Remedy Entertainment came back in a big way at this year's E3, but not necessarily in the way a lot of people thought. The company has been hard at work on its latest title after working with Microsoft on the ambitious but ultimately doomed cross-media venture known as Quantum Break. While Remedy has typically veered toward Microsoft's consoles in the recent past, especially since the Xbox 360 era with games like Alan Wake, this time around it decided to make a return to form by showcasing its newest game, Control, during the Sony E3 press conference.
While Control might have been on display during the Sony E3 press conference, it's not a PlayStation 4 exclusive. The game is scheduled to release in 2019 for the Xbox One, PC and PS4, which is Remedy's first multiplatform console game since Max Payne 2. The trailer clocked in at just under two minutes, but is filled with a ton of intriguing imagery and gameplay possibilities.
The story centers around a woman with a troubling past named Jesse Faden. She's the director of a paranormal outfit called the Bureau of Control. The bureau deals with studying, testing, and ultimately stopping supernatural and paranormal entities from harming people. It's a lot like Men In Black or similar to the Agents from The Matrix.
However, as depicted in the trailer above, things go horribly awry for Faden and the rest of the Bureau of Control when a group called Hiss invades and begins to dismantle the organization.
As Jesse, players will have to navigate through the facility, stopping the invaders and figuring out why they're doing what they're doing.
The trailer is put together in a really weird way, though. Nothing about the actual story is explored or discussed, but Jesse talks about the old house and how it affords an opportunity to keep traveling "deeper and deeper". Meanwhile, we get some crazy visual sequences where geometrically shifting rooms completely rearrange and reform into all new environments. It's visually trippy for sure, almost like Inception or Dark City, but maybe with a more sterile and clinical approach to the architectural deformations.
It's impossible to properly tell what the enemies are like or what their abilities are, but we know that they appear to be able to manipulate and bend space and the structure of reality.
We also see that Jesse has a very unique gun and the ability to kinetically discharge energy at enemies, as well as use the powers to throw objects, shield herself from incoming attacks, and create dispersion waves that work like area of effect explosions. Many people note that her abilities seem very similar to those from Remedy's Quantum Break, which seems like a fair comparison. According to the website, players will be able to customize Jesse's abilities and upgrade them throughout the game.
Control is still heavy in development with a tentative 2019 release for home consoles and PC. If we don't get a lot more details about this game at GamesCom, don't be surprised if the 2019 release is pushed back to 2020.
