Flashbangs are a form of weapon found in Alan Wake. In real life, they are used by military and police forces to stun and temporarily blind hostiles while breaching rooms.
In-Game Description
Nonlethal weapons? Not against the Taken. The bright flash of light instantly burns off their protective shadows, and the concussive blast rips them into shreds.
Characteristics
Flashbangs explode with a blinding flash of light that disintegrates Taken instantly. This is a single-use weapon that you can make the most of when surrounded by multiple Taken. Flashbangs occupy the same secondary slot as the Flare, and as such may not be used at the same time without switching weapons, although you can have both in your inventory at the same time.
Tactics
Flashbangs are similar to the Flare Gun in that its explosion instantaneously eradicates any Taken caught in its blast radius. However, it has a much larger blast radius, and does not create a temporary safe haven of light. It is often best to use a flashbang just before you are surrounded by enemies, as you will still be vulnerable to attack in the moments before it explodes. Since these are somewhat less common than the Flare, they should be saved for especially difficult or hectic battles.
Trivia
- The way Alan uses flashbangs is extremely hazardous. In real life, flashbangs should not be handled that way for fear of suffering damage to the retinas or ears after prolonged use.
- Flashbangs are the only items Alan use that are atypical of gear usually used by hunters - Alan even comments on several occasions about how odd it was to be finding flashbangs so frequently.
- These function like hand grenades in other video games; it takes out Taken with one shot, and can take out many in a group. However, flashbangs cannot hurt Alan, unlike ballistics in real life - they only cause a temporary blindness effect.