Half-Life: Blue Shift

Half-Life: Blue Shift was Half-Life’s third expansion pack that let us control a security officer in a short single-player campaign. Blue Shift was essentially just more of the original Half-Life. Sure, there’s some new equipment and the twist of playing as the security officer Barney, but the gameplay and unbroken narrative structure were the same, (which is great for fans of the original). Most Steam users own every Half-Life expansion thanks to the many Valve bundles on sale for dirt cheap year-round, but only a few have actually played the more obscure titles like Blue Shift and its older sibling Opposing Force.

Frostpunk

Frostpunk is a city builder with a twist, that twist being a no-win scenario managing a society engulfed in a devastating volcanic winter. Whether it’s because of the clever premise or impressions from famous streamers, Frostpunk sold over 3 million copies as of the last fiscal quarter. Well, a recent Steam summer sale has escalated sales a bit for sure, considering the attractive $3 price point for a time. Because of its bleak tone and demeaning gameplay, it wouldn’t be surprising if Frostpunk ended up collecting virtual dust in many digital libraries, despite its word-of-mouth and recent sales urging players to buy it.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

I don’t know if I’ve seen a game so consistently discounted as Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Despite featuring lots of cool elements that expanded the original Deus Ex like dialogue trees and a fully fleshed-out augmentation system, Human Revolution didn’t sell very well. You can typically pick up Human Revolution for $2 on sale, which is a bargain if you’re looking for a good stealth hybrid RPG wrapped in a conspiracy-laden Cyberpunk setting. The barrier to entry in this case is its age and other recent games like Cyberpunk 2077 keeping people from going back to this brilliant game.

Duck Tails Remastered

There were a lot of licensed video games in the early 90s and late 80s, but the original Duck Tails on the NES was one of the better ones. The studio most known for the Shantae series, WayForward, saw the potential of Duck Tails and produced a remake of it from the ground up in 2013. Duck Tails Remastered is another one of those games that got positive reviews and consistent Steam sales years after release. The game is instantly recognizable thanks to its branding, so lots of gamers ended up buying it at one point or another, but how many have played it? The platforming genre is still going strong in 2024, but a remastered, or remade in this case, game from 1988 isn’t likely to be at the front of many gamers’ backlogs.

Mad Max

2015’s Mad Max is one of the best examples of a game receiving mixed reviews from critics yet garnering universal praise from the audience. The fun of its open-world vehicular combat is hard to fault, and the characters have top-tier voice talent. Over the years, gamers realized what they missed out on with this 2015 cult classic and took advantage of the numerous clearances this game has enjoyed. Mad Max is on a lot of gamers’ backlogs and deserves to be experienced by even more people, even if initial reviews and aged graphics sour its reputation a bit.

Murdered: Soul Suspect

The concept behind Mudered: Soul Suspect is instantly appealing. You take the form of a ghost detective who possesses the townspeople of Salem to find the true identity and whereabouts of the notorious ‘Bell Killer’. The gameplay is slow-paced but engaging as you collect and gather evidence around the atmospheric small town. For many, the appeal quickly wore off as the game accumulated negative reviews criticizing its poor controls and short length. Nowadays, Murdered: Soul Suspect enjoys steep discounts down to a mere dollar. The cheap price of admission helps make this detective mystery game’s 4-hour length more palatable. Now we’re just waiting for our backlogs to slim down a bit so we can play it.

Silent Hill 4: The Room

Silent Hill 4 felt like the most misplaced entry in the series when it came out in 2004. Strong speculation circled its launch, including rumors that it wasn’t even intended to be a Silent Hill game until the halfway point in its development. Despite some irritants like the single save point and departure from traditional puzzles, Silent Hill 4 did quite well for itself regarding sales and reception thanks to its strong horror atmosphere and claustrophobic apartment setting. Still, that stigma of it being a departure from the series remains, and many fans still own copies of the game without completing it or even starting it.

