Remedy’s Two Unannounced Games Will Have a Shared Universe

Game studio Remedy has recently teased some tidbits of information about their two mysterious games. These two unannounced games are being funded by Epic Games.

[sourOG]

Playing through control again now and it’s as fun as I remember. The launch is pitch perfect control and weight. They have earned a buy from me on their next project. I’ll gamble on a blind preorder. You only get to abuse this once for me though. Like CDPR what a dumb move.

[Kurisu]

I'm looking forward to playing the Ultimate Edition when I get a PS5 - it has been added to my PS+ library ready. I bought the game on PS4 during a digital sale last year but the game seemed to run really badly on my base console so
I didn't get too far in. So intrigued to see how this version looks, plays, and feels (so hyped about getting hands on with Dual Sense) compared to the original version.

[sourOG]

Yup I’m playing on ps5. I’m so used to the dual sense I don’t even remember what it was like without it. It becomes your normal pretty fast. I platinumed it on PS4 and I’m playing through again on ps5.

[Ashunderfire86]

O Your going to love the PS5 version! For my recommendation play it in performance mode to experience all the destruction in 60FPS! It's as pretty as the actress that plays Jesse Faden, and smooth like butter! The most destruction heavy game since Battlefield Bad Company and Red Faction Guerilla! And I like that even more than seeing Ray Tracing. I love when games have destructible environments with so many possibilities.

[monkey602]

Alan Wake got Remedy in my good books (it's still up there on my favourites list) but man Quantum Break destroyed that. I hated that game. So I was weary of control at first and waited a while to get it, but I enjoyed it quite a lot.

[sourOG]

I didn’t mind quantum break. Nothing great but not awful. The cinematic and live tv aspects were lame but the gameplay was fun. Control completely remedied all of that.

[monkey602]

Actually control looked like it was very similar to QB at first. That's why I had no intentions of playing it or any interest in it for so long. It was only the acclaim it got plus a couple of friends nudging me to, that I finally gave it a go.

[Neonridr]

Alan Wake was fanstically written. Like playing through a Twin Peaks or Stephen King book. Love how they broke up chapers into episodes and started each one off with a "Last time on Alan Wake.." and sort of recapped it almost like a TV show. The combat wore a little thin by the end of the game, but I was sucked in by the writing. I hope we get a true sequel at some point.

[Chevalier]

Just curious to the guys who have played through Control on PS5. I'm only about an hour in. Does the Dualsense feel I don't know more significant later into the game? So far I would say it's feels like mostly tapping as I run around. Really enjoying the game so far though.

[sourOG]

The guns use adaptive triggers. I’m so used to it I don’t even pay attention honestly. The only difference I really notice is the lighting and destruction.

[Eamon]

Remedy had been stumbling for many years until Control. While a great game, it had a few flaws.

- Fascinating lore but average story overall.
- Amazing combat mechanics but repetitive gameplay loop.
- Phenomenal level design but very generic enemies.

Of course, Control had Remedy's signature creepy atmosphere. But I feel all their games have yet to match the masterful gameplay of Max Payne series. I'd love a new Max Payne game...

[gamer7804]

Alan wake was a masterpiece that needs finishing. Quantum break was awesome other than a frustrating end boss that I’m glad I beat. Control was fantastic. Bought day one and finished all the dlc. Played in 4K on an ssd donor missing the ultimate version thankfully since I don’t want to lose my progress. Max Payne had amazing gameplay I agree. But they’ve made great games for a long time

[OMGitzThatGuy]

Just because they released games you couldn't play didn't mean they stumbled.

[Eamon]

Control was a pretty easy game lol what do you mean?

[OMGitzThatGuy]

My sentence was easy too, you ok?

[smashman98]

I disagree.

I do think the story without the context of the lore might be considered average but within the context of the lore and within the context of the lore that is actively presented to you the story is great. (This is subjective though we could disagree all day on this and we'd both still be right.)

