Considering just how thoroughly Control explored Jesse’s personal missions, there’s a serious case to be made for letting someone else share the spotlight with her in the next game. A wholly new protagonist could frame the world of Control through a new lens, or a secondary player character who works closely with or against Jesse could add more layers to her next adventure. Although a few significant characters die or vanish over the course of Control, Remedy has still left itself with quite a few worthy candidates who could become playable in the future.
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Why Control 2 Could Use Another Protagonist
Control’s events are all kicked off because Jesse sets off in search of her brother Dylan with the help of her mysterious paranatural companion Polaris. Over the course of the game, players find and eventually attempt to rescue Dylan from the Hiss. While the game doesn’t necessarily answer all the player’s questions about Polaris, Jesse certainly learns a lot more about the entity over the course of the game. Their teamwork becomes central to protecting the Bureau from the Hiss. However, with both Dylan and Polaris comfortably in Jesse’s life again, it’s unclear where she’ll go from here, aside from leading the Bureau.
Because the next steps for Jesse are a little unclear, Remedy Entertainment might be tempted to put a new protagonist forward. The studio could switch perspectives in order to discover another Control character’s motivations, backstory, and so on, which could open up new doors for the Control story. It’s unlikely that Jesse will be abandoned entirely, of course, since her connection to the Service Weapon makes her an extremely important character, but Remedy could borrow from games like Dishonored 2 or Marvel’s Spider-Man that occasionally put players in control of different characters with different skills in order to diversify Control 2’s plot.
Possible Control 2 Protagonists
Perhaps the best candidate for Control 2’s new protagonist is Dylan Faden. As Jesse’s brother, he already has a great central relationship to build on, and his complicated history with the Bureau creates lots of possibilities for compelling conflict too. Control 2 could make Dylan occasionally playable as he works with the Bureau to make up for his role in the Hiss invasion, or alternatively, players might play as a villainous Dylan as he tries to let the Hiss back into the Bureau again. Dylan also has a knack for the paranatural that Remedy could use to craft unique abilities that set him apart from Jesse and her Service Weapon.
Aside from Dylan, Emily Pope would be a great protagonist of the Control sequel. Her hunger for paranatural knowledge, her friendship with Jesse, and her former working relationship with the vanished Dr. Casper Darling all make her worth exploring. Control 2 could have parautilitarian potential awaken in Emily Pope, or she could be played in action-light, investigation-heavy segments like MJ and Miles Morales in Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Whether Remedy chooses to explore Emily, Dylan, or any other Control character, it seems clear that a second player character could benefit the game’s story significantly. Control establishes that Jesse’s life has been defined by isolation for many years, but now that she’s part of the Bureau, that’s going to change. Jesse Faden’s relationships are bound to be more important than ever in Control 2, and perhaps the best way to drive that point home would be to make one of the most important people in her life playable, whoever that might be.
Control is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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