Sekiro Shadows Die Twice

Sekiro received the highest honors, winning GOTY at the 2019 Game Awards and heaps of accolades on top. It’s also arguably the most difficult FromSoftware game, which is saying a lot. The singular focus on parries and shieldless sword combat really limits how you can build a character, forcing players to ‘git gud’ to overcome its challenges. Sekiro is not a game you can easily ‘cheese’ through. It’s not surprising to learn that Sekiro has the second lowest completion among similar FromSoftware games (Bloodborne being the lowest) with 27% of players clearing the final boss. Sekiro’s curated approach and brutal challenge aren’t as welcoming as Elden Ring, causing it to sit in players’ backlogs until they muster the courage to finally confront it.

Prey 2017

The 2017 reboot of Prey is a cult classic that helped push the immersive sim genre forward. It didn’t have the fast pacing of Dishonored or Deathloop, instead honing in on complex emergent gameplay and a constantly evolving environment that you familiarize yourself with. Because of Prey’s positive reputation as a cult classic in recent years, players are eager to try it out, which is easier than ever considering the amount of sales and discounts it’s enjoyed. Actually dedicating yourself the 30 GB of space and dozens of hours to figure out its emergent systems is another matter.

Control

Remedy has enjoyed breakthrough popularity thanks to the success of Alan Wake 2. Their previous game, Control, did well enough when it launched, but it’s now receiving a bit of a bump thanks to the aforementioned Alan Wake sequel. Players looking back through Remedy’s catalog undoubtedly took advantage of the recent discounts Control has had. Whether it’s due to Control not being a direct entry to either of Remedy’s two series’, Max Paine and Alan Wake, or because of its unusual premise and mix of live-action scenes, Control still likely isn’t being played as much as it deserves.

Rise of the Ronin

Whether we like to admit it or not, Rise of the Ronin sits in between some massive game releases as the odd duck out. Yes, it received positive reception from critics and fans alike, but the daunting stance-based sword gameplay and large open world are likely to result in it sitting on the back burner of gamers’ priorities. Furthermore, Rise of the Ronin shares an overall aesthetic and action controls with games like Nioh, Sekiro, and Ghost of Tsushima, resulting in some folks waiting until they’re ready to experience that samurai vibe once more.

Disco Elysium

Disco Elysium isn’t for everyone. As an isometric RPG, it features robust dialogue choices and a flexible skill tree emphasizing player choice. The game received multiple game-of-the-year nominations and won awards like there’s no tomorrow thanks to its iteration on old-school Fallout mechanics. But the tone is particularly well executed, and also where some resistance may be met with certain players. The atmosphere is constantly bleak with themes of civilian oppression serving as a common thread throughout. Disco Elysium has enjoyed many sales through the years, and many players have bought the game due to its tremendous success, but it can be difficult to start up due to the heavy tone that it exhibits.

XCOM 2

XCOM 2 takes the turn-based tactical gameplay of the first game and ramps it up a notch. There are more scenarios, more class abilities, and far better mod support than the first game had. Despite these general improvements, XCOM 2 has some intimidating aspects to its design like the aggressive timer putting pressure on choices during combat sections. XCOM 2 often gets praised as the go-to modern turn-based strategy game thanks to its vast mod support and cheap availability, but it’s also a deep systems-heavy game with some difficulty spikes that keep it in the backlog of many gamers’ libraries.

For Honor

There just aren’t many successful games that fit within For Honor’s unique niche. Medieval sword duelers have garnered a cult following, but For Honor sits as a triple-A title with dedicated multiplayer servers, and it somehow succeeded with yearly updates. Naturally, such a unique premise attracted a variety of gamers to try it out for themselves, but there’s also a large number of people who bought it on sale through bundles or on a whim.

