
@@Renk1Yeah. The first commenter clearly knows nothing about Finland himself.
Its so hilarious he tries to play such smartypants
He needs to stop sipping wine like an asshole and have Ahma beer.