Fans of Control finally have a release date for AWE, the second of two planned expansions for the eerie supernatural shooter. During PlayStation's recent State of Play update, developer Remedy announced the DLC will arrive on PlayStation 4 on August 27th, 2020 and that it would finally explain the long-rumored connection between Control and Alan Wake.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead for Control and Alan Wake.]
Control follows Jesse Faden, a woman with mysterious abilities who has spent years trying to find the secret headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), an organization that tracks down and contains supernatural objects. A month after the game originally released, developer Remedy Entertainment confirmed two expansions. The first DLC for Control, The Foundation, released in March 2020. When AWE releases this August, it will contain, among other things, new story content, a new horde mode, and the ability to replay certain parts of the main campaign.
Within the world of Control, AWE refers to an Altered World Event — basically any time something supernatural affects our world. But fans of Remedy games have also defined the DLC as the Alan Wake Expansion, encouraged by the inclusion of Alan Wake key art in the logo for AWE. Alan Wake was the lead character in a Remedy game of the same name, which featured an author beset by a supernatural force that was slowly turning his fictional story into reality. Control is full of Easter Eggs for Alan Wake, with in-game memos referencing an AWE incident at the town of Bright Falls, where Alan Wake was set, as well as mentioning Alan Wake specifically by name.
How Will AWE link Control and Alan Wake?
Remedy confirmed in post at the PlayStation Blog that Jesse Faden will be investigating the Bright Falls AWE incident as part of her exploration of the Investigation Sector of the FBC, an area in their headquarters that was sealed off years ago. The announcement trailer itself pulls directly from the Easter Eggs of Control. One memo, for instance, referenced a typed page that was found outside of a door at the Oceanside View Motel, a door which featured a spiral symbol. In the new trailer, there's a very clear closeup of that spiral labeled door at the motel, while the sound of a typewriter can be heard. Alan Wake, despite his story being set in 2010, used a typewriter when working on his manuscript.
In Control, the Oceanside View Motel is a kind of supernatural hub that connects locations; while Jesse can be clearly seen entering the spiral door, she might not actually be going to Bright Falls itself. In the finale of Alan Wake, Alan ends up sacrificing himself to save his wife and ends up trapped in a supernatural zone known as the Dark Place. When Jesse opens the spiral door, there's nothing but blackness beyond. It could be that Jesse will travel to the Dark Place and finally free Alan Wake.
While the trailer for AWE focused heavily on the Alan Wake connections, the Remedy announcement states that Jesse will be looking into "numerous Altered World Events," as she explores the depths of the Investigation Sector, indicating that Alan Wake might only be one part of the overall story contained in the expansion. The trailer has a quick shot of what looks like a lunar landing module, potentially setting up the moon landing as another AWE. Even more tantalizing, Remedy's blog post teased that perhaps maybe, just maybe, all of their games, including Control, were part of a connected universe, and that a payoff could be coming in the near future.
Control: AWE will be available on PlayStation 4 and PC on August 27th.
Source: PlayStation