Sometimes people forget that Remedy is one of the best developers out there, competent in every way, graphics technology, storytelling and gameplay. I feel like they’re somehow underrated despite being well known. I guess while nobody would say they don’t have good quality output, maybe their stuff don’t hit as deep for most people.
I played Alan Wake around when it was released, then skipped Quantum Break. When I started Control, I was expecting an interesting story supported by passable but derivative gameplay, because that’s what I remembered from Alan Wake (light mechanics aside, the controls and gunplay felt wholly unremarkable).
So I was surprised when pretty much every aspect of Control exceeded my expectations, gameplay top of the list. Even the story and atmosphere was a level up from what they achieved in Alan Wake. Point being, I think the niche they’ve built for themselves has always been interesting, but they I don’t think they figured out broad appeal until Control. I am super excited for Alan Wake 2.
