Overview
Do you like how cinematic Alan Wake is but the heads up display kills the feel? You can turn off the HUD in the graphics options, but it can prove difficult without the information. This guide will help you play the game without the HUD and enjoy it.
The Flashlight
Remedy has put a lot of details in how the flashlights work in the game. For instance, there is a brighter, more intense bit in the middle of the bigger circle that is the light. You can line this up with a Taken’s head and take him out. Usually a ring will appear and get smaller the weaker the shadow is shrouding the Taken.
When boosting the light, you can easily tell how much energy you have left to use before inserting a battery. The in-game beam gets smaller the lower the energy bar is. When the light is empty, the beam will flicker and an audio cue will sound.
Player Health and Awareness
The health is usually displayed around the compass when the HUD is turned on, but how do you know when you are about to die without? When Alan is close to death, the screen will go black and white.
When a Taken is close by and ready to strike, it’s really not displayed on the HUD, but Alan will look at the Taken on the screen. Notice how the light is pointing forward and Alan’s head isn’t following it as usual.
What I Can’t Help You With
The option to remove the heads up display is most likely to add a bit of difficulty and realism to the game. There are a few elements that are only viewable on the HUD like the compass, ammo, and batteries. Let’s take a before and after shot shall we?
The game is failrly linear on terms of where to go so the compass isn’t that helpfull anyway and you never really should know exactly how many batteries and ammo you have on hand. To tell what gun or flashlight you have is as simple as looking at them. Just like real life. You can also get a glimpse of your ammo by scrolling to it. I like to think of it as looking at the chamber and your pockets.