The Combat Mechanics are amazing and anything that you would describe as a loop is by nature repetitive. However, with the abilities and upgrades being doled out very consistently the gameplay itself is constantly evolving and changing. What starts off as this normal 3rd person shooter quickly evolves into this superhero power fantasy allowing you to play however you desire. Combine the combat with the light platforming and the occasional puzzle. I think they gameplay was an incredibly strong point.

The level design is amazing but calling enemies generic is kind of weird vague criticism. Are we talking about the enemy design? are we talking about the concept of standard enemies that you would normally fight throughout a game such as this? Are we talking about the bosses? I think the enemy design was pretty good. Me personally I'm not a big fan of the military enemy design. But it isn't just people dressed in military gear there's such a wide range of designs from normal infected agents in suits, to enemies in military gear, all the way to these fully corrupted monstrosities. In response to the general concept of standard "normal enemies" - I mean this is standard in all games (with the exception of genres like fighting games, hero shooters, mobas, etc). Final Fantasy will have you facing hordes of the same enemies in between unique bosses. Uncharted is literally just mercenaries the whole time(most of the time). Max Payne is just generic-looking human enemies. If we're talking boss design I don't think I could disagree more, it has everything from your initial hiss corrupted enemy all the way, to a giant presence living inside of a refrigerator ( i think it is a fridge but it has been a while). The bosses are awesome, to say the least (IMO).

I think Max Payne was great for its time. But I feel they've definitely surpassed Max Payne. Alan Wake was phenomenal and so was Control. I see some replies saying quantum break but I disagree with that notion. (To each their own)

[Eamon]

Story: The lore is what got me very invested but I was let down by the plot overall and particularly its ending. In summary, the plot is just MC looking for her brother locked away in a Gov. building with a lot of padding (go to section X to unlock section Y in order to get something for section Z) in between. The lore in the countless documents scattered across the building were the only interesting parts. I did enjoy the classic Remedy trippy moments such as that motel and other weird oddities.

Combat: Yeh as I mentioned, they are great. The superhero power fantasy is definitely the highlight. But what I mean by "gameplay loop" is the game dev term that means what a player actually does with the gameplay mechanics. In control it boils down to: Enter a room -> Enemies appear -> Beat enemies -> Repeat. This obviously makes up the majority of videogames but here's why it becomes a problem...

Enemies: What I meant by generic isn't the visual design but the game design. There are a small handful of variants. One that shoots, one that levitates, one with armor, one that shoots fungus. And then you have tiered versions i.e. more health/speed. Bosses are pretty much the highest tier. Most of of them don't require you to do any different to what you've already been doing. So bosses are really just buffed up enemies. There are a few that are quite different like that Former or the big fungus bastard. But they are your standard oversized boss that deal AoE or equivalent. The only boss that stood out as a good was when you fight your mirror-self. That required skill to beat and was quite fun. You had to learn attack patterns, be careful with your timing and mindful of your surroundings. But everything else was really just a button mash fest.

So in a nutshell, unless enemy gameplay design actually poses a challenge the gameplay loop ends up becoming a chore. By challenge, I don't mean difficulty - what I mean is variety. To take a game like Dark Souls - enemies are extremely varied and each requires a different method to take down. So the game ends up having dozens of different enemy takedown methods. But in Control, there are probably just 2-3 methods. Of course, there is variety in the mechanics but you don't really need to use most of them. You can play the whole game without possession or slam attack. Just shooting to damage enemies and Launch to damage armored enemies. If there were enemies that forced you to use more than 2-3 methods then I feel the gameplay loop would become a lot better.

