Virtual History | Remedy Entertainment
[Note - This article is pretty much just a paste of the video script. I've changed some parts here and there so they actually make sense to read, though of course, some parts will translate better with visual accompaniment.]
An NYPD detective faces the combined fury of Norse inspired drug peddlers and the schizophrenic manifestations of his own mind, in the search for the truth behind the death of his family. A successful author, looking for his missing wife, is attacked by his own creations, forewarned by the pages of the novel he can’t remember writing. The brother of a revolutionary scientist is granted time-controlling powers by an experiment gone wrong, and faces the wrath of a corporation hellbent on stopping the end of time itself. And, the director of a confidential government agency works to contain the otherworldly threats within an ever-shifting trans-dimensional building, using supernatural powers, aided by the ghost of the former director and the unseen alien board.
If there’s one quality Remedy Entertainment has proven to
possess time and time again, throughout their titles, it’s that they’re not
afraid to change things up (not to mention ‘get real weird with it’). There are
few AAA developers that continuously create new IP like Remedy do and do not rely
on the prospect of safety in franchises. Cross this with their history of
never-before-seen tech and their knack for abstract storytelling and design, it’s
fair to say Remedy have more than earned the title of ‘innovators’.
Despite this, most of their projects have been hit with
sales that can be best described as, steady. So this raises an interesting
theory. Remedy occupy the space within the industry of AAA devs who time and
time again go back to the drawing board, but could it be out of necessity
rather than choice? Their history raises the image of a studio kept afloat by
their skill in creating unique and interesting games, but yet still left constantly
teetering on the edge of widespread success.
Nevertheless, they’ve come far since their humble
beginnings. Before Control, before Alan Wake, before even Max Payne, there
was...
Beginnings, and Death Rally
In 1995, a group of people had found work in the ‘demoscene’
industry, creating demo applications for personal computers, intended to show
off the visual and audio capabilities of the hardware they were built for. As
part of now-long defunct demoscene developer Futurecrew, they decided to create
their own company, one that would be the first commercial video game developers
in Finland, which they called… Remedy.
Remedy’s first effort doesn’t quite fit into the
aforementioned synopses, I'm afraid, nor the cinematic storytelling they would
come to be known for. No, before grim comic book narration, horror fiction made
real, and unexplainable architecture, there was...cars smashing each other to
bits.
Yup, first of all there was Death Rally...Remedy's first
foray into video game, made when Remedy was less of a company, and more of a
congregation in founder Samuli Syvahuoko’s basement.
Death Rally was a racing game where all the cars are armed
with guns and explosives (or just standard cars if you choose the option to
turn off weapons, at which point it just becomes…Rally.)
Death Rally was published by Apogee Software, later renamed
and known more widely as Duke Nukem developer 3D Realms. Relatively simple in
concept and execution, but it proved popular, earning positive reviews, and a
remake in 2012, and ultimately ended up in a 2017 display of 100 classic
Finnish games.
Regardless, arcade-style racing did not stay Remedy’s focus.
No, following Death Rally’s release, Remedy went through change both internally
and externally. Remedy rebranded themselves with a new logo (and hurried along
by a lawsuit from LucasArts which found similarity in their logos), and started
pitching new ideas to 3D Realms, far different to their last effort.
Ultimately, they settled on an action shooter concerning a hard-boiled
detective, wrought by tragedy in the streets of New York, who finds himself
with nothing to lose.
Max Payne
All of Remedy’s concepts after Death Rally have been largely
brought to life from the mind of Remedy’s now creative director Sam Lake, seen
here doing the face. Friend of Remedy’s founding member Petri Jarvilehto, Lake
was invited to help with script-writing on Death Rally, and seemingly stuck
around.
Remedy were inspired to create a third-person shooter for
their second game by titles such as Loaded and then Tomb Raider, though they
wanted to avoid, quote “the horrid camera system” present in the latter. Wanting
to create a deep, psychological story, Remedy got to work on Max Heat, until
somebody suggested another name, a $20,000 trademark was wasted, and Max Payne was
born.
