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Alan Wake was an incredible experience – an experience that in retrospect I wish I had began on a harder setting than normal difficulty. Luckily, after beating the game I summed up the courage to try nightmare and it was one of the tensest and funnest gaming experiences I’ve had in recent memory.
So if you’re ready to start your next playthrough and man up for those extra pages, here are some tips and tricks I learned firsthand to make your life easier as you traverse the dangerous North West.
Nightmare difficulty changes Alan Wake as you would assume: it takes a lot more flashlight boost to break through the Taken’s shields and they need a lot more bullets to go down (I’m talking about at least three revolver clips for the big guys). And, as far as I can tell, you don’t get any extra ammo to compensate.
Get To The Light And Avoid Fighting When Possible
“But Rick, I’m not a chicken. I can handle a couple of Taken even on nightmare.” Yeah, that’s what I thought too. You’ll learn fast that fighting isn't always the best strategy when a knife-wielding Taken pops up behind you and you spent all your ammo and last two flares in that epic fight by the bush. Avoid frustrating deaths. Save ammo and use the Safe Havens.
If you see a Safe Haven nearby, and wager you can get there relatively unscathed, run for it. The key here is to know that Safe Havens only reset the Taken. They will disappear as long as you’re in the light but if you venture back into their path, they’ll reappear. This means Safe Haven’s on a narrow path ahead of you will prevent the Taken from following and bypass the whole encounter.
Dealing With Big Taken And Their Little Friends
On nightmare, what I call Big Taken (the large hunter dudes) are some of the toughest enemies I’ve ever encountered in a video game. Trying to break their darkness shield will have you cussing out that stupid Energizer Bunny. It gets easier when you acquire the heavy duty flashlight but until then try a safer approach:
- Kill all normal Taken first. Pop off the quick ones while using your boost to keep the big one back.
- If you have flares, drop them for space and shine your light on the enemies nearby to speed up the shield burning.
- Beware the Big Taken’s nasty charge. It hurts and your flashlight will not stop him once he has momentum. He’ll telegraph that he’s about to charge with a ground shake and a roaring, arm-raising animation. Keep your eyes open.
Flash bangs are extremely effective but be sure to save some for later.
Two batteries, five revolver rounds, and only six Taken. I'm getting that page.
Shadowy Furniture Knocking You Down
Alan Wake on nightmare makes chairs and bookshelves horrifying. Just like the Taken, your flashlight needs a lot of time and juice to dispatch the possessed objects. Stay as far away as you can from the evil objects and try to position a pole or a tree between you and it. When it’s flung at you, it’ll hit the tree and you can let loose with your flash light before it comes at you again. Try to wear them down while keeping an eye on your battery count.
Pro tip: Cliff edges are your secret weapon. In areas that are high up, position yourself near the edge and wait for the object to fly at you. Once you see it coming, run out of the way and laugh triumphantly as it falls and explodes in a flash of light. Rinse and repeat.
Holy Giant Bulldozer, Batman!
Welcome to Alan Wake boss encounters. Bulldozers and the like on nightmare are impenetrable dark fortresses of destruction. And best of all, they usually come with extra Taken. First up: do not bother with the Taken because they’ll usually keep spawning while the vehicle is alive.
Flares, flash bangs, flare gun, whatever you have use it. This is the moment where you unleash your writer fury. Drop flares to keep the Taken back while you focus on the hellish vehicle. The same positioning strategy for the shadowy objects is effective here. Put whatever you can between you and the vehicle so it hits that instead of you. Drop flares on the vehicle when it gets stuck and use your flashlight to burn it down as fast as you can.
Remember to be nimble. Getting run over is usually followed by a Taken’s axe throw and a game over screen. Once you’ve successfully killed it, focus on the Taken like normal until they’re dead. If there are red supply boxes nearby, now is a good time to run to them as well.
That should get you started. If you have any tips of your own to share, please drop them in the comments for others. Good luck on your hunt for those pages. Some of them are just too good to miss.