Welcome to the dark and twisty world of Alan Wake! Developed by Remedy Entertainment, this singleplayer action-adventure game plunges you into the role of a best-selling thriller novelist who must battle a supernatural darkness threatening to consume the small town of Bright Falls. Armed with your flashlight and a trusty firearm, you’ll fight off shadowy figures known as the Taken, piecing together the mystery of your wife’s disappearance and the increasingly nightmarish events unfolding around you. It’s a story-rich experience with an incredible soundtrack, perfect for anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.
This guide is here to help you navigate the chilling episodes and ensure Alan’s story reaches its terrifying conclusion. We’ll cover advanced combat techniques, focusing on how to effectively use light-based weaponry against the possessed foes. You’ll also find help locating all the hidden manuscript pages scattered throughout Bright Falls, crucial for understanding the full narrative. Plus, we'll guide you through conquering every boss and challenge, ensuring you can achieve all the Steam Achievements and master survival against the encroaching darkness.
Gameplay
Master Alan Wake's gameplay mechanics, including combat, enemy types, weapons, and flashlight usage.
The game is divided into daytime sequences for exposition and nighttime sequences for combat. Nighttime levels involve navigating hostile territory to reach objectives while fending off enemies. The game uses a single save file that is continuously overwritten, with a generous (checkpointing) system to minimize lost progress. However, due to level design, backtracking to collect missed items is generally not possible, requiring a replay of the section via Episode Select.
Enemies
Most enemies are _Taken_, former humans corrupted by darkness. All enemies are immune to damage while shrouded in darkness. You must use your torch's beam to remove this protection, which drains the battery. Batteries recharge slowly, but spare batteries can be found and used by tapping the △ button. One pack provides two units of charge, while lithium batteries add four. You can hold a maximum of 20 units. If you run out of battery, the torch will recharge naturally.
Enemy types include:
- Common Taken: Relatively weak but possess ranged attacks.
- Flanker: Attacks up close with two quick strikes.
- Tele-Flanker: Also uses close-range attacks but is fast and difficult to track.
- Assault Taken: More powerful, using two-handed weapons and charging when injured.
- Assault Taken (Chainsaw): Even tougher than regular Assault Taken, with more damaging attacks.
Damage required to kill enemies varies by weapon and difficulty. You can avoid attacks by using the L1 button and analog stick to perform a (cinematic dodge), briefly entering slow motion to counterattack or escape. Besides human enemies, you may be attacked by flocks of birds, which can be dealt with using the torch for small groups or a flare for larger ones. Possessed objects, from pipes to vehicles, can also attack and must be destroyed with light.
Weapons
You have access to various weapons, including revolvers, shotguns, and hunting rifles, as well as special items like flare guns, flares, and flashbangs. Equipment generally does not carry over between sections; you must find weapons in the environment. Weapons are mapped to directional buttons: Revolver (→), Shotgun/Hunting Rifle (↑), Flare Gun (←), Flares/Flashbangs (↓). Press ↓ multiple times to switch between flares and flashbangs if both are equipped. Use R2 to fire and R1 to use flares or throw flashbangs. Press ▢ repeatedly to reload if ammo is depleted; reloading can be interrupted to fire.
Weapon details:
- Revolver: Holds 6 bullets, max carry 42.
- Shotgun: Holds 2 shells, max carry 32. Slow reload, rare ammo.
- Pump-Action Shotgun: Holds 8 shells, faster firing than the standard shotgun, though with slightly less stopping power.
- Hunting Rifle: Holds 5 bullets, max carry 25. High stopping power, but ammo is very rare.
- Flare Gun: Holds 1 flare, max carry 12. Most powerful weapon, kills groups instantly, effective against shrouded enemies.
- Flashbang: Max carry 20. Wider explosion radius than a flare, but cannot be used at range. Kills most enemies instantaneously and can affect multiple enemies.
- Flare: Carries up to 20. Keeps enemies at bay, does not deal damage. Hold R1 to hold a flare.
- Focus your torch on enemies to remove their protective darkness before attacking.
- Manage your flashlight battery carefully; use spare batteries when available.
- Utilize the dodge mechanic (L1 + analog stick) for evasion and counterattacks.
- Flares and flashbangs are powerful crowd-control tools.
