Stay in the Light in AWE, the New Expansion for Control, Out Today

AWE, the final expansion for Control, comes out on Xbox One today. This is a new story in the world of Control which sheds light on a mystery that’s ten years old, and the first event in the Remedy Connected Universe.

AWE stands for Altered World Event, which occur when paranatural forces breach our world, sometimes causing catastrophic consequences that don’t escape the public’s attention. The Federal Bureau of Control had a special department dedicated to studying AWEs, the Investigations Sector. Until things went horribly, horribly wrong, and the sector was sealed off years ago.

A creature of darkness has been stalking the abandoned corridors, and it’s up to Jesse Faden, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, to reclaim the Investigations Sector from its clutches. A distress call leads her to the Sector Elevator, where she will find a new button to press. Destination: the Investigations Sector.

A Darker Place

You might have already found case files about the Bright Falls AWE while playing Control, and read about the missing writer, Alan Wake, star of his own game from 2010. Alan Wake and Control exist in the same universe, and in AWE, you will find out more.

It was a fun challenge for the team to bring over the unique atmosphere of Alan Wake into Control and approach it from a fresh perspective. AWE has a moodier, more suspenseful tone than the main story of Control. The Investigations Sector has been overrun by a dark force, and you can fight back with light, which takes a very physical and clear role in gameplay.

To help you fight off the Hiss and whatever else might be lurking, AWE also has a new Service Weapon form, Surge. Our take on the sticky grenade launcher, Surge launches up to three explosives that stick to surfaces, or enemies, and can be remotely detonated. This weapon is something our designers have been working on for a while. We can now say that we have it feeling really good to use and that we nailed the right amount of destruction you can cause with its projectiles. (For the record, the right amount here is: a lot.) You’ll need all the firepower you can get to fight off the new enemy type, the Hiss Airborne Rangers, which can levitate and attack Jesse with a shotgun.

Let’s Go to the Arcade

Another feature in AWE that we are excited about are the arcade machines, which are two colorful Altered Items found in the Investigations Sector. Using these machines you can replay four boss fights from the main campaign, as long as you have already beat the bosses. You can also replay the much-loved Ashtray Maze, as many times as you like! Along with a few other surprises, you can play a new horde mode, and a time trial mode, and win cool rewards along the way, including a brand new outfit for Jesse.

You can start playing the AWE expansion if you have finished the mission The Face of the Enemy in the main campaign for Control. Finishing the expansion will take about 4 to 5 hours. Don’t be afraid of the dark!

Play How You Want

And to top it all off, all owners of Control, regardless if you own AWE or not, receive a free update to the game. In it, you will get a new upgrade to the Launch ability called Multi-Launch, which lets Jesse pick up and throw up to three objects. We’ve also added soft checkpoints to two of the trickiest fights in the main campaign, and new Control Points closer to some boss battles, so you don’t have to run too far back to the fight should you die.

In the free August update we are also giving players Assist Mode, which is a set of features that can be enabled or disabled separately from each other in Control’s Options menu. It’s important to us that as many players as possible experience the game how they want, and Assist Mode lets you modify the rules of the game to suit your specific needs. For example, you can influence the speed of Jesse’s energy regeneration or the reload of the Service Weapon, how much damage Jesse takes or deals to enemies, and more.

We can’t wait to see what you make of AWE, and to hear what secrets you find in the dark. On behalf of everyone at Remedy Entertainment and 505 Games, thank you for exploring The Oldest House with us.

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