Hey, OP, just adding another theory I just thought. Maaaybe, what he had was this simple thing: THE RITUAL TO LEAD HIM ON. The Dark Place works in loops AND RITUALS. Rituals are a very important theme in both AW and Control. Maybe that’s what one of the meaning we can take from “This is the ritual to lead you on”. Alan needs to keep going, because it’s a spiral, not a loop. He is not going in circles. He is going forward, just not the way we normally percieve “forward”. Think of a spiral, and think that Alan is making his way from the center to the borders of the spiral. That’s the ritual to lead him on. Keep on writing. He will eventually reach the Final Draft, and in the Final Draft he would remember his previous loop. Does that makes sense?

Right, that just proves my point: I have no clue what I’m talking about. LOL Focus on the rest of my answer 😂

I didn’t cause I really enjoyed playing the game 😂 I finish my first playthrough and started the Final Draft right away. But I understand you got annoyed, it’s fair. Also, it’s a very dense game, not everyone wants to play it a second time.

But yes, actually, every “loop” happens because something is missing. We played only through the last two loops. Which is amazing to the mystery. I mean, what the fuck did Alan actually go through inside that place? I kept imagining Alan posessed by Scratch making all those graffitis on the walls of NYC insanely talking to himself, trying to remember. I mean, we get a glimpse of those from the TVs. I love the first one, particularly. How do you go through a door that is not a door? A lake that is not a lake? Fucking hell, gives me goosebumps

EDIT: I know that’s not exactly what he says about the lake that is not a lake, but you get the point. lol

Yesss, I do like this view too! It actually goes side by side with a thought I just had and posted on this comment section just now, to complement my answer to OP 😂

Maybe the big difference is the ritual itself. “This is the ritual to lead you on”. On one of the phonecalls, Alan is told that the Dark Place works in loops an rituals, just like you said about the rules. Alan just needed to keep the ritual going. Keep writing. He would inevitably reach The Final Draft. That’s because he was not in a loop, but in a spiral. So I imagined a spiral and Alan going from its center to its borders. And that’s the ritual to lead him on.

Rituals are very important both in Alan Wake and Control. Rituals activate Objects of Power. Maybe the ritual to lead him on did exactly thar. Led him on through the Dark Place towards the exit. I don’t know. Didn’t use any drugs, I promise.

I think Alice comes into play in the moment she realizes that Alan wasn’t hunting him, but calling for help. Then she makes her final piece of art putting herself as subject, and making everyone believe she killed herself. So, I think she was already in the mix. I don’t remember when she “killed herself”, but I’m guessing it was before Alan started to write Initiation. So, basically, she has always been in the Dark Place with him. They just didn’t meet I guess.

And I do believe she is another reason. I mean, there could be millions of reasons that we didn’t see in the game. But Alice is probably one. She took the bullet-of-light and Clicker pictures. So, definitely, each encounter Alan had with Alice in Intiation was an insight, getting closer to home, as he says. It was crucial for him to go forward with the story. Every major live action cutscene happens after he interacts with Alice. (The TV, I mean)

Also, Alice is the reason he is able to remember in The Final Draft. She is Alan’s hero, confirming the spiral: Alan saves Alice, that saves Alan, that will probably save Alice in the next game LOL

I did reply to the wrong part 😂 and I just replied again to you with this same answer about the ritual cause I’m fucking dumb. lol But yes, we are getting somewhere here. I’m beginning to see some nice theories boiling.