Control

Control
Release	27 August 2019

“	Discover a world unknown.	”
— Control tagline

Control is a third-person action-adventure video game in development by Finnish game studio Remedy Entertainment. The game revolves around the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), a secret U.S. government agency tasked with containing and studying paranatural phenomena. As Jesse Faden, the Bureau's newest Director, players explore the Oldest House - the FBC's paranormal New York headquarters - and utilize powerful abilities in order to defeat a deadly enemy known only as the Hiss.

Control is set to be released on August 27, 2019 for Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. Two downloadable expansions will follow the game's release; Expansion 1: The Foundation will be released in late 2019 or early 2020, and Expansion 2: AWE will be released on an unknown date.

Plot

After a traumatic childhood experience involving mysterious phenomena, Jesse Faden (Courtney Hope) seeks answers about her past at the Federal Bureau of Control, a clandestine government agency tasked with studying and containing paranatural phenomena. However, as Jesse arrives at the FBC's headquarters, the Oldest House, it is suddenly invaded by a paranormal force known only as the Hiss. In the chaos, FBC Director Zachariah Trench (James McCaffrey) is killed mysteriously.

Jesse picks up Trench's fallen sidearm, the Service Weapon, which she discovers is a paranatural Object of Power that "chooses" its wielder via a mysterious ritual. Due to the Bureau's rules, Jesse is deemed to be the new Director, and is suddenly thrust into the role of retaking the Oldest House and defeating the Hiss in order to restore order to the FBC. Along the way, she explores the deep and shifting halls of the Oldest House and seeks answers about her past, aided in her endeavor by the surviving agents of the FBC, as well as Trench's ghostly presence.

Story Missions

#	Title
1	Welcome to the Oldest House
2	Unknown Caller
3	Directorial Override
4	Old Boys' Club
5	Threshold
6	My Brother's Keeper
7	The Face of the Enemy
8	Finnish Tango
9	Polaris
10	Take Control

Cast

Control's cast consists of numerous actors who performed roles in previous Remedy Entertainment games. As such, the cast has been described as a collection of "Remedy's all-stars."

Courtney Hope as Jesse Faden, the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control. Jesse is the playable character of Control, and the game's main storyline revolves around her search for answers as she grows into the role of Director. Hope previously portrayed the character Beth Wilder in Remedy's 2016 title Quantum Break.

James McCaffrey as Zachariah Trench, the former FBC Director who was killed by the Hiss. Trench's ghostly presence haunts Jesse throughout the events of Control, telling her more about the Oldest House and its nature. McCaffrey has previously worked with Remedy as the voice of the titular character of the Max Payne series as well as Thomas Zane in Alan Wake.

Matthew Porretta as Dr. Casper Darling, the Bureau's head researcher. Porretta previously voiced the titular character of Remedy's Alan Wake series.

Gameplay

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Control is built using Remedy Entertainment’s proprietary Northlight engine, which was first used on their previous title, Quantum Break. As Jesse Faden, players possess a host of paranatural abilities, as well as the Service Weapon, an Object of Power wielded by the Director of the FBC. The Service Weapon can be adapted into various different forms which behave as different weapons, such as forms mimicking a pistol or a shotgun. Jesse’s abilities enable her to telekinetically levitate herself and other objects, though this ability does have some limitations. Jesse can also seize control over weakened enemies. Both the Service Weapon and Jesse’s powers can be expanded upon throughout the game via a skill tree. Control boasts fully reactive environments, and Jesse’s telekinesis can interact with most items, which makes the game more dynamic and multifaceted, and offers more player freedom to adapt to in-game obstacles. Jesse's outfit can also be customized.

