In the past few weeks Remedy has been pretty forthcoming with information regarding Control. So far we have a pretty good impression about the world (or worlds?) it’s taking place in. We also know quite a few things about the game’s protagonist (Jesse Faden) and the powers she will be able to use. With that being said, we relatively know little about the main enemy in the game – the otherworldly force known as The Hiss. Mere minutes ago Remedy has shared some new details about the Hiss in a new blog post on the official website of Control.
Senior Concept Artist Oliver Ödmark shares details on what the Hiss actually is and how the team made sure it’s visually distinguishable from other NPCs in the game.
“Visually designing a bodiless entity that spreads its influence through cosmic resonance is not a very straightforward task, and on top of that we obviously wanted it to have an imposing presence in the game. The mysterious, ominous red light and visual sonic distortion gave us just that and became the main call signs of the Hiss. A lot of the visual inspiration came from movies such as the original Suspiria and Neon Demon.”
We’ve seen in various footage the Hiss are capable of taking control over humans and objects. Ödmark reveals this is a way for the Hiss to gain whatever ability they may need to fight the player.
“The Hiss makes use of whatever abilities its victim might have that it would need. Naturally, the security guards who were already armed and combat trained became a useful tool. There are also the Rangers, the best equipped Bureau employees turned by the Hiss, whose task it was to venture into the strange Threshold areas of the building where other dimensions seep in.”
Accompanied with the post is some concept art of enemies in the game. The article does not yet reveal what the exact motive of this force is and how it was able to invade our world. A lot of mystery surrounding the Hiss remains and we’re eager to learn! 27th of August can’t come soon enough.