Today’s State of Play wasn’t super exciting. However, there was one announcement (besides Bugsnax gameplay) that got me pumped. The second expansion for Control got a trailer, and it looks fantastic. The base game blew me (and our reviewer) away last year, and the first DLC was an excellent addition. However, with the AWE DLC, we’ll be getting our first look at the Remedy Connected Universe.
The Control AWE expansion will more closely examine Altered World Events. These occur when paranormal forces intrude upon the real world and typically leave Altered Items and Objects of Power in their wake. These occurrences were touched on in the base game, particularly the one involving Jesse and Dylan Faden in Ordinary, WI.
The Federal Bureau of Control formerly utilized the Investigations Sector to research and examine Altered World Events. However, this sector of the Old House was sealed at some time in the past, and Jesse must reclaim it as part of the second expansion’s plot.
One of the most exciting aspects of the AWE expansion is that one of the AWEs we’ll be exploring involves Bright Falls and the disappearance of Alan Wake. We don’t know if Alan himself will appear, or how much time the expansion will spend on the Bright Falls AWE. However, Remedy pointed it out that it’ll likely be integral to the plot of the second DLC at the very least.
I’m excited to learn more about the Remedy Connected Universe as well. It’s unfortunate that Remedy sold Max Payne to Rockstar because that would have made for another fantastic crossover. Hopefully, more studios will embrace this MCU-style universe for their games in the future.
The Control AWE expansion premieres on August 27 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but you can get a sneak peek before then. On August 13 at 9 AM PST, Creative Director Sam Lake and Game Director Mikael Kasurinen will be showing the first 15 minutes of the DLC on Twitch.
