Remedy Entertainment has revealed they a new game at E3 2018. No, it’s not Alan Wake 2, but a whole new IP called Control.
The reveal itself only included one cryptic trailer, but from the very few seconds, it’s clear this is a Remedy game. The visual style, the cinematic camera angles, dramatic narration and strange surroundings are all a dead giveaway.
While the trailer doesn’t tell us much about the game, a steady stream of information coming from the convention helps us find out more about Control’s story and gameplay.
Protagonist Jesse Faden is the new director of the Federal Bureau of Control. Congratulations would’ve been in order if it weren’t for the fact the previous director was killed by the Hiss.
The Hiss is an otherworldly entity that invaded the FBC’s headquarters, twisting space and time and possessed some of the agents. They are the game’s main antagonists.
You’ll fight the Hiss using your supernatural abilities and the Service Weapon – both a perk of your new job. So far we’ve seen Jesse using rubble as a floating shield, and flinging objects at enemies with telekinesis. She will also have some sort of time-manipulation ability and the powers of levitation.
The Service Weapons is just as diverse as her superpowers. It’s a special gun that can change functions at her will. Meanwhile, we’ve only seen it serve as a pistol and a shotgun, but it will have other uses as well. As far as we know, this is the only weapon in the game.
Narrative Lead Anna Megill has compared the Service Weapon to the legendary sword Excalibur; probably because it symbolizes the station and power of its bearer.
The FBC’s headquarters are also known as The Oldest House, where most of the game takes place at. But don’t worry, you won’t be confined to a repeating series of corridors and offices. In sci-fi tradition, The Oldest House is bigger on the inside.
In fact, Control is Remedy’s most open-ended game. We won’t be traveling in an open world, but environments are larger than usual and have sandbox quality to them. You’ll be free to explore these M.C. Escher-esque areas, accessing new areas as you unlock more abilities.
The game’s Metroidvania design is definitely a new step, but it’s all part of Remedy’s new direction of creating gameplay-driven experiences over narrative-driven ones. It probably has something to do with Quantum Break failing to live up to fans’ expectations.
Control is still a single-player game with plenty of story and mysteries to uncover. It is also a multiplatform game, scheduled for release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2019.
