Control Resonant's take on New York feels like the Backrooms
We played the opening of the Control sequel and saw just how weird Remedy's twisted city is. Remedy Entertainment is taking a very bold approach for the sequel to 2019's Control . Focusing on a new …
We played the opening of the Control sequel and saw just how weird Remedy's twisted city is. Remedy Entertainment is taking a very bold approach for
Read Full Story at Engadget →Why This Matters
Remedy’s *Control* series has long blurred the line between psychological horror and bureaucratic surrealism, but the sequel’s debut suggests a deliberate escalation into full-blown existential disorientation. The game’s hyper-stylized depiction of New York isn’t just a backdrop—it’s a visual manifesto that challenges how players perceive reality in interactive media, pushing narrative boundaries where architecture itself feels malevolent.
Background Context
Remedy’s 2019 *Control* wove Finnish mythology and paranormal intrigue into a dystopian office tower, but its sequel appears to expand this world into a city that defies spatial logic. This isn’t the first game to distort urban environments for psychological effect—titles like *Silent Hill* and *Alan Wake* did so with fog and shadows—but *Control*’s approach is uniquely maximalist, leveraging Unreal Engine 5’s fidelity to make the uncanny feel tangible.
What Happens Next
If the sequel’s opening is any indication, players should brace for a narrative that prioritizes atmosphere over traditional gameplay scaffolding. The focus on New York’s warped geography hints at a story where the city itself is a character—a sentient, possibly hostile entity. Watch for how Remedy balances this surrealism with the original’s lore-heavy mythology, particularly the FBC’s role in a city now overrun by phenomena.
Bigger Picture
Remedy’s work reflects a broader shift in gaming toward environments that feel *alive* in unsettling ways, aligning with a post-pandemic cultural fascination with liminal spaces and institutional decay. Titles like *Signalis* and *Inscryption* have explored similar themes, but *Control*’s sequel may redefine the medium’s capacity for immersive horror by treating the city not as a stage, but as a protagonist with its own agenda.