In terms of comparing to other games' enemies I'd say Final Fantasy isn't a great example you used but I agree with Uncharted. Final Fantasy has dozens of different kinds of enemies each with various RPG strengths and weaknesses. But yes Uncharted is pretty much generic mercenaries with a couple of simple variations in the form of what gun they carry. But Uncharted's gameplay loop isn't the same as Control's. In fact, set pieces are a big part of Uncharted e.g. car chases, buildings falling apart, train jumping, plane crashing etc. Not to mention, platforming plays a big role too with a lot of climbing around.

Max Payne's enemies were generic gangsters - yes. But the gameplay loop is literally about survival. There is no regenerating health. You can get very easily killed. You have limited bullet time. You need to assess a situation in a room very quickly and then execute. Is there a cover to the right of 3 enemies with shotguns? I'll bullet doge to that cover while taking them out. Have I run out of bullet time? I'll quickly run out, shoot, then cover. Max Payne featured many varied room situations and required very precise and quick reactions or you die near instantly. So almost every situation felt unique in that respect.

[smashman98]

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my message.

That's a very basic summary of the plot. Yes, there are documents and audiotapes everywhere. But plenty of the story is centered around this slow unraveling around what exactly the bureau is and why Jesse and her Brother are involved with the Bureau at all. Anything can be summed up in one sentence but that doesn't automatically mean the story is weak. Lord of the rings is just about a little dude bringing a ring to a mountain. Nier is about a guy trying to save his daughter(or sis depending on which version you played). Legend of Zelda is about a mute kid trying to defeat the embodiment of darkness and evil. Persona 4 is about kids struggling with accepting themselves while trying to find a murderer. I could go on and on with this point.

So you combined enemy design and the gameplay loop. (Don't get me wrong I see why you would) But again I still have to disagree. I'm not saying you are completely incorrect or your points are 100% invalid. But the gameplay you described is not the gameplay I experienced. Which I think is part of what makes this game awesome. It's like if Devil May Cry were a 3rd person shooter. Sure you can make it through Devil May Cry not using every bit of your arsenal. Or you can literally use every bit of your arsenal. I think there is a delicate balance you need to strike with a game like this. On the one hand, turning it into a game that forces you to take out enemies in increasingly unique ways can end up being a cool experience, it could also work out to make the game more tedious. Imagine every time you have to clear a room it takes 10 minutes because the 30 enemies in there each have a very specific way you need to defeat them. To some players that might seem cool. But to others, it would take away from what makes this game so awesome. Me personally. By the end of the game, clearing rooms was essentially as easy as traversing them. Plus if you don't want to you don't have to.

As for Final Fantasy being a bad example. In the context of what you told me in your comment about taking out enemies in 2-3 ways, I don't agree that it is. Essentially in final fantasy, you enter combat, you have an attacker, an offensive magic user, a support magic user/ healer, and some kind of hybrid of the 3 (depending on which FF you're playing) Some enemies are weak to certain magics (fire, bliz, thunder, etc) but you can essentially take any normal enemy down just by letting each party member do their thing. Let the attacker attack. Let the black mage cast, let the white mage heal. Rinse repeat until enemy dead. That isn't to say I don't love FF I really do. But if we're gonna over simplify then shouldn't we be consistent.

Finally, you come back to Max Payne. Look I'm not knocking my boy Max. I love Max Payne too. I even play it on my cellphone from time to time at work. (With a controller of course). But the game you describe is the kind of game Max Payne is. It's not the kind of game Control or Alan Wake is. (I'm sure I don't need to tell you that.) You clearly have a preference which is more than fine.( I have a preference too.) But I don't think this diminishes how great Control is.

[Fluttershy77]

Well as long as you don't announce a shared universe with a TV show and sht like that

[Sharky231]

I just really need a Remastered Alan Wake! Then keep building on that universe. Hell Quantum Break could even be tied in if they wanted!

[giovonni]

I just can’t get into control. Their other games Once a break and Allen weak I enjoyed.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Control and Alan Wake are in the same universe so this was a very easy guess, lol

[Einhander1971]

Playing Control on PS5, what a brilliant game. Getting further into it just gets better.