Control’s Mysterious Setting Investigated in Developer Diary

Remedy Entertainment has released a third developer diary for Control. The first two videos centered on story concepts and gameplay, respectively. This all new look at the Alan Wake developer’s next venture places Control’s setting under a microscope.

You can see the third Control developer diary here:

According to Creative Director Sam Lake, Control takes place entirely inside of the Federal Bureau of Control’s headquarters. This building, referred to as “The Oldest House,” is a massive skyscraper in Manhattan, New York. Inside of these walls, an organization responsible for dealing with “unexplainable” phenomena works tirelessly and in secret, in order to rid the world of supernatural threats.

Game Director Mikael Kasurinen explained that the bureau’s building is “sealed off from our reality” and works independently from the rest of the government. However, to ensure the strange happenings on the inside never draw outside attention, the Oldest House adopts a brutalist architecture design that’s reminiscent of Washington, D.C.’s FBI building, added Control’s Narrative Lead, Anna Megill.

Thematically, the building’s raw concrete design, made up of rigid, straight lines, clashes with the “chaotic forces” at work within the Oldest House, continued Megill. At the heart of Control is the idea of chaos and order conflicting. This allows Remedy to craft a “world within a location,” as the Oldest House represents an “ever-shifting place full of mysteries.”

To this end, Sam Lake noted that the structure is “much bigger on the inside” than the outside would lead onlookers to believe. If you know the best way to explore it, the right rules to follow, the Oldest House can become endless.

Lead Designer Paul Ehreth hinted at these ideas not being superficial. There are things worth exploring beyond the surface level. When players get their hands on Control, they’ll be surprised at just “how deep this world goes.”

When players will get their hands on it is the real question. Control does not yet have a specific release date. However, it’s slated to launch on PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One sometime in 2019.