Working around their limited budget, they utilised
comic-book visuals for most of their cutscenes, and Remedy’s own staff for
voice actors, as well as Sam Lake’s face, and his own mother for the main
antagonist (who does a stand-up job, might I add). They also created their own
engine for Max Payne, dubbed MAX-FX, also used for the sequel and licensed
elsewhere.
Revealed at E3 1998, Max Payne attracted interest in part
due to its, at the time, innovative effects like muzzle flashes, smoke, and also
more significantly the slow-motion action its gameplay centered around.
In Max Payne, the player is granted access to bullet-time,
every gunfight allows you to go into slow-motion at the push of a button, for a
limited time. Bullet time slows down the gameplay dramatically, but the
player’s aiming reticle stays as it was – ensuring that its usage is
strategically viable. Not to mention it’s fun as hell, even now, 20 years
later. A limited, but automatically regenerating bullet-time gauge ensures it
can’t be exclusively relied on as well, so there’s a nice balance to the mayhem.
I’m honestly surprised the system wasn’t copied more; besides GTA V I can’t
think of many popular titles that use bullet time similarly, except maybe the
actual Matrix game (remember that?), but I’m glad as it leaves Max Payne to be
all the more unique in the gaming scene.
Other than flashy new effects and stylish slo-mo, Max Payne
was notable, unique and at the time influential due to being a
character-focused narrative drama, something nowhere near as common in the
gaming space in the late 90’s, especially not as part of a shooter.
Max Payne’s narrative, written by Lake and largely inspired
by film noir, centers on the titular detective unravelling the conspiracy
behind his wife and infant child’s murder, connected somehow to the
rapidly-spreading drug Valkyr, itself chained to a much grander scheme that
implicates the New York police force, the government, and Max’s closest allies.
Max’s understandably dour mental health brings more problems into proceedings,
with twisted schizophrenic levels being one of the highlights.
The narrative is boosted by Max’s memorable musings and wit
(straight from Lake’s script) and the voice-acting talent of Max’s actor James
McCaffrey, who would become more entwined with Remedy over time, with more
roles and cameos in their later projects. The music is great too, particularly
the main theme.
Max Payne was repeatedly delayed from its original summer of
1999 release date, in order to, among other things, revamp the game’s textures
and lighting, and during the time the game’s multiplayer mode was dropped. This
didn’t matter though, as on the 23rd of July 2001, it was released
to critical acclaim, and Max Payne became a quick commercial success. It sold
over seven million copies, making it an outlier in terms of widespread sales
for Remedy, something that would not be the case for its quickly greenlit
sequel.
A large part of the sequel’s reason for existing (besides
clear potential for MONEY), came with the December 2001 announcement that
Rockstar owner Take-Two Interactive acquired the Max Payne IP, for a modest
$10m, after the original’s release. Part of the contract stipulated Remedy
would be on board to develop a sequel, which Rockstar would publish.
Lake, again the writer, studied screenwriting at the Theatre
Academy of Finland in order to help him write a more ambitious story, the
script of which ended up being at least three times longer than the original,
at over 600 pages. Whereas Lake had also helped design levels and other things
for the original, the expanded budget (seven million copies sold’ll do that),
meant he could stick to his preferred specialty of writing the sequel. He also
no longer filled the role of face, which was remodeled after actor Timothy
Gibbs, though thankfully the voice did not change, as McCaffrey returned, as
did an improved MAX-FX engine.
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne continued Remedy’s
innovative streak for storytelling. Lake, wanting to continue to explore
concepts rarely seen in gaming, wrote Max Payne 2 as a love story. Mona Sax, a
character introduced in the original, became Max’s femme fatale, and together,
both being playable characters this time around, work to resolve yet another
conspiracy, this time centring on the enigmatic Inner Circle organisation who
aided Max in the original; members of the circle are being stalked and killed,
spurring events that threaten both Max, Mona, and their relationship.
