Remedy premieres first 15 minutes of Control gameplay for the upcoming AWE DLC that introduces Alan Wake

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"My name is Alan Wake."

(Image credit: Remedy)

Remedy debuted the first 15 minutes of Control gameplay for the upcoming Alan Wake AWE DLC ahead of its release on August 27. 

With "time and spoilers in mind", the gameplay begins at the entrance to the Investigations Sector, where Jesse is summoned after receiving a cryptic message that appears to be a distress call. Control game director Mikael Kasurinen and Remedy's creative director Sam Lake spoke about the upcoming AWE DLC during the Twitch livestream, revealing tantalising little tidbits about Alan Wake's appearance in the expansion. 

After an initial introduction from Remedy's community manager Vida Starčević, Lake began by explaining the meaning behind AWE, which stands for "Altered World Events".

"Altered world events are events where paranatural forces breach our world, and there can be terrifying consequences," Lake teases. "In the aftermath of the Bright Falls AWE, Alan Wake was trapped in this nightmarish dimension called the Dark Place. And now, in AWE DLC, you'll be finding [out] more about that."  

As you may already know, famous writer Alan Wake is the protagonist of Remedy's supernatural action-adventure first released in 2010, and now in this crossover DLC, the two worlds will intertwine and collide. During the stream, you learn that Wake has mysteriously disappeared during an AWE event in Alan Wake's town setting of Bright Falls. 

"This has been a long time coming," Kasurinen says after Wake makes an appearance. "We are building a connected Remedy universe and AWE is the first crossover event. Alan Wake and Control exist in the same world. 

Alan Wake is a best selling writer who disappeared during the Bright Falls AWE. Now, in AWE, you will find out more... It was a fun challenge to translate Alan Wake's unique atmosphere into the world of Control. The end result is an interesting mix of old and new, witnessed from a fresh new perspective." 

Alongside the DLC, a free August update will be adding some new features to the game for all players on all platforms. After receiving feedback from the community, Remedy is adding additional control points and soft checkpoints for the "toughest story missions... closer to certain boss fights." The update will also introduce a new upgrade to the launch ability, and a new Assist Mode that will enable you to tailor the game to suit your needs. 

Finally, the stream ended with an announcement that Remedy will be holding an AMA on Steam on August 18, and a limited edition Control art book is set to release in Holiday 2020. 

Control Ultimate Edition bundles in all the DLC and includes free next-gen upgrades. 

Heather Wald
Heather Wald
Evergreen Editor, Games

Heather Wald is the Evergreen Editor, Games at GamesRadar+. Her writing career began on a student-led magazine at Bath Spa University, where she earned a BA (Hons) in English literature. Heather landed her first role writing about tech and games for Stuff Magazine shortly after graduating with an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University. Now with almost seven years of experience working with GamesRadar+ on the features team, Heather helps to develop, maintain, and expand the evergreen features that exist on the site for games, as well as spearhead the Indie Spotlight series. You'll also see her contribute op-eds, interview-led features, and more. In her spare time, you'll likely find Heather tucking into RPGs and indie games, reading romance novels, and drinking lots of tea.