In our latest Community Spotlight, we look at Yasmin's incredible in-depth work exploring one of Alan Wake 2's most mysterious characters, Freya Anderson. .
Before we settle into 2025, let's take a quick look back into the past twelve months, revisiting the milestones and events that took place at the studio and in the community.
We recently spoke Tiia Öhman about working as a photographer on the Alan Wake 2 set. Her stunning work can be seen in-game, in marketing, and on merchandise.
To celebrate the game's 10th anniversary, we sat down with Matthew Porretta, the incredible voice actor behind Alan Wake, to talk about his experiences and memories.
Today's post is a flashback to an amazing project we previously missed. Back in March, Remedy's Instagram page shared a breathtaking personal project, which saw CONTROL Resonant's Aberrant recreated in impressive detail. Senior VFX Artist, Walt Reunamo is the creator behind the styrofoam stunner, piecing together the life-size prop in his spare time over several days.
The studio shared two photographs of Aberrant, showing how carefully sculpted and painted the prop is. A perfect screen copy of the weapon in CONTROL Resonant! Accompanying the photographs, the studio writes, "This was Walt's first time making this kind of prop. The Aberrant was made from a big piece of styrofoam and crafted over the course of several days. A fun and messy learning experience according to Walt - who knows, maybe a full Dylan Faden cosplay is in the cards?" Leave it to a VFX Artist to get it right on the first attempt.
Styrofoam is a strong favourite (and at times, a major frustration) for cosplayers when making large or potentially threatening-looking props. Turns out that events and transportation are less than thrilled for people carrying something like a Pyramid Head blade through their gates. Who knew?! The material has some major benefits, including being convention-friendly, versatile, fairly inexpensive* and formable with a heated wire, though it can also be precarious, and a single wrong bend can suddenly ruin hours of work. Fortunately for Dylan, no more chest stabbing.**
Though the main shape is deceiving in its simplicity, the detail between the blade and handle is especially impressive. Especially when paired with the polished and rusted areas of the tool. Though tutorials for weathering (and in this case, de-weathering***) are available online, it can take a few attempts to get right. Given this was their first time making a prop like this, it's really impressive. Plus, it makes a wholesome nerdy story to share online.
*Unless you're purchasing panels to line and winterproof a cat shelter.
*This one time, my Dad woke me up for school with an air horn. Being stabbed in the chest with an Aberrant is first in "Terrible Ways to Wake Up" but the air horn is a close section.
Today, Remedy has released a brand new development diary for CONTROL Resonant, this time exploring the weirder world beyond The Oldest House.
In the third instalment, we hear how the team approached creating a new, complementary identity for the sequel and learn more about some of the new enemy types (including *check notes* a bus) lurking in the shadows. With Control as the starting point, they drew inspiration from art exhibitions, film, TV, and nature to steer their unique look.
In this diary, we hear from a selection of talented devs, including Elmeri Raitanen (Art Director), Sergey Mohov (Lead Gameplay Designer), Mikael Kasurinen (Creative Director), Anne-Marie Grönroos (Lead Level Designer), and Annika Lehitnen (Lead Gameplay Animator).
You can check out the third development diary for CONTROL Resonant below or on the studio's YouTube channel, HERE!
CONTROL Resonant - A Paranaturally Warped Manhattan | Development Diary Transcript
Elmeri Raitanen: We had to start to think about the world-building a little bit differently.
Sergey Mohov: There are a lot of intricate environments for the player to explore.
Mikael Kasurinen: Where to go from here? We want to burst that bubble.
CONTROL Resonant - A Paranaturally Warped Manhattan Intro
Mikael Kasurinen: The setting in the first CONTROL game was unique. It all took place in a single building, which was part of the point. Right? Like that it feels like a secluded, separate space from the rest of the world. You feel like you're in this kind of a bubble, isolated from normal life and familiar things. And so on, you're within a lockdown. And having this sense of isolation in the first game was crucial. And we had this brutalist architectural style that was like a key part of the visual DNA of the building and so on. And you had this Bureau that was backwards leaning in its, kind of, a presence and so on. So it was this kind of a strange yet familiar kind of a bubble that you're in.And of course, as creators, when we think about like where to go from here, we want to burst that bubble, right? Like, you know, the lockdown falls apart and we get exposed with the normal world.
Sergey Mohov: Manhattan has been shaped and twisted into a labyrinth. So, there are a lot of intricate environments for the player to explore, similar to Control 1. So there's still quite a lot of interesting stuff for the player to find. We've also introduced a couple of new types of narrative collectibles for the players to find. One is audio logs where, as you're listening to the audio log, you can continue parkouring around the city, exploring and finding other stuff. We also have given Dylan a radio, which you can use to call up his handler Zoe, to report interesting things he sees around the city.
Elmeri Raitanen: So in Control, Brutalism was at the core of the experience because of the Oldest House, naturally. And in CONTROL Resonant we really had to make sure that from a world-building point of view, we have this mundane and grounded and believable and lived-in baseline in the world. In order for the paranatural to really shine. It's very important for us, specifically when doing concepting and visual exploration, not to look at reference from other video games. There's easily this tendency where AAA games start to all gravitate towards this aesthetic singularity, and nobody's taking risks and everything starts to resemble each other. So looking at reference from art exhibitions or film and TV or scientific visualizations or nature; if it helps us to bring some new fresh takes into the singularity, I feel like it's going to be worth it and the player will appreciate it as well.
