Alan Wake Remastered features the same story and gameplay as the original but boasts improved visuals, and is now available on PlayStation platforms. This faithfulness to the original extends to the combat systems, including the useful ability to perform a fast reload.
It takes a while to get back into a combat situation after the tutorial dream sequence, so this guide will remind Alan Wake Remastered players how to quickly reload, and why they should be doing it as often as possible, especially when playing on Nightmare difficulty.
How to Reload Fast in Alan Wake
To make fighting the Taken easier, players can perform a fast reload on any weapon. To perform a quick reload in Alan Wake, keep tapping the reload button. This speeds Alan up as he inserts more bullets. This doesn't mean players need to stop fighting the Taken, as pointing the flashlight at enemies will continue to lower their defenses, but at a reduced effectiveness.
Saving a few seconds might not seem like a big deal, but it can make a huge difference when surrounded by enemies and players are without a Flare Gun or flares to heal in Alan Wake. Reloading quickly is particularly helpful when the speedy Taken enemy types set their sights on Alan. There's very little time to dispatch them once they start running at him.
Players should make sure they take full advantage of the fast reload mechanic while playing on Nightmare difficulty. Although it's best to avoid enemy encounters altogether in this mode, they're sometimes unavoidable. It takes more bullets to defeat the Taken, so players will be reloading a lot more often. This applies to both the original and remastered versions of Alan Wake.
The only weapon players won't really see an advantage to using quick reload on is the Flare Gun, as it only holds one bullet. So, tapping the button won't make a huge difference, and players should probably just switch to another weapon or pop a flare if they are in a really bad situation. These combat moments can be tense but aren't really all that scary, which makes Alan Wake the perfect Halloween game for non-horror fans.
Alan Wake Remastered may be a completely different contextual experience after Control, but its combat hasn't changed from the original version. Those who mastered the tense gameplay and perfect reload timing will feel right at home playing the remastered edition.
Alan Wake Remastered is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.