Control Resonant Devs Explain Protagonist Change As More Spin-Offs Teased
Topics: Interview, PlayStation, Xbox, PC
Featured Image Credit: Remedy Entertainment
Topics: Interview, PlayStation, Xbox, PC
During our hands-on preview of Control Resonant, we spoke with Remedy Entertainment art director Elmeri Raitanen about what fans can expect from the highly anticipated sequel, as well as the studio’s thoughts on a remaster of an underrated action-adventure on its 10th anniversary.
Control Resonant is the sequel to the highly rated Control of 2019, which introduced players to the protagonist Jesse Faden who is investigating the whereabouts of her missing mother, which led her to the FBC HQ, the Oldest House, a government organisation that is home to all sorts of supernatural shenanigans and experimentations.
However, she bit off more than she could chew, walking straight into a haven of the paranormal. Jesse soon discovered that the Oldest House had suffered a supernatural outbreak with deadly entities known as the Hiss having escaped. She also found out that her long-lost brother Dylan is also at the FBC HQ, after being kidnapped by the organisation as a child. He had gained supernatural powers of his own and, as such, was a victim of cruel experiments.
In Control Resonant, the roles are switched, with Dylan now as the lead character, and this time, he’s looking for his sister and with that comes a new gameplay approach, giving the sequel an identity of its own. But was there ever a version of this sequel that would see Jesse return as the lead protagonist?
Advert
“We have always thought about Control as a world to build a franchise,” Elmeri explained. “For example, we don’t have a number in the title or name of the protagonist in it, like Alan Wake or Max Payne.
“That way, we can meticulously build an ambitious game world that has different perspectives and angles from within the Control universe. In 2019, we played Control from Jesse’s viewpoint; it was her story. Now, on the other side of the sibling coin, we get to experience Dylan’s viewpoint and story in Control Resonant."
Control was packed full of easter eggs from various Remedy games, and even planted the seeds for the arrival of Alan Wake 2. So, it might be fair to assume that Control Resonant might not only tease something for that series but perhaps even other properties from the studio that are yet to be announced.
“We have what is referred to by the community as the Remedy Connected Universe. So yeah, we could eventually see even more connected stories. However, that can all depend on how people receive Control Resonant. Obviously, it’s not out yet, so we’ll just have to wait to see what happens," Elmeri said.
Elmeri continued, “We have been making shooter games at Remedy for about 20 years, and it was definitely high time to try something different. We, as developers, were super happy that we could finally make a melee game with Control Resonant. From an animator's perspective, it can be more interesting to make a third-person melee game rather than a third-person shooting game."
“For example, Dylan is faster than Jesse, and with his shapeshifting melee weapons and abilities, he has more animated possibilities with how he moves and interacts with the world. The weight of his weapons is also very different to Jesse's, so that brings its own challenges too,” revealed Elmeri.
“However, seeing as this is the first melee game from Remedy, we had to make sure that we got it right. We need to do it properly. We hired specific people who have different experiences in a variety of fighting games and melee-focused action games.” From my time playing Control Resonant, the melee combat gave me major Devil May Cry vibes, so perhaps this may have also been some kind of inspiration.
“Our team of developers literally have a list of hundreds of games, and if we spot something cool and believe that it might work in one of our games, with our own spin on it, and if it makes sense for its world, we take a lot of inspiration from many games. But there's not necessarily anything that quite plays like Control Resonant.”
“We have very deliberately designed Control Resonant to work as a standalone experience, and this is one of the reasons why we dropped the number two from the name,” said Elmeri.
“Even if this is a fully blown sequel and not a spin-off, we want people to feel like they can enjoy this game without playing the first one. Then, when they’re done with Control Resonant, they can go and check out the first game. Control Resonant pretty much picks up the story from where it was left off in 2019.
“That being said, there are so many strange concepts in Control Resonant, as well as returning characters and story beats; those who played the 2019 game will initially get more out of the sequel from that perspective. It will be easier for returning players to get on board with Control Resonant, but we have absolutely designed it to be a welcoming standalone experience as well.”
In April 2016, Remedy Entertainment released the Xbox console exclusive Quantum Break. Released on the Xbox One, this was an ambitious title, even by this studio's standards. It blended high-octane, third-person shooter action with supernatural time-based powers, such as briefly rewinding time while still in combat or freezing enemies.
It was also presented as if it were a TV production, with live-action episodes placed between chapters. It starred the likes of Shawn Ashmore (X-Men) as the protagonist Jack Joyce, as well as the late Lance Reddick (John Wick), Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings), and Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) to name a few. Oh, and Courtney Hope, who played Jesse in Control.
Was Quantum Break a perfect game? No, but it certainly had a certain charm and with a few gameplay tweaks and graphics upgrades, it could be a game worthy of a modern remaster on its 10th anniversary.
Elmeri told me, “It’s funny, because that was a game that I originally worked on, and it makes me feel old in this gaming industry. It already happened with me on the Alan Wake remaster. I worked as a VFX artist and lead on Quantum Break; it was a fun project to work on. It would be interesting [if it got a remaster], but I believe Microsoft owns the IP.”
“This is a sequel; it’s a little different, but it’s still very much a Control game. Just like in 2019, whether you played the game or were new to the series, go into Control Resonant with an open mind. Expect the unexpected, and you’ll be kept positively surprised,” concluded Elmeri. “If you liked the weirdness and the fact that the first Control felt fairly unique, I truly hope that we can give a similar sensation and feeling with this one, even if it's a sequel.”
Control Resonant will be released on 24 September 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
READ MORE: 6 Things We Loved From Our Control Resonant Hands-On Preview