Anne-Marie Grönroos: Well, imagine that there's a place that was a Manhattan, but it has been taken over by a paranatural force that may or may not have been in the first game, it might be something, completely new, We actually have multiple factions in this game. So, there are some zones where you can find all of these factions from, I think, almost... actually I think all the zones in the game. But how much of these factions have presence in its zone that differs.
Elmeri Raitanen: Now that things are flooding from the Oldest House into Manhattan, we had to start to think about the world-building a little bit differently. So now it's not just FBC holding on and trying to gain control, but it's more of a world, a lived-in world, that has a history of its own already. And there are different factions that are basically trying to gain control in our world
Annika Lehitnen: For the enemies in Control Resonant we definitely heard the feedback, and have tried to address the feedback we got for Control. So this time around, we have way more creatures than we did before. One of the enemies that we, for example, have is a bus. So, that obviously creates a little bit of challenge for the animation team of, what can you actually do with this bus... when you have limited controls on it? A lot of the Hiss enemies, they are creatures, but we still have used a mo-cap actor to mock up some of the some of the enemies. And we have one mo-cap actor, so freaking amazing, nailing down the Hiss twitching and glitching. So Tomas Nielsen, he's our go-to guy when it comes to Hiss enemies that can be mo-capped.
Mikael Kasurinen: The Hiss and Mold are there, but of course, we’re introducing a lot of new things as well. And it's a fun layering of familiar things, but definitely facing new challenges.
In a new post for the PlayStation Blog, Remedy's Lead Gameplay Designer, Sergey Mohov, explores how the CONTROL Resonant team approached the adventure's New Game Plus feature.
Traditionally, New Game Plus allows players to return to the game once the story has been completed, armed with the skills that the hero has developed over the course of the main campaign. Some titles allow players to replay the story with the new skills, whereas others (such as Control) allow you to return to the world. Essentially, it's a feature for nerds. It's a mode specifically for completists and fans of the game, who aren't ready to part with the experience just because the story ended. The more in-depth the world, the more players want to continue to explore those nooks and crannies.
In the article, Sergey explains that Resonant will allow players to start the story fresh, while keeping hold of your previously unlocked abilities. These include "Aberrant upgrades, health, combat ability resource improvements, unlocked supernatural combat abilities, talents, and artifacts".
Resonant's Manhattan holds a few extra secrets, and not all areas can be found in a single run, with the world filled with World Quest bounties and collectibles. When designing the game mode, "one of the goals for New Game Plus is to give players more room to experiment with builds that weren’t possible during the first playthrough, as you cannot unlock everything in your arsenal in one go," Sergey describes. Alongside exploring new areas, the combat approach is specifically addressed in the article, with players returning to previous boss fights with a skillset and abilities suited to their playstyle.
Previously undiscussed, Artifacts receive a specific shoutout in the post. They're equippable items with background modifiers that allow players to tailor their build. These curious devices "can affect survivability, combat performance, exploration, or the resource economy – and some come with conditions or trade-offs." Three artifact placements will be available in the first playthrough, with an extra one for returning players.
You can read Sergey's full article on the PlayStation Blog, HERE!
Today, Remedy Entertainment and FuturePress have revealed a fresh run of the highly-prized The Art and Making of Control book. The second reprint is part of the publishing company's twenty-fifth anniversary, which sees them return to beloved works!
The collection spans an impressive 384 pages and measures 11" x 8.5", so it's a sizable beast! The hardback book is paired with an impressive textured slipcase and three art cards. The pages are bound with thread-sewn binding for maximum page view and durability, a huge plus for fellow bookreaders who don't crack the spine. Despite the high quality and page count, the book is much more affordable than similar art publications, at $59.99 / £ 49.99 / €54.99, depending on your territory, and you definitely get your money's worth. So far, they only ship to selected European countries and the US, but hopes to expand to more shipping regions in the future.
The first run was originally announced in August 2020 and sent to customers over the holiday period in December. Since then, demand for a second run has been high, with the book's online prices in the hundreds. The limited-edition collection features gorgeous artwork from the game's art team including concept artwork, renders and sketches, as well as a look at Control's game design, VFX work, narrative design, creative direction, world-building and costume design.
In the reveal post on the publisher's website, Future Press describes the book as being "a truly unique, limited edition companion book for one of the most outstanding games of recent times. Remedy’s world-class art direction is given the treatment it deserves—concept art, sketches and renders are beautifully framed across almost 400 pages of in-depth, behind the scenes content. Take a journey through the game design, VFX work, narrative design, creative direction, costume design and world building that have collectively brought Control and its expansions to life."
"Happy 25th anniversary to our friends at Future Press!" Remedy writes on their social media pages, "We know how much our community has been asking for this book to come back - we're so glad that @FuturePress are able to put it back in print for everyone. Supplies are limited, so don't hesitate!"
You can purchase the book on the Future Press store, HERE.
