Mikael Kasurinen, creative director at Remedy, has confirmed that from its inception, Control was designed to be the foundation of an RPG franchise. The 2019 game, labeled as an action-adventure with RPG elements, was a deliberate transition. The studio introduced side quests, dialogue with choices, and a non-linear map for the first time, laying the groundwork for what was to come.
The Northlight Engine and the Evolution Towards RPG 🎮
To achieve this vision, Remedy bet on its Northlight engine, optimized for rendering destructible environments and supernatural effects in real-time. The implementation of a branching quest system and dialogue choices required a restructuring of the data flow. The non-linear level design, with interconnected zones in the Federal Bureau of Control, forced the team to develop procedural navigation tools to maintain world coherence.
From Cleaning Toilets to Saving the World: The RPG According to Remedy 😂
Because, of course, nothing says RPG like spending hours cleaning floating objects in an office while an interdimensional vacuum cleaner watches you. But hey, at least you have dialogue options to complain with Jesse about how uncomfortable it is to wear heels while dodging flying chairs. If this is the foundation of an RPG, let's hope that in the sequel we can improve the instant coffee skill or unlock the sarcastic dialogue branch.