Alan Wake: American Nightmare

Bringing light to the darkness. Literally.

Alan who is a writer by day, finds himself in the darkness of Arizona to try find his manuscript and alter reality to destroy his evil doppelganger! You can tell the tone of the entire game from that premise. The dated graphics also slightly conflict with the real life cut scenes being used but for the most part it's ok.

As a shooter, it's also ok. Controls are good, you have a handy "dodge" key, weapon options are varied and the whole thing of requiring to focus your flashlight at enemies to break their shadow shield before being able to hit them works well.

"Just keep the lights on to live ok?"

What doesn't work so well is the corny narrator and the fixed camera angle which ensures at some point one of the enemies will get the drop on you since they literally spawn out of nowhere at your objectives. Worth mentioning too that apart from one enemy type, all of them need to melee you which means running away and gunning is your best bet in all situations. It's also a short game, made shorter by reusing 3 maps over and over.

Entertaining enough for what it is, I give it 1.5 dead mechanics out of 5.

Insight: Flares are best reserved when enemies are getting too close, or to destroy the dark fountains on maps 6 and 9. Specifically 9 as they will be swarming by then.

Shazam!

It's an acronym.

Due to a bumbling wizard, the seven deadly sins manage to manifest in the world once more. Fortunately the wizard lucks out when he decides to give powers to foster child Billy Batson (Asher Angel) to counter them as the titular Shazam (Zachary Levi). Of course, not only does he have to fight the bad guy - he also has to learn about his powers and find the true place he belongs.

Which somehow involves poses in muscle suits?

While the plot really is a simple one that has no massive surprises, it is quite entertaining and very funny mostly thanks to Zachary Levi's acting. Action sequences are helped by nice special effects and really only the muscle suit ends up looking a bit off in a few shots. Decent movie, and one worth a watch - I give it 3 centipedes out of 5. Probably won't watch it again though.

Sekiro: You're gonna die more than Twice - Boss Fight Tips (Part VI)!

After slaying all those baddies you know what's best? To become the baddie yourself! Muahahahaah! Yes, I sided with "father ninja" though not for that actual reason. More like a) immortality is a gift regardless of the price and b) I miss my dad.

This leads to a two in a row boss fight which you should prepare for. From the upper dojo shrine, use the ceremonial dagger you got from the Shichimen Warrior to get more "ammo", then backstab the lone ninja on your way up to the fight.

Emma - first round is the doctor, who has decent range (around half the room). If you stand in range and use an item, she will punish you. She has a weakness to the 6 swing Floating Passage skill you can buy with fish scales from the pot guy (in the river beside flaming village in the past) though.

Start the attack far, aiming to miss the first one and put her on the defensive. Once your combo is done, parry her counter (watch your posture) or jump away. Run in a small circle and repeat.

If your last strike hits her, you can actually just do the whole chain immediately again. She likes to pose a bit after her own attacks, so if she looks like she's up to something, run away until she does a pose then get back in there.

Once she's down you have a tiny amount of time to buff up, heal and switch from Floating Passage to Shadow Rush before the next boss arrives...

Isshin - this old guy can cover more ground than Emma (2/3rds of the arena) so mind your space, especially when healing or if he sheathes his sword. For his first phase, abuse shadow rush complete with aerial attack, then jump away and run in a circle to do it again.

His second phase introduces fire attacks, often preluded by a slow foot stomp. This is your time to run to his back, hit him twice and parry his counters. He's going to ichimongi or stomp soon after so be prepared to repeat.

If you can't reach his back in time and he's stomping, use your MMORPG skills and don't stand in the fire. Instead prepare to block a shitload of attacks and a slash finisher. Note, if you need to heal or rebuff, make sure he's at the other end of the arena (long ends of the rectangle).

That's it! Obviously I missed a few things (oooh, an entire area according to the wiki) but I never set out to find / fight them all anyway. Might see how well I do with a NG+, but that's just for my enjoyment. :)

Sekiro: You're gonna die more than Twice - Boss Fight Tips (Part V)!