Max Payne 2 lives up to the original and despite playing
both recently, I find it hard to definitively say which one I prefer. Max Payne
2 delivers another great story and more of everything that made the original as
entertaining as it was, with refinements in tow, such as better graphics and
more than one facial expression. The
gameplay is expanded upon also with more in-depth physics, thanks to the use of
Havok engine, and stylistic edges like Max’s action reloads that only add to
the formula. Gameplay touches like partial refillment of the bullet-time gauge
upon every kill with its use, encourage more “dive-in head first” gameplay,
adding more of a frenetic fast-paced feeling to gunfights.
Musically the game excels again, with Finnish band Poets of
the Fall contributing to the banger of a credits song, Late Goodbye, based off
of a poem written by Lake. The band would also become frequent Remedy
collaborators.
Though, I have to say, pedantic mode activate, does the
subtitle strike anyone else as odd? Like, if I made a virtual history of this
channel, as little merit as that warrants, wouldn’t it be weird if I
called it Virtual Distraction: The Rise of Virtual Distraction? The game’s awesome don’t get me wrong but the title always struck me as odd. Not sure
if it’s a noir thing or what. Anyway, I digress.
Max Payne 2: The Goddamn Fall of Max Payne, was another
critical hit for Remedy, and received wide acclaim, though its short length was
criticised. This was before 100 hour RPGS were everyone’s top priority though,
so you might find it a relief nowadays.
Nevertheless, as has become clearly apparent for Remedy over
the years, critical acclaim does not equal sales. Max Payne 2 didn’t sell well,
which ensured that their next title wouldn’t be Max Payne 3. Though a Max Payne
3, wholly developed this time by Rockstar, Rockstar San Diego specifically, did
materialise and release in 2012. Remedy’s involvement was restricted to
consultancy in the final stages of development. And while it did deviate
largely from the first two in presentation, namely removing the comic book
cutscenes in favour of more traditional animation, bringing criticism from
long-time fans, it carries over everything else that made the first two great,
and has its own type of stylish presentation, and probably my personal
favourite of Max’s many memorable quotes. I mean, come on, you wanna watch a
depressed middle-aged drunk guy stumble around, pop painkillers, and lament his
dead wife and child for five minutes? Of course you do, and that’s before you
even get to the main menu. Game of the Year 2012.
While all three are great, 3 honestly might be my favourite,
and I’m still pining for a sequel, or maybe a prequel, despite it wrapping
things up pretty nicely. But this is about Remedy, not Rockstar. Go play ‘em
all.
After Max Payne 2’s release, it had been seven years since
Remedy had worked on something that wasn’t Max Payne, so a change of pace was
warranted, regardless of sales. Following some experimentation with open-world
gameplay that proved fruitless for budgetary reasons, Remedy began work on what
would become their next title. While it was yet another linear shooter, and
proved yet again Remedy’s skill in creating complex protagonists who talk to
themselves, it was anything but similar thematically and narratively. One could
call it a departure.
Alan Wake
A tale as old as time! Unbridled
creativity does not facilitate unbridled profit. The story of lakes and oceans,
of the man, a writer, whose forgotten writings lay siege to an innocent, quaint
and unmemorable mountain town, would prove no different for Remedy in…Alan
Wake.
Sorry to get all dramatic on ya there. The development of Alan Wake proved to be
the longest period of time Remedy has spent on a single title thus far, with
pre-production lasting over three years alone. Alan Wake was one of multiple
concepts Remedy came up after the crunch recovery period they allowed
themselves after finishing Max Payne 2. Securing an exclusivity deal with
Microsoft, whose Game Studios branch would act as Alan Wake’s publisher, Remedy
got to work on their fourth title, this time inspired by Twin Peaks and Stephen
King.