Subnautica

Subnautica is an excellent survival crafting game set within the horrors of the deep ocean. While the crafting genre is bigger than ever today, Subnautica has a more niche appeal due to its lack of multiplayer functionality. Searching for minerals deep in the ocean trenches can be a very isolating experience, further amplified by the Cthulu-esque horrors that pressure your every move. Subnautica has been offered for free from PlayStation on several occasions and can usually be found at a steep discount, so many players have snatched it up. Here’s hoping the single-player restriction and horror elements don’t scare off too many players, as Subnautica is one of the best games of its genre.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

To boil Alan Wake 2 down to just a AAA blockbuster survival horror third-person shooter does quite a disservice to the title, more so than most other games out there. The real strength of Alan Wake 2 lies less in the nuts and bolts of its mechanics and more in how it chooses to tell its mind-bending story.

Alan Wake 2 is a competent game to play. I never found myself annoyed with the core combat, for example, and the resource management for the flashlight as well as the scarcity of ammo definitely did quite a bit to add some tension to fights. Enemies don’t exactly go down in a single shot, after all, and you’ll have to juggle between different enemies by keeping them away from you with your flashlight, while at the same time trying to take them down with well-aimed shots. While enemies can feel like bullet sponges, it never really feels out of place, since you’re essentially fighting beings corrupted by an otherworldly force.

"The jump scares don’t really add anything to the game’s atmosphere or story."

There’s a limited amount of weapon customization offered, with upgrades for your weapons being available once you find enough Manuscript Scraps. These scraps are scattered all over the game, and offer minor upgrades, like increased ammo or more damage. There isn’t going to be any upgrade you find that radically changes the way you take on combat scenarios, unfortunately.

Right off the bat, Alan Wake 2 gives off a vibe not too far off from classic TV horror shows. You’re put into the shoes of FBI agent Saga Anderson (and later on Wake himself), who has come to the town of Bright Falls to investigate a ritualistic murder near Cauldron Lake. Alan Wake 2 brings in quite a few interesting references to the first game; the victim in question is FBI agent Robert Nightingale, who mysteriously disappeared a few years ago.

Eagle-eyed players will notice that the timeline for Nightingale’s disappearance matches up quite neatly with the events of the original Alan Wake, and there’s quite a bit more going on in Cauldron Lake than you first realized. Things especially come to a head when you try and autopsy Nightingale’s corpse, only for the Sheriff to disappear while trying to hand you some manuscripts, and Nightingale’s corpse coming to life to kill you.

"When it comes to its horror, the game’s atmosphere and writing does most of the heavy lifting."

While there’s a lot going on in the story, especially in the game’s first few hours, Alan Wake 2 never feels like it’s rushing through its story beats. There are plenty of quieter moments where you’re left alone with your thoughts as you try and explore the game’s several creepy environments. The story in Alan Wake 2 is an absolute joy to try and figure out, especially since it’s framed as an investigation by the FBI rather than just a bog-standard action-adventure game story with cutscenes.

One of the two protagonists of the game, Saga Anderson, has quite an interesting ability which is tapped into to help explain more of the story and anything else of importance that might be happening around you: her Mind Place. Essentially a room in her mind where she can walk around freely, the Mind Place lets you read manuscripts you might have found, revisit the game’s live-action TV shows and ads, listen to some of the title’s music, and most importantly, try and figure out the game’s story.

As Anderson continues her investigation into the death of Nightingale and the Cult of the Tree, she finds clues that help guide her to the next objective. These clues can be deciphered in the Mind Place, where the player can help answer questions posed by the game with some of the evidence they find in the wild. Anderson can also tap into her uncanny deductive abilities to try and profile certain characters in the game, learning more about them, and even going as far as deducing where, for example, you can find a heart that works like a key to continue further down the rabbit hole of Nightingale’s death.

"Saga Anderson has quite an interesting ability which is tapped into to help explain more of the story."

While it’s presented as if it were an investigative tool in the vein of something like L.A. Noire, the case files in the Mind Place are essentially just a fancier way of tracking missions, giving the player hints about their next objective, and learning more about the game’s characters and settings. It’s the presentation that really sells the Mind Place as an interesting place to spend some time to figure things out. The whole “room” could have just been a menu and something intangible would have been lost with that decision.