Control is set within the Oldest House, a skyscraper in New York City which acts as the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control. While the Oldest House appears innocuous from the outside, its interior is a shifting paranatural space, vastly larger than its exterior. Remedy has stated that the Oldest House’s topography (and thus the game as a whole) is designed in a Metroidvania format; a large, interconnected, nonlinear world map, with access to certain areas being limited by certain obstacles that can only be passed once players have acquired certain tools or abilities. Within the Oldest House, access to certain areas is restricted, and Jesse can unlock these areas after progressing in the main storyline of the game. Special rituals can be used to initiate shifts in the Oldest House’s topography, unlocking new areas and furthering the game’s numerous side-quests. The Oldest House is not a homogeneous landscape, as it contains numerous Thresholds, rooms leading to alternate dimensions which affect the appearance of the Oldest House’s interior. Numerous areas of the Oldest House have also been abandoned by the Bureau over the years, or have never been explored at all, giving the location as a whole an anachronistic atmosphere.

Unlike Remedy Entertainment’s previous games, Control is a nonlinear experience; players are free to explore the Oldest House at their own pace, and as new abilities are unlocked in later levels, areas previously inaccessible become available to explore. Remedy has stated that Control is meant to be a gameplay-driven experience, encouraging players to explore and deviate from the main narrative in order to discover their own stories and learn more about the game’s lore. Control also prominently features side-quests, which can be pursued to unlock new abilities or learn more about the Oldest House and the FBC. Control’s nonlinear nature removes the “hand-holding” nature of some of Remedy’s previous games, with players having the freedom to choose where to go next, what objectives to pursue, and how to overcome certain obstacles. Control is in part a reaction to Remedy’s previous titles, which offered cinematic and emotional yet brief experiences, by providing a longer-lasting gameplay experience for players. Upon release, Control will be by far the longest title in the history of Remedy Entertainment.

Development

Development of Control began at Remedy Entertainment shortly following the release of Quantum Break. Remedy's prior titles Alan Wake and Quantum Break were developed in publishing deals with Microsoft; in part because of this, these titles never received proper sequels. Microsoft also owned the publishing rights to these games. As a result, Remedy sought to exercise more control over their games and their publication, with Control fittingly representing the beginning of this process. It was decided that Control would be published by 505 Games, with Remedy maintaining both intellectual property and publishing rights.

Control was originally known as Project 7 or P7, and was first alluded to in 2017. The game was formally announced in a trailer at the Sony PlayStation press conference at E3 2018 on June 11, 2018. The main cast was announced in September 2018, consisting of numerous actors from previous Remedy titles. A second trailer was released on December 20, 2018. The game's release date was leaked three months later, and formally announced with a third trailer on March 26, 2019. On the same date, pre-order details were released and pre-ordering began.

Control will be released on August 27, 2019 for Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4 and Xbox One. It will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on Windows for one year following release. The game's first downloadable expansion, The Foundation, will be released in late 2019 or early 2020. The second expansion, AWE, will be released on an unknown date. Neither is in development at the current time, as Remedy is focused on completing the core game of Control.

Control has been promoted with an extensive marketing campaign by Remedy Entertainment and 505 Games. As part of this campaign, an alternate reality game was created, which fans participated in from December 20, 2018 to March 26, 2019.

Influences

When asked about influences for the setting, story, and visuals of Control, Remedy has repeatedly cited the literary genre New Weird as a major source of inspiration, especially Jeff VanderMeer's 2014 novel Annihilation. Other "weird" media has also been mentioned, including the 2010 film Inception directed by Christopher Nolan, and the SCP Foundation online collaborative fiction wiki (which was a direct inspiration for the FBC's containment files for Altered Items). The new weird novel House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski partly inspired the design of Control, as both narratives feature houses with infinite, ever-shifting, featureless interiors that break the laws of reality. The works of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick were also cited by Mikael Kasurinen as an influence on the symbolic presentation of Control's world. Other inspirations and influences include Mr. Robot, Legion, and Dark Souls.

Videos

Control - Gameplay Trailer - Out on 27 08 2019 (PEGI)

Control - World Trailer PS4

Control - E3 2018 Announce Trailer PS4

External links

• Official game site
• Developer site
• Control on Wikipedia