Defeating those monkeys has changed a few areas, mainly Ashina castle which is now occupied by invading bosses. Smells like the end game is near...

Chained Ogre #2 - easier than the first. From the castle antechamber shrine make your way to the main room and grapple down the hole. The ogre is beneath you waiting for an aerial death blow. Afterwards, it's easiest to just flame him using the central pillar to gain space while letting him burn.

Vilehand - in the dojo you fought the L33T Ashina Samurai, don't backstab him! Instead turn left as soon as you enter and backstab his buddy, using puppet ninjutsu on him to make him an ally. Vilehand has almost the same moveset as the Pit Longsword dude, just with two minor additions - both easily dodged.

Vilehand will aggro whoever hits him last so while your ally fights him, sneak in a few hits here and there. You can "rebackstab/puppet" your ally if you think he's running out of time. Just remember your allies attacks will hit you too, so your positioning is key.

Masanaga - found at the serpent shrine past the castle and comes with three wolves you should shuriken first. Then sneak around the building for a backstab, afterwhich RUN AWAY back the way you came. Masanaga is basically Vilehand again, so bring him to the edge of his "leash" (when he starts walking backwards) and attack.

Expect to parry/evade his combo which is often huge and will put him way past his leash - this interferes with his combat AI so punish as you see fit but expect an attack combo once he nears his "zone" again.

Underwater Headless - this monster is beneath the Ashina Castle pond so use a pacification agent before jumping in. Fortunately he is much weaker than the land versions and you are very fast in the water. Dodge his terror slashes and if he does anything else, stab towards him - attack a little and dodge through. The key is to always have your anti-terror buff active so drink from your purple gourd (buy it from Mibu Village) early rather than late.

Shichimen Warrior - previously bypassed at the end of the abandoned dungeon or next to the bottomless pit shrine, the main thing you need here is buffs. Divine confetti and pacifying agent/purple gourd. Just run up to him and whack away (3 or 4 times) while avoiding his purple orbs. There is a pillar somewhere in that room for you to take cover and rebuff/heal as needed (channel your inner First Person shooter).

Note that in his phase two, he's going to be firing his lazer which can be blocked by the purple umbrella if you have it. If you get lucky you can also aerial instakill him too, though that's never worked for me. Expect a long fight. The ceremonial dagger he drops is well worth it!

Once that's all done, a decision awaits at the castle lookout where you defeated Genichiro.

Sekiro: You're gonna die more than Twice - Boss Fight Tips (Part IV)!

Let the boss slaying continue! Now we're getting to some major ones!

Lady Butterfly - I like ignoring major fights till the last minute which is why this old crone is so far down the list, when in actuality she could be the first major boss you run into. She's agile but has lots of openings after her combos, but ultimately you want to do slash slash dodge (towards the side with more space, don't get pinned against a pillar or wall) and repeat as your "go to".

Shuriken her if she jumps up, and jump on her head or away if she does her perilous sweep. The second phase is more of the same, you can probably tank the minor butterflies but when the illusions show up stop fighting and run like a madman in a big circle. After awhile they turn into a butterfly swarm, so take cover behind a pillar. Once the coast is clear continue as before.

L33T Ashina Samurai - Found in the upper dojo of the castle, this guy is a lesson in parry timing. As soon as his sword hilt shines tap parry twice. Spamming won't work, you have to be precise. Like the long arm centipedes he breaks his own posture with this for an easy kill.

Shirafuji, the Gunfort guardian - unlike the last gun boss, you have no poison pit to help you this time. Hopefully you do have Ichimonji Double though, which is pretty useful. Even if you don't this is a block fight (hold the button down, not tap), until she fires - then attack and repeat till she dies. Just be sure to fight on the LEFT side of the area so you don't get sniped by the Gunfort.

Genichiro the Arm Slicer - this guy has a major weakness to Ichimonji double. Use it with the intention of missing the first strike and he will run into it! Run away in a circle and repeat. The only changes are if he jumps in the air to fire arrows (in which case you just run in a circle, not in a line like Rickon Stark), and if you use a consumable (heal) he will try arrow you so keep moving.