Other inspirations for again-writer Sam Lake were Bret
Easton Ellis and Neil Gaiman, and if you didn’t guess, The Twilight Zone, with
some of the collectibles in the game being episodes of the game’s own
version: Night Springs.
As most games do, the original concepts and demos varied
significantly in presentation from the final product, and preliminary
screenshots showed major differences in terms of Wake’s look, and the layout of
Bright Falls, the main setting.
Yet again a third-person shooter, Alan Wake was however,
conceptually very different in its execution. Differing from the fast-paced
action of Max Payne, Alan Wake is a much slower-paced shooter with survival
horror elements. Ammo must be used wisely and conserved, and flight is as much
a viable option as fight. A unique weapon in your arsenal is your flashlight,
which must be used to remove the barriers encasing each enemy, before you can
actually damage them with bullets – providing an essential spin on third-person
shooter gameplay. Batteries for your flashlight are another resource which must
be carefully conserved. Alan’s enemies are The Taken, which can come in the
form of possessed townsfolk, or objects in the world, oft the key ingredient
for cinematic moments when utilising the dodge mechanic for near misses, which
always provides a fun feeling of “damn that was close”.
Narratively, Alan Wake concerns a successful writer, whom,
after concluding the series that made him famous, suffers from writer’s block.
He and his wife Alice journey to Bright Falls in order to rest and relax. After
setting up in their lake-based cabin, Alice disappears and Alan wakes up hours
later in a car crash, before being attacked and pursued by possessed shadowy creatures.
Along with his best friend and agent Barry, Alan sets out to solve the
mysteries surrounding his wife’s disappearance and the Taken plight of Bright
Falls.
Key, yet optional in Alan Wake are the pages Alan routinely
stumbles on throughout. They’re all part of Departure, a novel Wake can’t
remember writing, yet they forewarn him of events yet to occur. They’re a
really fascinating part of the experience and are symptomatic of something
Remedy’s particularly skilled at I’ve been wanting to mention – combining
narrative with gameplay in a way that makes both excel in a way few other devs
do. It’s something that’s most easily identified here. The pages, in the form
of collectibles, provide clues to upcoming dangers in gameplay and the wider
mysteries of the story, while providing more questions of their own. They’re
some of the most unique and worthwhile collectibles found in any game I’ve
played, to the point that any I didn’t find I looked up, just to be able to
read. More examples akin come from Max Payne, such as Max’s narration, helping
to identify where to go next as well as providing insight into Max as a
character, plus there’s the doubling of painkillers as health items and a
narrative device, though this is only retroactively through Max Payne 3. Don’t
do health kits, kids. A fun Easter egg in Alan Wake comes in the form of one of
the hidden pages being from Wake’s novel before Departure, The Sudden Stop,
eerily similar to the plot of Max Payne, and read by James McCaffrey.
Alan Wake is structured like a TV show, played over the
course of six episodes, each having its own individual story arc and part to
play in the larger narrative, which was more unique at the time before the
sudden rise of Telltale with The Walking Dead, though in this case you don’t
have to buy each episode (though Remedy did initially want to release it this
way before Microsoft deterred them. Thanks, Microsoft). ‘Previously on’
segments begin each subsequent episode, and each has its own credit sequence
and ending song, including music from David Bowie and the returning Poets of
the Fall.
Seven years after the release of Max Payne 2, Alan Wake was
released on 14th May 2010, exclusively for Xbox 360 until a PC
release in 2012. Alan Wake received mostly positive reviews, and continuing
Remedy’s clear knack for character-driven storytelling, though faced
disappointing sales in the short-term that didn’t warrant a sequel, Microsoft
downright refusing the offer from Remedy to make one in favour of a new IP.
It’s a really intriguing and interesting game, though, one
that I’m supremely disappointed never got a full-blown sequel, though it did
get two more episodes, The Signal and The Writer, in the form of DLC that
continued and concluded what was planned to be “Season One” of the overall Alan
Wake story, which unfortunately did not materialise as Remedy hoped. As the
years have passed though it has sold over three million copies.