When it comes to its horror, the game’s atmosphere and writing does most of the heavy lifting. The Cult of the Tree feels like a legitimately spooky crew to fight against, and even early game puzzles that involve a hole in a sign and a human heart are creepy in just the right ways. Sadly, Alan Wake 2 also makes use of jump scares that, at the best of times, feel completely unnecessary, and at worst, made me outright laugh out loud. The jump scares don’t really add anything to the game’s atmosphere or story, and more often than not, are just there to either hide the fact that a boss is teleporting away from you, or to just startle you every once in a while.

Visually, Bright Falls and its surrounding areas are just downright gorgeous. Alan Wake 2 is a great looking game, and Remedy wasn’t afraid of showing off just how far it has come, especially after Control which also looked beautiful. Some of the vistas presented in the game are just downright surreal in how amazing they can look. For context, I played through the game using its Performance setting, which managed to keep a steady frame rate while still looking reasonably good. The Quality setting kicks things up a notch visually, especially with how the game uses its lighting, but unfortunately, the frame drops were ever-present, especially if there’s too much stuff involved.

"Visually, Bright Falls and its surrounding areas are just downright gorgeous."

While Alan Wake 2 is a fantastic standalone title in its own right, players familiar with the original Alan Wake will find a lot to love here. It picks up the story quite naturally, despite the large gap in time, both in the game’s story as well as in the real world, and the gameplay is definitely not holding Alan Wake 2 back this time around. For newer players, I would at least recommend checking out some story summaries of Alan Wake if playing the game isn’t possible. While the story does make sense on its own, those familiar with the setting—even those that only really played Control and its AWE DLC—will find plenty of smaller details that end up making the whole experience more enjoyable. These aren’t just cool callbacks either; the Federal Bureau of Control is a presence in Alan Wake 2’s story, and the game’s world feels richer for it.

Alan Wake 2 is a great horror game. Its use of its environments to create atmosphere is fantastic, and unlike the original Alan Wake, the core gameplay is fun too. The story, while fairly complicated, is told quite well not only through the use of cutscenes and conversations, but also through the rather inventive Mind Place, where players can put together clues and read through notes themselves, ultimately coming to the same conclusion as Saga Anderson. The eponymous Alan Wake’s involvement in the story is also incredibly interesting, especially thanks to the expansion the game’s setting saw with Control. Alan Wake 2 is bound to be enjoyable for not only fans of the horror genre, but for anyone that enjoys a good third-person action game with spooky elements and gorgeous visuals. Of course, the Twin Peaks and X-Files vibes certainly help as well.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

The refresher, titled Alan Wake: Flashback, is a reimagining of the original Alan Wake, and was developed by Remedy, Spiral House and Zen Creative. Alan Wake: Flashback can be played on any platform where Fortnite is available, and can be accessed through its Island Code: 3426-5561-3374.

For players that might want a different way of remembering the original Alan Wake, creative director Sam Lake had released a video earlier this month recapping all events that take place in the franchise leading up to the start of Alan Wake 2. The recap covers Alan Wake, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, and Control: AWE.

Alan Wake 2 is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game will feature two distinct protagonists throughout the story, and will be split almost evenly between both characters according to director Kyle Rowley.

“I think that with Remedy games, if we go back through the whole history, being very story-focused games, have traditionally been quite short, like 10 hours or so,” said Lake to Kinda Funny Games (transcription via PCGamesN).

“And we have always internally felt that we need to find ways to do longer games, because it’s just like, people are looking at it from a value of money perspective as well too. So Control certainly was our longest game to date, and Alan Wake 2 is going to be longer than that, 20 hours plus.”

Lake then goes on to talk about other aspects of Alan Wake 2, such as the game shifting genres from the original Alan Wake‘s emphasis on action-adventure with horror elements here and there to more directly focusing on survival horror gameplay with the sequel. Lake also believes that horror is having a “golden time”; while the genre was considered niche for a while, a wider audience has become more excited about the genre.

