Taking Control
The announcement of a new third-person shooter is hardly a rare occurrence, particularly during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Remedy, a studio known for Alan Wake and Quantum Break, has revealed their latest project. Previously known as “P7,” Control is an ambitious project which combines cutting-edge physics, paranormal government agents, and hallucinatory experiences to create a third-person shooter that is anything but ordinary.
While the information being provided by Remedy is both minimal and cryptic, seeing even a few moments of the game in action speaks volumes. The game’s protagonist, Jesse, relies more on physics-bending powers than bullets. Using everything in the environment from clocks to office chairs, Jesse manipulates the world around her to be used both defensively and offensively. The game’s Northlight engine renders the details of countless objects flying across the screen with gorgeous precision.
The game’s engine is far more than a glorified physics simulation, however. The manipulation of the environment is part of a recurring theme which extends throughout the game’s premise. While there haven’t been many details regarding the game’s plot, several scenes involve feverish-yet-controlled hallucinatory moments. A looming figure of an older man occasionally cuts into Jesse’s surroundings in a layered, double silhouette that speaks directly to her. Enemies leave behind distortions that trail into a rainbow of colors and light (similar to the effects in the movie Annihilation).
Beware The Hiss
The enemies that populate the environment are former agents of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), infected by something called “The Hiss.” The first encounter shown in the demo involves an innocent looking man casually walking out of an office and turning to face Jesse. He stares for a moment, then out of nowhere produces a weapon and starts firing at her. Luckily Jesse is armed with a weapon fit for someone with her abilities. The “service weapon” is an Excalibur-like pistol that can only be used by the director of the FBC. As the director, Jesse has the ability to manipulate this morphing firearm into various configurations depending on the situation. While Remedy has confirmed that there will be several different variations, the only two revealed so far are a pistol and shotgun mode.
A brief encounter in the demo shows a sealed chamber containing a refrigerator, and one of the FBC agents sitting in a chair staring intently at it. Noticing that someone else is nearby, without turning his head, he hysterically asks to be relieved. He was ordered to stare at the fridge (to prevent something referred to as “drift”) and hadn’t seen another agent in two days. According to Remedy encounters like these are commonplace in the oldest house, and usually involve a side-quest.
The Oldest House
The setting is another unusual aspect of the game. Remedy has indicated that the majority of the game takes place inside the headquarters of the FBC. This is no ordinary building, however. Dubbed “the oldest house,” this building is capable of shifting and transforming in mind-bending ways. Scenes later in the demo involve a complete breakdown of the environment into a spiraling vortex of concrete. There’s also the aforementioned “drift” that occurs when nobody’s watching, though its cause and effects still haven’t been revealed.
While much of the game is still shrouded in mystery, the demo and trailer packed a serious punch. The premise is unique, and the execution follows suit as what scraps I’ve seen made me hungry for more. The game has no release date yet, but we know that it’ll drop sometime in 2019 on PC, PS4, and XboxOne.
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