- Conserve rare ammo for powerful weapons like the hunting rifle.
Tips
Get the best tips for Alan Wake Remastered! Learn combat strategies, resource management, and how to tackle collectibles and trophies like a pro.
Alright, let's talk about staying alive and getting the most out of your journey through Alan Wake. This isn't just about shooting; it's about being smart with what you've got and knowing the tricks.
General Tips
- First off, that torch isn't just for light – it's your aiming reticle! If the enemy isn't lit up by your torch beam, your shots are gonna go wide. Keep that beam steady on your target.
- Alan can only sprint for a short burst before needing a breather. Don't count on outrunning enemies for long. Dodging attacks is key, but ultimately, you'll need to stand your ground or find a safe haven.
- Some areas just keep spawning enemies, so standing still is a death sentence. When that happens, look for a safe haven nearby. You can drop flares as you run to slow down pursuers, and you can even turn around briefly to shine your torch at them, which makes them falter.
- Ammo is usually plentiful, but don't waste your heavy hitters like flares and flashbangs. Save them for when you *really* need them. Also, the game won't automatically equip new weapons you pick up. Make it a habit to switch back to your trusty revolver after grabbing a hunting rifle or flare gun. Trust me, you don't want to waste a flare on a single weak enemy that a couple of revolver bullets could handle.
- Even when ammo is okay, avoiding a fight is often the smartest move. Alan can only take a couple of hits, and one wrong move can send you back to the last checkpoint.
- If you're hunting for collectibles, be warned: some are in seriously dangerous spots. The good news? Once you grab a collectible, it's yours for good. So, if you snag a coffee thermos and immediately get swarmed by Heavies, don't sweat it. You won't have to re-collect it when you restart from the checkpoint.
Trophy Hunting Tips
- Planning on getting all the trophies? You'll need at least two full playthroughs. Two specific trophies, 'Alan, Wake Up' and 'Collectors' Edition', demand you play on Nightmare difficulty, and you have to beat the game on Easy or Normal first.
- For your first playthrough, consider your difficulty choice carefully. Trophies like 'Meet the Deadline', 'An Idyllic Small Town', and 'Gunless Wonder' are way easier on Easy. Though, 'Meet the Deadline' can be tough if you're also going for collectibles, so you might want to use episode select for that one later. If you opt for Normal first, the jump to Nightmare won't feel as steep.
- There are eleven trophies tied to collectibles, and there are a *lot* of them. Even with a guide, some are super easy to miss. I've included a checklist at the end of each chapter to help you keep track. You can grab missed items on a second run or via episode select.
- Most other trophies will pop naturally as you play. 100 revolver kills might sound like a lot, but there are plenty of enemies. The 'Right of Way' trophy, however, is an exception. Killing enemies while driving is awkward, and there aren't many driving sections. Try to get this one done the first time you're behind the wheel.
- Both story expansions have trophies ('Run-On Sentence' and 'No Punctuation') that require you to complete them without dying or reloading a checkpoint. For these, playing on Easy difficulty is highly recommended.
Guide and Walkthrough (PS5) by chris-williams
Your complete guide to Alan Wake Remastered on PS5. Follow this walkthrough for Episodes 1-6 and the DLCs, covering collectables and trophies.
Hey there! So you're diving into Alan Wake Remastered on PS5? Awesome choice! This guide is here to help you through every step, from Alan's initial struggles as a writer to the terrifying events in Bright Falls. We'll cover all six main episodes, plus the two DLC expansions, 'The Signal' and 'The Writer'.
Think of this as your friendly co-pilot. I'll be pointing out where to go, what to do, and importantly, why you should do it that way – especially when it comes to those tricky collectables. We'll also keep an eye on the trophies, so you can snag those achievements as you play.
The game throws you into the shoes of Alan Wake, a novelist dealing with some serious writer's block and a strained marriage. His agent, Barry, suggests a getaway to Bright Falls, a seemingly peaceful town in the Pacific Northwest. But as you'll quickly discover, things are far from peaceful. Dark creatures emerge, and Alan starts finding manuscript pages – pages he doesn't remember writing, detailing events that are actually happening. It's a real Stephen King meets Twin Peaks vibe, and Remedy Entertainment really nailed that signature style of theirs.