“Alan Wake 1 was very much an action-adventure with some horror elements in it, while now we’re diving deep into survival horror,” said Lake. “I think horror overall is having this golden time. It used to be niche, in some ways, and now there is a much wider audience that is excited about horror.”

Alan Wake 2 recently got a showcase thanks to IGN, giving us a look at plenty of gameplay and story details. Taking inspiration from sources like Se7en, Twin Peaks, and Stephen King’s writings, Alan Wake 2 looks to be combining the classic Remedy approach to games with the atmosphere of Silent Hill and the gameplay of Resident Evil.

Alan Wake 2 is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on October 27.

While this was initially thought to be just secrets, Remedy has now revealed that these games are part of a larger universe, rightly dubbed the Remedy Connected Universe. While the only two confirmed games within the universe are Alan Wake and Control, almost every game by the developer somehow fits into this overarching universe – intentionally or not. With Alan Wake 2 slated for release next year and Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes on the horizon as well, it’s the perfect time to dive into this maze of connections that all collectively form the Remedy Connected Universe.

The baseline for this universe was established with 2019’s Control, so let’s start from there. As fans of the game might already know, Control sees players controlling Jesse Faden – a woman who’s on a quest to find her long-lost brother Dylan and uncover the truth behind the mysterious entity called Polaris. This quest leads her to the FBC headquarters, where she is promptly chosen as the director of the institution all while an otherworldly plague known as the Hiss has invaded the building’s premises. Keeping further plot details aside, Control is all about this organization that deals with the supernatural events which the game calls AWE or Altered World Events. Things that bring about these altered world events are called Objects of Power, and they can be anything from a flamingo statue to a slide projector to a well, you guessed it – a typewriter.

This is where Alan Wake fits into the connected universe. You see, Wake’s typewriter is actually considered to be an Object of Power – which combined with some magical properties of Cauldron Lake, makes the works of art created there somehow come true. Control’s DLC expansion AWE establishes even more connections between the two games, such as revealing that Alan’s wife Alice had been visiting the offices of FBC to talk about Alan’s sudden disappearance in Bright Falls. The FBC was, of course, well aware of the strange happenings in Bright Falls and the run-in of the Dark Presence with Wake – and had even nominated him as a prime candidate for the position of director.

According to Control‘s optional documents, FBC had also conducted an extensive investigation of a possible AWE in Bright Falls back in the 70s, when the famous poet Thomas Zane suddenly went missing, but the investigation never reached a definitive conclusion. During the end of the DLC chapter, fans are also teased of a future AWE set to happen very soon in Bright Falls – which we are assuming directly relates to whatever Remedy has in store for Alan Wake 2.

Another solid connection between the two games is Night Springs – a TV show dealing with paranormal activities that players can see throughout Alan Wake. As it turns out, Night Springs is actually produced by none other than the FBC – in an effort to normalize the supernatural for the common people. What’s more is that Alan is said to have written multiple episodes of this TV series, one of which seems a direct nod to the events that take place in Control. Fan theories suggest that Control and FBC may actually be all a part of a story that Wake might be using to somehow climb out of the Dark Presence – although that’s something we will get to know in the upcoming Alan Wake 2.

Control protagonist Jesse Faden found the Slide Projector object of power in the town of Ordinary, which kickstarted an AWE leading to a sudden disappearance of all the adult population of the city. This town of Ordinary connects Quantum Break to the RCU, as players can actually see multiple references to the events of Alan Wake and Control through graffiti and notes scattered around the game. Furthermore, an optional cutscene in Quantum Break shows Will Joyce preventing a critical miscalculation in a time-traveling experiment, which leads to a massive power outage in Ordinary. These are all loose connections and probably wouldn’t be built upon with future games from the developer, since the rights to the Quantum Break IP reside with Microsoft and not Remedy.

