It ’s been a wild 12 months for Remedy Entertainment . Last fall , the developer was riding luxuriously when it launchedAlan fire up 2to critical acclaim . Since then , the sequel has bolt up awards and gotten more depicted object , while curative itself haspartnered with Annapurnato convey its franchise to the bragging screen . That whirlwind twelvemonth is coming to an end , but not before one last victory lap . Alan Wake 2’sThe Lake Houseexpansion is out today , sending the revulsion game off in style .
It ’s not just any enlargement ; it ’s acrossover withControlthat adds even more depth to Remedy ’s portion out biz universe . Considering that all eyes are on Remedy these days , it ’s a all important contact beforehand ofControl 2and the series ’ upcoming spinoff triggerman , FBC : Firebreak . Ahead of today ’s launching , Digital Trends spoke with theater director Kyle Rowley and DLC moderate author Clay Murphy about the project and how it outfit into Remedy ’s ever - expanding humanity . The squad explained the poise act of bringing another franchise intoAlan Wake 2while also making something that feels like it ’s still part of that base experience .
“ We ’re looking at the world ofControlthrough the lens ofAlan Wake 2 , ” Rowley sound out .
From Annihilation to Alien
During a preview event , Remedy showed off 10 moment ofThe Lake Houseto public press . In the cut , Agent Estevez of the Federal Bureau of Control , figure the DLC ’s titulary Lake House , which has previously been referenced inAlan Wake 2 . It ’s a inquiry space create by the FBC to study Cauldron Lake and its supernatural happening . And powerful from the saltation , it ’s very clear that it belongs to both Alan Wake ’s and Control ’s world . When Estevez walk in , we get a little bit of the brutalist computer architecture that madeControlso classifiable , but with an eery Pacific Northwest looming out the windows .
The links between franchises only tighten the deep she gets . There ’s a hammy alive - action television in the lobby featuring a couple of scientists explaining the inquiry post ’s function , not unlike the video determine in both game . When she takes an elevator downstairs , the visible radiation go off and harsh cherry ace flip on as we go into full survival revulsion mode . The walls are suddenly swallow up by colorful guck and Estevez has to poke through the darkness to find clues as to what ’s going on . It very much looks likeAlan Wake 2 , but Rowley explains whereControl ’s DNA comes into play .
“ If you playControl , there are a lot of documents to find that severalise a lot of the story , ” Rowley state Digital Trends . “ I feel like our compactness of narrative object inThe Lake Houseis quite comparable toControlto a sealed extent , even compared to what we had inAlan Wake 2 . So there ’s a lot of cool little nuggets to find about the internal working of the FBC , whether that ’s email or dossier on what they ’ve been doing there , so we ’re contribute a lot of the world ofControlthrough that exploration mental object . ”
After a routine of searching , the horror really kicks in . Lanky creatures peel off the walls , as if they were perfectly camouflage by the colourful wallpaper . Before Estevez take a shot at them , she examine to follow FBC operation by reading them their right . They do n’t take heed , so the heater fly . It ’s a mirthful little moment , but a functional one too . For Saga Anderson , the FBI agent at the nub of the base game , the supernatural terror of Bright Falls was new to her . To Estevez , this is business as common . The Lake Houseplays with that moral force through writing .
“ The fun part for me is the spoken language the different factions or groups utilize , ” Murphy distinguish Digital Trends . “ The way Alan talks about the Dark Place and Dark Presence is very unlike from how the FBC talks about these thing . Using a role like Agent Estevez , who know that lingo and knows how these things run , to explore that side of this world is really fun as a writer . I work on the originalControl , so that sort of pseudo - scientific , paranatural babble is a plenty of sport to ferment on . ”
What stands out is how muchThe Lake Housereally feels so distinctly like a Remedy game . The studio apartment has never been shy about pulling inspiration from other medium , with games likeAlan Wakefirmlyindebted toTwin Peaksand tv set shows like it . Even the sequel take vindicated clue fromTrue Detectiveto work up its FBI procedural . It feel like remediation is more sure-footed about its own vocalism and visual language here , building from its own world alternatively of outside media . That ’s not to say the influence is n’t there , though .
“ For this particular expansion , when we were look at the horror and how to make it find unlike … We were looking at , for example , Annihilation , ” Rowley says . “ We were trying to make things scary , but not just revert to the default of dark and dim . How can we use colour in a slimly more interesting landscape painting ? So , we ’re looking at pop culture and how dissimilar motion-picture show and TV shows have used their optical nomenclature to get across specific emotions . ”
“ The reference for me for this one was actuallyAlien , ” Thompson summate . “ Claustrophobic space . These are all the great unwashed at their job . That ’s the thing to recall when spell this . Everyone ’s on the clock . People showed up today and they got dressed for work and this is their job ! ”
Those are n’t obvious touchpoints at first glance , but each demo how skilled Remedy has become at mix its inspirations with its own world to make something all its own . The Lake Housedoesn’t just finger like a beam - off forAlan Wake 2 , but like the concluding small-arm that really lock down what a Remedy biz in 2024 facial expression and feels like . If nothing else , that should get you even more curious aboutwhere we ’re going next .
Alan Wake 2 : The Lake Houseis available now .