This isn't just a simple port; it's a remaster. You'll get a crisp 4K visual upgrade, improved character models, and it bundles in the two DLCs. They've even cleaned up some of the old product placement. Just a heads-up, you'll need to select the episodes from the 'Episode Select' option on the main menu.
We'll be playing through on the PlayStation 5, so all the button prompts and controls you see will be for that version. If you're curious about the wider Remedy Connected Universe, I've also got a walkthrough for Control, so feel free to check that out too!
Ready to face the darkness? Let's get started with Episode 1: Nightmare.
Gameplay (2)
Learn about Alan Wake's gameplay, including enemy types like the Taken, weapon details, and combat mechanics.
- 1Understand the game's two primary gameplay types: brief daytime sequences for exposition and lengthy nighttime sequences focused on reaching objectives while fending off enemies.
- 2Be aware that the game uses a single save file that is continuously overwritten.
- 3Rely on the generous checkpointing system to minimize time loss if defeated, but note that levels generally do not allow backtracking, meaning missed collectibles usually require replaying the section via Episode Select.
- 4Recognize that most enemies are 'Taken', former humans shrouded in darkness and immune to damage while protected.
- 5To damage Taken, you must first remove their protection by focusing your torch beam on them, which rapidly drains the battery.
- 6The torch battery recharges slowly on its own, but you can replace it with spare batteries by tapping the △ button.
- 7Find replacement batteries in the environment; one pack provides two units of charge, and a pack of lithium batteries adds four units.
- 8You can hold a maximum of 20 battery units at any one time.
- 9If you run out of batteries, you can still use your torch, but it will recharge naturally over time.
- 10Identify different types of Taken: Common Taken (ranged attacks), Flanker (quick close-range attacks), Tele-Flanker (fast, hard-to-pin-down close-range attacks), Assault Taken (powerful, two-handed weapons, charge when injured), and Assault Taken (Chainsaw) (even tougher, high damage attacks).
- 11Note that the damage required to kill enemies varies by enemy type, difficulty, and weapon.
- 12Avoid enemy weapon attacks by using the L1 button and analog stick to 'duck' out of the way, potentially triggering a 'cinematic dodge' for a brief slow-motion counterattack opportunity.
- 13Deal with small flocks of birds using your torch, or use a flare for larger flocks.
- 14Use light to destroy possessed objects, which can range in size from pipes to bulldozers or combine harvesters.
- 15Find weapons in the environment as equipment generally does not carry over between sections.
- 16Equip weapons using the directional buttons: Revolver (→), Shotgun/Hunting Rifle (↑), Flare Gun (←), Flares/Flashbangs (↓).
- 17Switch between flares and flashbangs by pressing ↓ multiple times if both are equipped.
- 18Fire your currently equipped weapon using R2.
- 19Use R1 to deploy a flare or throw a flashbang.
- 20Reload your weapon by repeatedly pressing ▢ if it runs out of ammo, noting that reloading can be interrupted to fire.
- 21Understand weapon details: Revolver (6 bullets per cylinder, max 42 bullets), Shotgun (2 shells per cylinder, max 32 shells, slow reload, rare ammo), Pump-Action Shotgun (8 shells per cylinder, faster firing than double-barrel), Hunting Rifle (5 bullets per cylinder, max 25 bullets, high stopping power, rare ammo), Flare Gun (1 flare per cylinder, max 12 rounds, most powerful, kills groups, ignores shrouds), Flashbang (max 20 grenades, wide radius, cannot be used at range, kills most enemies instantaneously, kills multiple enemies), Flare (max 20 flares, keeps enemies at bay, hold R1 to deploy).
- Prioritize removing the darkness shroud from enemies with your flashlight before engaging with weapons.
- Conserve flashlight battery by using it only when necessary to remove shrouds and allowing it to recharge naturally when possible.
- Carry spare batteries to quickly replenish your flashlight charge.
- Use flares and flashbangs strategically for crowd control and to instantly eliminate groups of enemies.
- The Flare Gun is highly effective against all enemy types and ignores their protective shrouds.
- Be mindful of ammo scarcity, especially for the Hunting Rifle and Shotgun, and use them judiciously.
- Master the 'cinematic dodge' to create openings for counterattacks or to escape dangerous situations.
- When facing possessed objects, focus light attacks to destroy them.
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