Control 2: What Could Be Next for Jesse Faden

Remedy's supernatural action game Control stood out in 2019 as one of the best games released that year, while also cementing itself as a unique, cerebral adventure. The storyline in Control was a mystery box, with every new answer only bringing up more and more questions for players to ponder as the journey deeper within the Federal Bureau of Control gets weirder and weirder.

After selling very well and Control receiving multiple Game of the Year nominations, it seems like the mind bending experiences set within this universe have only just begun. Especially considering the story threads left open and new possibilities only hinted at in the original, the door is now wide open for what new oddities and otherworldly events Remedy will pit Jesse Faden against in a potential sequel.

Control takes place entirely within the aforementioned Federal Bureau of Control (FBC for short), a fictional facility that specializes in containing supernatural threats that may pass through and invade the "real" world. Naturally, as these weird sci-fi storylines go, something goes terribly wrong and entities known as 'The Hiss' wreak havoc on the Bureau. Jesse Faden spends the majority of the game exploring every nook and cranny of the facility in order to to get things under control.

Even after sealing off the rift between worlds, the initial containment breach still has a lot of clean up work to be done, with more Hiss still haunting the hallways of the Bureau. Naturally, from a game design perspective, this is to provide the player with more side missions to do after the main campaign is complete. But narratively, it begs the question of what other terrible and mysterious Hiss managed to pass through and are just waiting in the shadows to strike in the future.

One of the principal plot points in Control is that Jesse's own brother, Dylan, has been just as affected by paranormal events as she is. When they were kids, the siblings were involved in an "Altered World Event" in which the small town they lived in was devastated by a 'Threshold' that created a bridge between their world and another dimension. Although Jesse managed to escape this terrible occurrence, Dylan was captured and in a fit of rage against his sister, serves as a final encounter in the game showing off the dazzling visuals in Control.

Although defeated, Dylan was not killed and instead lays in a coma with the possibility that he may never awake. Of course, such a plot thread wouldn't be established in such detail to dash away after one game. The way that Remedy approaches writing and storytelling provides the notion that players haven't seen the last of Dylan Faden, and that his awakening is not a question of if, but a matter of when.

One of the biggest surprises to come from Control is with its recent DLC expansion entitled "AWE," in which Remedy confirmed that an older game it developed in 2010, Alan Wake, exists within the same universe. This is a perfect fit, since Alan Wake also dealt with the themes of horror, supernatural and psychological drama. In said DLC, Jesse Faden needs to investigate a section of the Bureau altered by a creature haunting this long abandoned sector of the facility, a monster which originates from Bright Falls, the setting of Alan Wake.

Considering that the lore and environments of Alan Wake are now canon to Control's own universe, a potential sequel can see Jesse Faden travel to Bright Falls after the Hiss or other threats are seen to be appearing in mass. It can provide a fresh twist on the setting and provide for an even spookier atmosphere while battling the paranormal. As an example of what this could be, fans could picture the tone and style of the Blair Witch but with a stronger emphasis on action in larger, more open environments.