Then there’s Max Payne. Since that was the developer’s first proper game (if you exclude Death Rally), there wasn’t any concept of a connected universe, so the game doesn’t have any bespoke connections with Alan Wake or Control. However, we do know that Alan Wake was the author of a neo-noir drama by the name of Alex Casey, which saw an undercover cop exacting revenge for the death of his loved ones. We see a couple of pages of this novel during one of Alan Wake’s early sequences, which match the script for Remedy’s breakout success. Between this and the appearance of Sam Lake in an in-game interview, the original model for Max Payne being the model of the protagonist in Wake’s novel – we can more or less come to the conclusion that the events of Max Payne were indeed fabricated by Alan. It’s possible that we see more of these connections and references fleshed out with the Max Payne remakes, but given the fact that the Max Payne rights are owned by Rockstar and not Remedy – one shouldn’t expect these connections to be further expanded upon even if Max Payne as a series returns with a new entry in the near future.

Remedy also produced an Alan Wake spinoff in the form of 2012’s Alan Wake: American Nightmare, but the game is believed to not be a part of the canon universe – and apart from a mention of the town of Ordinary, there’s little to no connections of the game with the connected universe. Lastly, there’s CrossFireX, whose single-player campaign was developed by the Finnish developer itself. While the game’s narrative still touches upon similar themes such as time travel and supernatural elements, the game seems to be taking place in its own separate universe with no connection to the developer’s other titles – except for the odd mention of them through secrets and whatnot.

This connected multiverse wouldn’t be complete without a mention of Poets of the Fall, a Finnish alternative rock band that has provided music for most of Remedy’s games. The band has appeared under several aliases within the games such as Old Gods of Asgard – and has provided excellent tracks such as the likes of Take Control in Control and Children of the Elder God in Alan Wake alongside tracks like War that are credited with the band’s official name in Alan Wake.

To conclude, Remedy Connected Universe is an interesting premise, and one that the developer has been slowly and steadily building towards. Given how distinct of a style Remedy has perfected with so many of its games over the years, it kind of makes sense for them to have some sort of solid connection to each other. Fans are going to be treated with a ton of related information in the near future, thanks to Remedy’s upcoming releases which include a sequel to Control, its multiplayer spinoff Condor, 2023’s Alan Wake 2, and full remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2 built using the Northlight Engine. 

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Alan Wake Remastered has already been released for most major platforms, and a missing Switch release for this decade-old game was definitely noted by many fans. Previously, the game was also rated in Brazil for the Switch platform. Following that, it was also rated by the European ratings board, PEGI.

Publisher Epic Games currently has no announcements to make on the subject matter. Developer Remedy has worked on Switch hardware in the past, putting its latest Control on the machine through the use of cloud streaming. However, fans should definitely keep their expectations in check for now.

Alan Wake Remastered has received positive reviews across the board, and you can read our thoughts on the game through here.

Well, now we know: Remedy’s Control is the Epic Games Store’s next free game. Control replaces Frostpunk, which was free from June 3rd to 10th. Control will be free until June 17th. Control is a “supernatural 3rd person action-adventure [that] will challenge you to master the combination of supernatural abilities, modifiable loadouts and reactive environments while fighting through a deep and unpredictable world.” We loved the game and its two DLC packs, The Foundation and AWE, when we reviewed them. Unfortunately, the free version on the Epic Games Store is not the Ultimate Edition, and does not include the game’s DLC.

For the first time in several weeks, we’ve also learned what the next free games will be before they launch. Yes, I said games, plural. Following Control, the next two free games will be Hell is Other Demons and Overcooked! 2, both of which will be available from June 17th to 24th.

In March of 2020, Remedy (and two other studios) entered a publishing partnership with Epic Games for two games set in the same universe. The deal was pretty good for Remedy. Epic Games would fully fund the games in question and Epic and Remedy would split the net revenue 50/50 when the game released. In addition, Remedy would retain complete creative control and ownership of the IP.