His second phase adds lightning, which means "jump" and if you jump into it you can do the lightning reversal thing (jump/parry/strike) to stun him if you are in range. Otherwise, continue the Ichi-double to victory.

Folding Screen Monkeys - is not a boss as they run away! Lol! Kill the invisible one behind you at the start, then the remaining three you can work out for sneak kills. Just know they summon ghost monkeys that apply terror damage so have pacifying agent or the purple gourd (purchased at Mibu Village) ready.

Giant Snake Again - also not a boss, again. After it breaks the bridge just dive underwater to dodge it. When you find it in the cave (run past everything btw, stick to the LEFT if you can) use puppet ninjutsu on the provided monkey to distract it. To actually kill it, you need to puppet a dwarf near the Temple (where you first find the monks) to man a kite for you, then go all the way up to grapple from the giant tree to the kite and across the chasm. From there its just an instakill. 

Guardian Ape - now this is a monkey boss, a very angry one! Make use of the space to run a bit from his odd attacks to study them, making sure to jump away from perilous grabs or his poop throwing. He's open after most, and is easily stunned by firecrackers so abuse that and whirlwind attacks. Just don't let him fall on you.

Phase two he has a sword and is more about patience. Use the space to run away, and everytime he does a four stab "snake" maneuver get in there (whirlwind slash useful again) then run again. He'll show off a lot of moves, but none can reach you if you flee. Just wait for the end of the "snake" to strike.

Note: killing him changes the spawn in a few areas! For instance, it spawns the boss below:

Headless Ape past the poison pool - actually same as phase two of the Guardian ape (lots of running, this time in a smaller area), with one exception that he does a standing "pillar fall" attack which leaves him open too. When the brown ape arrives switch target to it as it has much less HP and moves faster than the headless one, making it easy to split them up.

Just make sure to finish off the Headless one properly with the mortal blade afterwards.

Sekiro: You're gonna die more than Twice - Boss Fight Tips (Part III)!

Nice! If you've been following my tips, you are becoming an awesome cheating murderer who keeps going LEFT! So let's keep it up with this next set:

Mist Noble - this flute playing squid is my favorite! Just attack attack attack to win, and killing him makes the mist and all the mist enemies vanish! Getting to him is the hardest part. For that, one you reach the mist area sneak forward backstabbing single enemies (center path) till you reach the house then turn LEFT and follow the mountain wall LEFT and up. The Glutton mini boss and his monkeys mark the correct spot - run past them and follow the obvious route from there.

Fat Glutton Guy - The one you bypassed to reach the Mist Noble... didn't we already kill him while he was drunk? Whatever, first up kill his monkeys. Usually the one closest to you first then grapple up and kill gun monkey. Remaining sword monkeys will jump up to fight you outside the bosses reach. He might still spew at you so be careful!

Once the simians are dead grapple away to reset his awareness then go back and open with a backstab. I found it easiest to burn this fatso alive with a spring loaded flame vent (upgraded flame thrower). Just remember to hold down the button to activate the stronger flame and to not put him on fire if he's already on fire (it's just wasted).

In a pinch, you can also sword him once if he's drinking or twice if he finishes a combo. Run around him a little and you'll see he usually has 2 hit combos.

O'Rin of the Water - found beyond Mibu Village, this horny, shamisen playing, floaty ghost is a pain to fight properly. Fortunately you can just run past, or better yet - lure her back the way you came - baiting her until she reaches the edge of her "leash". Attack her there (whirlwind attack is great) and ideally pin her against a rock, a cliff and your hard, hard sword. Beat her down and give her the stabbing she so desperately wants.

Purple Monk - this tall spear wielder is almost right after O'Rin, has a ton of HP but is actually slow (comparative to other bosses) and gives you plenty of room to run around. By this stage you should have a load of items and this is a great place to use them to stun lock her. You'll want your firecrackers, fistfulls of ash and snap seeds at the ready as well as activating a divine confetti and ako's sugar (drugs!)