While Alan Wake 2 never became a thing, a follow-up did
happen, in the form of a spin-off released in 2012: Alan Wake’s American
Nightmare.
If Alan Wake and its DLC constitute a season of a story,
American Nightmare exists more as holiday special. Released as a download-only
title exclusive again initially just for the 360 (before a later PC release),
it takes place after the events of the original game.
Missing after the events of Alan Wake, Wake takes advantage
of his power to create fiction become fact to write himself an escape plan,
though one that also ultimately creates an evil doppelganger of his called Mr.
Scratch. The events that follow, stylised as an
episode of Night Springs, follow Wake’s efforts to defeat Scratch and save the
town and its residents.
American Nightmare shows a much more confident Wake,
intentionally instrumenting events rather than just being subject to them; the
intentional architect of his predicament, rather than being controlled by
anyone else. It’s a neat spin and interesting character progression. The
gameplay this time is refined in places, with weapons to use against The Taken,
which adds more to its combat, though the whole experience is, even if by
design, repetitive. The plot is written as one where Alan has to reset events
and in essence do-over until he gets things right, and this is reflected in the
gameplay, with events resetting to be done again with some twists. While this
repetition is intentional, that doesn’t make it overly enjoyable, as while the
core gameplay is fun, the repetitive nature of its levels does prove to make
the experience less memorable than the previous game, and at times tiresome. So
while it does pale greatly to the prior Alan Wake in my view, I like it for
what it is and it’s still worth a play. It gives more of what made the original
enjoyable, including my dear pages.
Something preventing a future for the Alan Wake series was
that Microsoft held the publishing rights for it, though Remedy always owned
the IP itself. This changed in July 2019 however, when Remedy acquired them; so
perhaps a remaster is on the cards?
On the note of Alan Wake 2, before American Nightmare a
prototype was made, with some concept art and ideas for it being revealed to
Polygon in 2015, though some of these did end up going into American Nightmare.
Other concepts from the planned Alan Wake 2 materialised in
what Remedy turned to in the unfortunate wake of Microsoft shutting it down.
The resulting game however would prove yet again, a very
different concept for Remedy, one involving time travel, superpowers, and an
even deeper foray into a TV-inspired structure.
Quantum Break
Following Remedy’s break up with Alan Wake, their new best
friend came in the form of Quantum Break. Remedy, who had experimented with
live action elements in Alan Wake and American Nightmare, went all in with live
action with what was to be part-video game, part TV show. If Quantum Break is
divided into nine chapters, four of them are TV episodes with the other five
being the acts of the game. Play a level, watch a 20 minute episode of TV, and
so on. The two were designed to complement and affect each other, with the hope
that neither would feel unnecessary or skippable.
Directed by Sam Lake, Quantum Break started pre-production
in 2011, the year after Alan Wake’s release. Remedy pushed to create a time
travel story that felt logical and believable, inspired by classic time travel
stories like Back to the Future and aided with the help of scientists to ensure
compatibility with current physics beliefs. It also made use of Remedy’s new
Northlight engine, which has been used for every release since.
Remedy’s return to faster-paced third-person shooter
gameplay, Quantum Break gives you time-based superpowers including the ability
to freeze enemies and speed up your movement. Story-wise, Quantum Break
concerns former X-Man Jack Joyce, who is asked by his longtime friend,
Littlefinger, uh, Paul Serene, to help him test his time machine. Seconds after
the machine causes Serene’s disappearance, an older Serene appears and launches
an attack on Joyce with the intent to prevent him from causing the end of time
itself.