Now, “Remedy’s AAA game project with Epic Games is soon moving into full production, and the second, smaller-scale game continues in full production mode,” according to a business review published on Wednesday. GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb previously claimed that Remedy was reportedly developing Alan Wake 2, and Epic Games was set to publish it. Given that Control‘s AWE Expansion revealed that Alan Wake was a major part of the Control universe and seems to set up an Alan Wake 2, it makes sense that it would be Remedy’s next title.

Remedy also has several other projects in the works, with five games in development across 4 teams. In its business review, Remedy confirmed that almost all of its internal Control developers are now working on other games, “including a new, exciting early-phase project.” In addition, Remedy announced that its work on CrossfireX, which it is developing the campaign for, and Vanguard, it’s free-to-play game, is going well.

It’s that time of the year again. No, not the Electronic Entertainment Expo or Gamescom but The Game Awards! This year sees the industry gathered together to recognize the very best in video games. Tune into it on Twitch, YouTube (via the link below) and so on at 5:30 PM PT.

Games like Death Stranding and Control currently lead the award nominations with Resident Evil 2 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice also featuring heavily. However, the show will also feature lots of new reveals and announcements. There are 15 world premiere to look forward to with rumors floating about the appearance of a new Crash Bandicoot game and Batman: Arkham Legacy.

Of course, several reveals have been confirmed as well. Final Fantasy 7 Remake will receive a new trailer as will Ghost of Tsushima (which is apparently the longest on the show). It also seems that Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx won’t be appearing though that could just be misdirection on the developer’s part. Stay tuned for coverage of the show and all of the big announcements on GamingBolt.

Some of the best works of storytelling in any medium provoke their audience by dangling questions in front of them that seem like they may have answers—but never actually answering them. Why does Mona Lisa smile? What happened to Dave Bowman at the end of 2001? Was Hercule Poirot morally justified in not revealing the true solution to the murder on the Orient Express with the authorities?

Games, too, have started to adapt this kind of storytelling more and more in recent years. Memorable experiences such as Shadow of the Colossus, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and The Last of Us all captivate imaginations because they tell very resonant stories—but they let the player fill in a lot of the gaps themselves.

That kind of storytelling is what Remedy were going for with Control, their science fiction third person shooter that launched earlier this year, and which is currently one of the front runners at The Game Awards. Speaking to GamesBeat, Sam Lake of Remedy talked about how the developer approached two simultaneous challenges at once, both related to each other: of creating a “new weird” setting for the player, and of asking a lot of questions without providing the answers, while not trivializing the questions or the setting.

“What was really interesting to me as an idea for Control — we were taking the genre of the “new weird,” this literary genre, which takes this approach that we’re dealing with things we don’t understand fully. It can’t be explained satisfactorily and handed to you like, “Here’s the answer and this is what it’s all about.”

“Balancing that, you still have a very strong idea yourself that it’s about these things. But then having that constraint of never spelling things out. Walking that tightrope so everybody has enough to piece together and form a theory, but not so much that we take away the opportunity to do that and just hand the explanation to you. That, in some ways, excites me in the genre of new weird, reading these stories. I find my interest sparked when something is well-made and it feels to me like I’m not quite smart enough to understand everything.”

Lake continued that the balance they had to strike was to not make it seem as though there aren’t any answers.

“I almost come to a point where I don’t even need to figure out the exact meaning,” he said. “I have this safe feeling. Life confuses us, confuses me, many times. There aren’t always ready right answers in life. I feel that in art, you don’t need everything spelled out to you, as long as it’s well-made. The badly-made version is that it pulls you out of it and you start to doubt that it means anything. There are enough mistakes that it doesn’t add up. Then it collapses and it’s ruined. It’s a careful balancing act. That’s very much what we were trying to do in Control, to create a feeling like that.“

In a lot of ways, they ended up achieving what they set out to do, which probably explains why the game ended up resonating with, well, so many critics if not players (it sadly appears to have underperformed at retail. But then again, all Remedy games do that).