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WARNING: HIGHLY CLASSIFIED DATA ACCESS RESTRICTED TO AUTHORIZED AGENTS ONLY
The following contains major < Plot Details / Spoilers > of Control and its expanded media.
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Template:Standard character
| “ | Fair warning: this is gonna be weirder than usual. | ” |
— Jesse Faden, Control Gameplay Trailer | ||
Jesse Faden is the current Director of the Federal Bureau of Control and the player character of Control. Seeking answers about her mysterious past, Jesse sought out the Federal Bureau of Control, a secret government agency tasked with investigating unexplainable phenomena. As Jesse arrived at the Bureau's headquarters, the Oldest House, it was suddenly invaded by a hostile force known only as the Hiss. In the chaos, Jesse was suddenly made the FBC's new Director in lieu of the previous Director's death, and tasked with fighting back the Hiss and regaining control over the Oldest House.
Biography
As a child, Jesse Faden lived in a town called Ordinary with her brother, Dylan. While in the city's landfill, the two discovered a slide projector which turned out to be an Altered Item, the slides of which opened doorways to "other places." Unknown, hostile entities emerged from the doorways, causing untold, tragic events, possibly killing their family. Jesse and Dylan were able to find help in the form of a mysterious being who emerged from the slides. This being helped Jesse and Dylan turn the projector off, preventing the hostile entities from emerging from them. However, at this point, Jesse and Dylan encountered agents of the Federal Bureau of Control, a secret organization assigned to deal with supernatural phenomena. Jesse fled, and Dylan was kidnapped by the Bureau. The FBC covered up these events, and no one believed Jesse about her story or Dylan's disappearance.
For years thereafter, Jesse felt like an outcast, her view of reality different from others. Driven by guilt over her actions, Jesse sought to find her brother, and years later located the Oldest House, the FBC's headquarters, in New York City. Arriving at the Oldest House, Jesse sought to speak to Zachariah Trench, the Director of the FBC, about the whereabouts of her brother. However, at the same time, the Oldest House was suddenly invaded by a hostile, viral force of resonance known only as "the Hiss." The Hiss began to possess agents of the Bureau, turning them against the organization, and also killed Trench. In the chaos, Jesse picked up Trench's fallen firearm, the Service Weapon, to defend herself. Unbeknownst to Jesse, the Service Weapon was an Object of Power that chooses its wielder. Because she could wield it, Jesse was immediately declared to be the Bureau's new Director, a position she was wholly unprepared to fill. With Trench dead, Jesse was tasked with repelling the Hiss invasion and retaking control over the Oldest House.
Control follows Jesse's journey as she grows into the role of Director. Along the way, she finds allies in the Bureau's various surviving agents, all while guided through the Oldest House by the disembodied presence of Trench.
Powers & Abilities
Jesse uses Shield to deflect enemy bullets
Jesse possesses a host of paranatural abilities, which are believed to have originated with the unknown event in her youth. Throughout Control, she can expand upon these abilities each time she encounters an Object of Power, at which point she is transported to the Astral Plane and performs a ritual to gain control of that Object's ability.
Launch
Launch is a telekinetic ability which allows Jesse to levitate objects in her environment, and then throw them as projectiles at enemies. It is her most basic power, and the most iconic and broad ability used in Control. Launch can also be used to Jesse's benefit in the environment of the Oldest House, to move obstacles or open up new areas.
Shield
Shield allows Jesse to telekinetically rip objects from the environment, including concrete chunks from walls and floors, and use them as a makeshift barrier to block enemy attacks. If this ability is upgraded, Jesse can also launch these projectiles forward in a kinetic attack similar to Launch.
Evade
With evade, Jesse utilizes her telekinetic powers to influence her own movement, moving rapidly for a short period of time. This allows her to dodge enemy attacks or move quickly through battle scenarios.
Melee/Smash
This ability is a standard melee attack amplified with telekinesis, causing a blast that can knock over enemies. It can be used along with Evade for rapid and powerful melee attacks on enemies. If used along with Levitate, this ability allows Jesse to slam to the ground, knocking enemies back. This melee can be used to break down walls and open up new areas.
Levitate
Levitate allows Jesse to telekinetically lift herself into the air, and drift across large areas. Jesse can control the height at which she levitates, and use any other ability while in the air as well. Levitation allows Jesse to access areas of the Oldest House than cannot be reached by foot, making it key for navigation across the building.
Seize
Unlike Jesse's other abilities, Seize is telepathic in nature, and allows Jesse to take over the minds of her enemies. When an enemy is weak enough, Jesse can use Seize to temporarily turn them to her side, and have them fight against other enemies. The powers of these enemies can also have unique benefits; for example, if an enemy has the ability to heal other enemies, Seize will cause the former enemy to heal Jesse.
Jesse gains the Seize ability after acclimating with an x-ray Object of Power contained in the Central Research Sector's Hypnosis Lab.
Personality
Jesse has long been defined by the trauma she experienced in her youth, and is driven to seek answers and to rescue her brother from wherever he has disappeared to. Jesse has been described as curious, witty, and sarcastic, "alternating between intense and insecure," and feels somewhat out of place in her new role as the Bureau's Director. She is considered a "breath of fresh air" for the Bureau, contrasting with its stern bureaucratic nature and redefining the meaning of her role as Director. She is a fan of rock music.
Trivia
- Jesse is portrayed by actress Courtney Hope, known for her role as the character Beth Wilder in Remedy Entertainment's previous title, Quantum Break.
- Jesse's former hometown, Ordinary, appears to be a direct allusion to Remedy Entertainment's previous game Alan Wake's American Nightmare, in which a secret message can be found that reads "It will happen again, in another town, a town called Ordinary." Ordinary was also the subject of the Alan Wake ARG blog "This House of Dreams." Ordinary is also mentioned in Quantum Break, its location said to be in the U.S. state of Maine.