The procedure is simple, buff up at the entrance then rush the monk directly. Throw a stun item (firecraker, ash, snap seed) hit twice and repeat until you win. If you run out of stuff, you can actually make use of the large area to bait an opening. Either the jump smash where the spear hits the ground (and doesn't swipe), or the 5 whirl attacks. After either you have time to dash in and hit once (only).

Killing her somehow lets you learn how to dive and breathe water, so make sure you do that in all the water areas you've passed as some have prayer beads just laying there!

Longarm Centipede - There are actually two of these and both have the same strategy. For the one in the temple kill all the little dudes first both on the rafters and on the floor. They throw fire so an aggressive charge is best. Afterwards grapple up and go away till the boss loses interest so you can have a clean duel.

Regardless if you are fighting the temple one or the one at the back of the gun fort, use a Gokan's sugar before engaging. For the temple one you can open with a deathblow if you like. The fight is easy though. He will attack relentlessly, and you will button mash parry until he breaks his own posture for a kill. The only switch is when a perilous attack comes in which case you must jump, ideally forward and jump again on his head. Easy!

Next up, Lady Butterfly and Genichiro...!

Sekiro: You're gonna die more than Twice - Boss Fight Tips (Part II)!

After beating that first set of bosses, here's the next batch waiting to be defeated!

General Speechman on the Stairs (optional) - this guy is actually very readable. Hook up the right side of the street (Gasp - NOT LEFT?), then across and up above him to start with a death blow. After that you need to be fast, killing some of his gunners.

Run off to the dead end behind them and let him chase you, then run past him to kill the remaining riflemen so that you can duel properly. Now the easy part. Back off down the stairs. If he walks forward throw a fire cracker and whack him. If he walks backward, stab or whirlwind attack at range (like your aiming to -just- miss) to tag him then parry/back off and repeat. Careful of his jump smash though. Side step or hit him when he does that.

Longsword in the Pit - drop attack from the hole to complete 50% of the fight. If you have the flamethrower tool (from the flaming village), use it to light him up when he's open (don't get greedy). Otherwise, this one is another lesson in NOT locking on to the boss and running instead of dodging. He has many kick attacks which leave him open so sprint in a circle like a chicken and just peck him when he's open.

If you can't find him, from the Reservoir Shrine, grapple across the branches - sneak over the wall then grapple LEFT over the gap.

Seven Spears Guy - this optional dude holds the title of "having killed me the second to the most times"! So much it broke my grammar! Anyway since he cheats so much, my solution is equally garbage but effective.

To find him advance as though you're hunting the Longsword guy (above) but instead of going over the gap, follow the long grass on the LEFT to murder/sneak along the lower cliff face and into the tower, just like you did in the intro.

Exit the tower but before going down the stairs examine the left side of the landing. See how you can "hang on ledge" here? Good. Now go backstab the cunt. When he gets angry go up the stairs and hang on the ledge. This breaks his mind and he just stands idle while you attack his knee from the hanging position. He'll never be an adventurer again!

Poison Pit Rifleboss - When you first reach the poison pit, your first task is to ignore everyone and just get to the LEFT side of the chamber where there's a shrine. From that shrine, not only can you grind two of the gunners for EXP - you can back stab this guy.

Afterwards, run away. Ideally leading him into the poisoned lake. You can then Tarzan across some trees to the landing above the shrine to retain his aggro. All you need next is patience, as the poison will do your work for you. Once he's ready to drop (he won't die to it) rush him aggressively for the win.

Armored Warrior - Axe and Parry (tap tap tap). The only way to beat him is to break his posture with the specific goal of breaking it precisely when his back is to the open sky. Don't worry, he'll make holes in the bridge for you. Also, feel free to run away to heal and recover your own posture (hold block down) before repositioning to kick him off the bridge.

PS. Don't bother fighting anything each time you running to fight him. Just grapple up the path and jump over the one dwarf in the way.

Ok, that's the last one for this set. More to come tomorrow!