Also starring are Zavala from Destiny and Merry from Lord of
the Rings, making Quantum Break by far Remedy’s highest-profile title in terms
of voice talent. The TV side of things contains largely its own characters
aside from some appearances from Iceman and co., and serves to fill in some
narrative gaps between levels. There’s also an emphasis on choice impacting the
experience, with actions in the game impacting the show. Plus, at the end of
every level you play briefly as Paul Serene, in sections known as Junction
Points, which fundamentally impact the course the next level (and sometimes the
episode) will take.
Quantum Break’s combat is fun, and the wider story arcs and
lore are interesting, though personally it’s ultimately my least favourite of
Remedy’s games (not including Death Rally, which I haven’t played). Ultimately
a lot of it comes down to atmosphere, level design, and that aforementioned
excellence in combining storytelling and gameplay. Whereas Max Payne and Alan
Wake deliver excellent narrative and atmosphere, Quantum Break by comparison
feels a lot more mundane, save some particular highlight moments. Max Payne and
Alan Wake spit out compelling narrative and intrigue throughout in that way
Remedy uniquely does, and while Quantum Break’s gameplay is fun, I didn’t find the
experience nearly as compelling overall.
Again, while Quantum Break has an interesting lore and
overall story arcs, it does fail to deliver on major aspects. The TV show
ultimately feels kind of pointless by the end of it. The journeys of the
characters unique to it aren’t interesting, and their roles in the grand scheme
of the narrative are completely unnecessary and unsatisfying. Skip 10 seconds
ahead to avoid major spoilers but of the three, one opens a door for Jack
before being killed, one monologues uninterestingly over the intercom, and one
becomes a laughably short and disappointing boss who I killed in like 5
seconds.
The show ultimately fills in gaps that didn’t need to be
filled, and I can think of angles that would’ve been much more interesting to
be covered by it. Like what Serene did over the 20 years he was sent back, how
he met Hatch, and so forth. This probably would’ve required a much bigger
budget than was clearly allowed, though. Also the final level of the game is a
massive tease that, while cool in itself, proves unsatisfying, with one of the
main antagonists hinted at being something far more than they’ve let on which
ultimately becomes sequel fodder, a sequel of course never happening. The
whole concept of the game revolves around the end of time and whether it’s
preventable, with Littlefinger and Iceman fundamentally disagreeing on whether
it can be. The End of Time is referred to so much and interestingly to the
point that it’s disappointing we don’t get to see it beyond short flashes, and
again, skip a bit, but the thing is ultimately prevented before it happens. A
final chapter that showed the constantly teased End of Time and all that
entails, before perhaps being reversed in the resolution would’ve been much interesting
and satisfying than what the actual final level ends up being.
Also, where Remedy had previously excelled in creating main
protagonists with depth and intrigue, Jack Joyce pales compared to Alan Wake
and Max Payne, feeling ultimately like ‘some guy’, and generally not very
interesting by comparison. There are other interesting people in the story,
even if some are underdeveloped - I’ll
give a shout-out to Beth Wilder, who I think is the most interesting character,
and is played by Courtney Hope, who we’ll see again in a bit.
I’m ragging on it a bit (and I cut some out ‘cause it was
getting a bit much), so, credit where credits due, the overall story is clever,
and the gameplay is fun. Even if the experience overall proves not nearly as
memorable as the games that preceded it, I’d still recommend giving it a go.
Another thing I like about it, and this is also testament to
Remedy as a whole, is their insistence on building a bit of a shared universe.
There’s references to Alan Wake, some literally right in your face at the
beginning, and simple things like graffiti on the walls, which seemed largely
meaningless at the time, have proved to be very prescient as of late.
When Quantum Break was released in April 2016, most critics did
give it positive reviews, but they were ultimately less favourable compared to
Alan Wake and Max Payne. Quantum Break suffered sales wise, and has yet to
break a million copies sold, four years later.
After Quantum Break, Remedy separated from Microsoft and turned to their next project, yet another new IP. Their next and latest game would prove Remedy’s most meticulous and ambitious yet.
