#control crumbs

~LORE & BEHIND THE SCENES INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICIAL ART BOOK ~

One reason for Dr. Casper Darling's outfit being as it is - more casual, sweater vests, wide pants - is the fact that there was never any need to make a model for him in the game. He was supposed to only appear as live-action from the very beginning, and that inspired the team to consider using materials for his outfits which typically would not work well in games; soft wool, knitting, looser fabrics.

Costume Designer Heli Salomaa: "I wanted to portray a caricature of a professor, because Darling is kind of absent minded sometimes and doesn't really care about how he dresses."

Lead Character Artist Antti Puomio: "This [picture shown below] concept of Dr. Darling was made right after casting Matthew Porretta. His style is somewhat softer and looser than other Bureau people. Maybe he wants us to believe that he is a bit harmless?"

~LORE & BEHIND THE SCENES INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICIAL ART BOOK~

The idea behind Langston's character was to create someone who, in constrast to the rest of the cast in CONTROL, is not a hero and doesn't pretend to be one. A man who goes to work, does his job, and goes back home to feed his cat. Sam Lake also stated that Langston is a prime example of the process Remedy uses for coming up with the physical look for a character. Derek Hagen was cast fairly late in the process of the game's development.

Creative Leader/Writer Sam Lake: "He's a perfect example of the fact that, ultimately, the actor we cast determines the character's appearance. Even if we alter certain things, the actor is there."

Senior Writer Clay Murphy: "I wanted to make a character who isn't a hero or especially brilliant like everyone else in the game tends to be. Of course, he is knowledgeable about Altered Items, but he's worked with them for so many years that he better be. The Bureau is a workplace and he happens to be an employee. That's it. That's exactly what I wanted to explore with Langston."

~ LORE & BEHIND THE SCENES INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICIAL ART BOOK ~

From the very beginning, Remedy wanted Jesse to be a character with supernatural abilities, much like Jack Joyce from their earlier game, Quantum Break. With Joyce, developers felt they could have pushed his abilities even further, and in a way, that desire came into fruition in CONTROL.

And yet, they wanted Jesse to feel like a relatable character, new to the world of supernatural. This was a dilemma Sam Lake and the team struggled for quite a bit. They understood that as an outsider, a protagonist should feel a shock, coming into this new world and blasting their first enemy away with a gun. It should be a feeling to overcome, as a character. But as Sam Lake says, making an enjoyable action game with good pacing should always come first.

Creative Leader/Writer Sam Lake: "The truth is, that as a storyteller, with the urge to take your hero on this journey and to create an entertaining action game, there's no room for this shock, and no time for getting over it. It's a battle I don't even want to try to fight.

"I wanted to make Jesse surprising. I wanted her to be a reflection of this world in the sense that you're learning new things about her, and you're peeling away layers. As you are diving into this weird world, you're diving into Jesse's character as well."

~ LORE & BEHIND THE SCENES INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICIAL ART BOOK ~

When the development team was asked who is their favorite character from CONTROL, the end result was a tie between Frederick Langston and Ahti the Janitor.