Control
Control, in multiple ways feels like the ultimate Remedy
game. It combines fast-paced, frenetic gameplay and stylish cinematography akin
to Max Payne and Quantum Break, and fascinating, creepy atmosphere and
storytelling like Alan Wake. But it’s also something very new for the studio.
Starting development before Quantum Break’s release, and this time with the publishing arm of 505 Games, Control quickly became much more
open-world focused than any of Remedy’s previous titles, and rather than the
focus being more solely on the central narrative, a lot more detail was given
to the wider universe and lore that Control exists within, and as was done so
well in Alan Wake, this lore was setup to be fed to the player through optional
collectibles, though rather than just pages, there’s also audio logs, videos,
and more.
First announced at Sony’s E3 2018 conference, Control is unlike
the linear focus of everything in Remedy’s catalog before it. Control is a 3D Metroidvania,
if that means nothing to you, its consists of an open environment that is
steadily unlocked over the course of the game, with the player being able to
retread everything previously explored throughout, being steadily given new
abilities and tools to discover new areas, and new parts of old ones. Think the
original Resident Evil, or Arkham Asylum, or obviously, Metroid or Castlevania.
To me, this type of level and world design is some of the most interesting
gaming has to offer, I love that stuff, so Control was right up my alley before
I touched it.
Control takes place within the walls of the Oldest House,
headquarters of the FBC, or Federal Bureau of Control, whose existence is
justified by the procuring and study of paranormal objects and events. If
you’ve heard of the SCP Foundation, a website detailing a very similar and
hopefully fictional concept, then it’s basically that, as Remedy have admitted
being heavily inspired by it. It’s governed by a Director, themselves answering
to a seemingly supernatural corporate board, whose identities are unknown.
Jesse Faden, suddenly discovering and arriving at the Bureau in search of her
brother, who was taken by the FBC as a child, finds it deserted and its
Director, Zachariah Trench, dead. She picks up the gun he shot himself with,
and finds herself immediately appointed as the new Director, answering to the
board and tasked with stopping the invasion of the supernatural Hiss, which
have killed most of the employees and invaded The Oldest House.
Everything about Control’s gameplay contributes to this
narrative. The ever-shifting gun you use is fundamental to The Director’s role
at the FBC, every boss encounter is accompanied by their own lore files, every
section of The Oldest House plays a fundamental and explained role in the FBC
as an organisation, gameplay tutorials come in the form of monologues from
Trench, and messages from The Board. The powers you attain come from specific
objects you come across, themselves having their own backstory, and so on.
Control’s universe and lore is widespread and compelling
down to the minute details. The Oldest House has an insanely creepy and unique
atmosphere, sound and level design. Its presentation, from Trench and The Board’s
vague but direct messages, to the continuously abstract concepts and places you
come across, is just really cool. I didn’t even have to finish it to feel
confident that it was Remedy’s best game.
It also provides the most fun and frenetic combat Remedy has
created, flying around a room, shooting and telekinetically throwing whatever’s
laying around is endlessly entertaining. You can charge up a shot, grab it and
then throw it, which might sound a bit unnecessary considering it was already
fired from an actual gun, but it’s fun, so hey.
To me, it seems like a culmination of another thing Remedy
has always done well in their own way. That is, combining the quote-unquote
mundane with more off-the-wall elements. Max Payne being set largely in city
streets, warehouses etc. but with the added factor of bullet-time and a
smattering of more horror-focused levels. Alan Wake being set in a small rural
town and its outskirts but with possessed, distorted enemies, and Quantum Break
with its city-setting but with time-powers in tow. Control, on the other hand,
goes all in with the supernatural elements this time around, but there’s still
a normal, mundane by design feel to things like the offices you come across,
until you turn around and see the floating dead bodies.
It also feels in some ways like the Avengers Endgame to
Remedy’s cinematic universe. Max Payne actor James McCaffrey portrays Zachariah
Trench, and he’s again awesome to the point that I miss him when there’s long
periods without a new Hotline entry. Alan Wake actor Matthew Poretta portrays
Dr. Darling, mostly present in the form of video collectibles you find that
explain aspects of The Oldest House and their research. Plus you have Courtney
Hope as Jesse, returning from Quantum Break, and some of the powers you gain
access to feel like an evolution of the powers you had as Jack Joyce.
Bit of a spoiler alert with this next point, so skip ahead
if need be: Trench’s ramblings and Darling’s presentations slowly and steadily
paint the detailed pictures of who they are over the course of Control, and you
never once meet them, which I found to be a really interesting way of telling
their stories.
Control was released in August 2019 to highly positive
reviews, being named by IGN as their game of the year. Yet again, however, high
praise didn’t translate to high sales. Control failed to chart in its month of
release, though its below-average budget (for AAA’s) of £30m meant that this
didn’t hurt Remedy significantly, and they’ve said they’re pleased with its
steady performance. Regardless, Control continues Remedy’s streak of niche
success.
More Control is yet to come, too. Two DLCs have been
revealed, ‘The Foundation’, and ‘AWE’. The Foundation is set to release in
April 2020, and reveal more of The Oldest House and its history, and AWE, set
for summer 2020, stands for two things. Altered World Event, the in-universe
name for events with supernatural links, and ALAN. WAKE. EXPANSION. Big hype for this one.
Remedy just announced
some more details on AWE and their next game; confirming that Alan Wake is
definitely involved. Plus, Lake confirmed in a recent blog post that a Remedy
Connected Universe has been a dream of Remedy’s for over 10 years now, which
lines up with Alan Wake’s original release. This Universe involves both Control
and Alan Wake, the Alan Wake Bright Falls incident being one of the Altered
World Events the Federal Bureau of Control has studied. More from the Remedy
Connected Universe will come to fruition in their next projects, starting with
AWE. Very cool. Thinking about making another thing all about the Control DLCs
after I’ve played them. I’m sure they will give some more hints towards what’s
coming after, and I’m excited to just have more Control.
Aside from Control and their newly confirmed Universe], Remedy
has been partnered with South Korean developer Smilegate since 2017, and has
been steadily working on a single-player campaign for their game Crossfire X.
The exact details of this confused me while I was looking into it. So, strap
in.
Basically, I’ve seen mention of three games – Crossfire HD,
remaster of the original Crossfire, both exclusive to Eastern markets,
Crossfire X, and Crossfire 2, the latter of which may or may not exist, and I
think may be the same as Crossfire X. In any case, Remedy has worked on
Crossfire HD and Crossfire X in terms of singleplayer stuff, but I couldn’t
find much in the way of specifics on whether there is one campaign for both or
two different ones.
I thiiiink it’s just one, but in any case Crossfire X will be released later in 2020 in episodic
format, exclusive to the game’s premium battlepass, which is just great.
*sigh* Episodic isn’t much of a surprise given how Alan Wake and Quantum Break
are structured. I'm not particularly bothered about Crossfire’s multiplayer,
but I am interested to see Remedy’s take on a military FPS narrative.
Remedy has always been a studio teetering on the edge of wide success, but their creativity and skill has always been unquestionable. And in recent months, it’s very much paid off. In March 2020, Remedy struck a deal with Fortnite developer and big large money printer Epic Games to develop two games. Epic’s footing 100% of the bill and sharing 50% of the profit while also giving Remedy full creative control in developing them. They’ll both be under the same IP, with one being a triple A game, and the other being a more bite-sized release. It seems most likely that both of these will be Control-related, probably Control 2 and something like Control: American Nightmare.
In any case, Remedy’s future is secured, and it’s nice to see a company so talented and effortlessly innovative finally find something amazing they can stick to, at least for now.
What are your favourite Remedy titles? Where would you like to see Remedy go from here?
Feel free to sound off in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
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