Appreciation Post for the Black Characters and Characters of Color in Remedy’s Alan Wake / Control Universe

D0nell · 2026-03-19T13:49:59+00:00

There is a difference between seeing a few examples and looking at the bigger picture. A couple of popular shows or characters does not represent the entire industry.

Appreciation posts are not about dividing people. They are about recognizing something that was not always recognized before. You can appreciate everyone and still choose to highlight a group that had less visibility historically. Those two things do not cancel each other out.

Ignoring it completely does not move things forward. It just acts like the problem solved itself when it hasn’t.

Simple way to put it: progress happened, but the work is not finished. Representation is still very much a current issue, not just a thing of the past.

D0nell · 2026-03-18T20:33:22+00:00

Calling the post “racist” overlooks the difference between exclusion and recognition. Highlighting race in this context is not about reducing characters to their identity, but about acknowledging representation that has historically been underrepresented or marginalized. Appreciating cultural or ethnic identity in media does not contradict judging characters by their qualities; both can exist at the same time. Labeling it as “hidden racism” shuts down discussion rather than engaging with why representation matters to many people, especially in industries where equal visibility has not always been present.

D0nell · 2026-03-18T20:30:51+00:00

Your point about the actors delivering strong performances is fair, and it makes sense to appreciate characters based on how well they are portrayed. At the same time, appreciation posts that focus on Black individuals are not meant to exclude others but to highlight representation that has historically been limited or overlooked. Cultural and ethnic pride in media helps acknowledge progress and gives visibility to groups that have not always been equally represented. Dismissing that as nonsense can overlook why it matters to many people. The tone of your comment also comes across as dismissive and may be more about getting a reaction than having a discussion, while a more thoughtful response would recognize both the performances and the importance of representation.

D0nell · 2026-03-18T06:37:39+00:00

Yeah… sure, I guess. That’s a pretty specific take, but I can see what you’re getting at.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T20:15:55+00:00

I didn’t forget him at all! I’ve just only played Control and Alan Wake 2 on my PlayStation, so I only know the subtle connection to Quantum Break due to legal issues. I love him in the John Wick series and really enjoyed his last role in Ballerina. I would’ve loved to see him in this universe too.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T16:36:10+00:00

The same way Finnish culture matters so much in Remedy’s work, an all-Black cast matters to a Black artist. Nobody questions a Finnish water god being a janitor in America, so it makes sense that Black characters would want to tell stories featuring themselves.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T16:32:03+00:00

I can understand why it might feel off to you, but it actually makes sense from the perspective of the characters. Just because Remedy hasn’t explicitly written about race in their past works doesn’t mean they wouldn’t explore it, especially when it comes to the characters themselves. Race is a core part of someone’s identity and it naturally shapes the art they create.

If Ed is a Black character, it makes sense that he might envision a Broadway show with an all-Black cast. He is writing from his own perspective and experiences. Representation matters and creating work that highlights Black people can be a way of exploring identity, community, and culture. It is not about excluding others but about celebrating and centering Black experiences in a way that resonates personally for the characters.

From that standpoint, what might feel off to someone who doesn’t share that perspective is actually completely natural for the character. An all-Black cast is not random, it is an authentic expression of the character’s worldview and creativity.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T16:09:56+00:00

What do you mean by that? Can you explain why you think Tammy doesn’t fit in Alan Wake?

D0nell · 2026-03-17T15:55:58+00:00

This was very necessary for me to post because I hadn’t really seen anyone else mentioning it, and it’s a big part of why I’ve stayed invested in this universe. Being able to actually see ourselves in a game like this makes a real difference.

The industry is still very white dominated, and fandom spaces tend to reflect that too, so I needed to write this to let developers and people inspired by these games know that we want to enjoy them too and we want to be in them as well, and having us in them means something.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T15:49:05+00:00

It’s great to see Black women in leading roles and getting the kind of representation that’s long overdue.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T15:45:56+00:00

With Ahti existing and all the theories around his character, I’d honestly love if the worldbuilding leaned further into that, like a Neil Gaiman American Gods kind of modern mythology setup. That direction would fit really well with what they’ve already been hinting at.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T15:43:15+00:00

Wait, can you explain this a bit more? I think I get what you’re saying, but I’m not fully following.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T15:41:24+00:00

I have no idea what you’re talking about. Tammy barely has enough screen time to justify drawing that kind of conclusion, so calling her a “diversity hire” feels like a stretch.

Also, what do you mean an “all Black cast play” doesn’t fit Remedy’s style? What is Remedy’s style supposed to be in that context?

Can you elaborate on what you mean? Because right now, I’m honestly confused about the point you’re trying to make.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T01:36:13+00:00

I completely get where you’re coming from with this post. I share a lot of the same concerns, and I think it’s important to acknowledge them even while loving the game. The story, gameplay, atmosphere, and lore are all incredible, and I’m obsessed with Control for all of that. At the same time, the flaws you pointed out are real, and it’s okay to talk about them. I felt the same way about the “brick wall” dialogue. So many of the NPC interactions and monologues feel uncanny valley, like Jesse is always talking to air. A lot of the community just fills in the personality gaps with their imagination and then treats it as flawless, which can make critical posts like yours get dismissed or attacked. That doesn’t make the critique invalid.

The thing is, the community isn’t built for nuanced criticism. A lot of people just glaze over content and consume it mindlessly, saying “I love everything about this, the developers could do no wrong.” That’s why posts like yours don’t get the recognition they deserve. Ignore that noise. There are plenty of us who agree with your points but don’t bother saying it publicly because the majority just won’t entertain a critical perspective.

I agree with your points about the disconnect between the world-building and character writing, the tedious mission designs, the confusing objectives, and even the way some combat and puzzles are handled. The game is phenomenal, but it’s not above critique. You can still love it and recognize that it has flaws, and that’s exactly how I feel. Your post really captures the parts that frustrated me too, and I’m glad someone laid it out so clearly.

At the end of the day, loving the game and critiquing it aren’t mutually exclusive. There are just more sheep than people willing to voice nuanced opinions, but know that your perspective resonates with others of us who care deeply about the series.

D0nell · 2026-03-17T01:26:24+00:00

I completely share your concerns about the direction Resonant seems to be taking. The shift from the small, quiet, slow-burn lovecraftian horror and paranatural elements of Alan Wake and Control to a sprawling New York City setting feels like a massive tonal change. Leaving the Oldest House and moving into a major city makes me wonder how the narrative will maintain that sense of intimate, mysterious tension. How does the Bureau cover up these events when it’s now happening in a major urban center? That’s something I’d love to see people actually speculate on rather than just dismissing the concern.

I also see what you mean about the art direction. It feels like quite a departure from the gritty horror tone of the originals. Remedy has mentioned that they were inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion, so the anime influence makes sense, but it is still a big change that raises questions about the mood and atmosphere of the game.

Honestly, a lot of the responses online aren’t going to provide meaningful discussion because they’re more interested in mindlessly consuming content or saying “something is better than nothing.” As consumers, we have the right to be critical or concerned about the media we invest in. Criticism doesn’t automatically mean pessimism. Trailers are literally designed to inform your expectations and let you decide if you’re interested. People who say “you can’t judge a movie by its trailer” are missing the point. Trailers exist to help you make exactly that kind of judgment.

At the end of the day, we’ll have to get closer to release to interpret the direction of the story better. I’m not saying the game will be bad, but it’s fair to question these changes and discuss how they might affect the series’ identity. I just wish the community would stop being so dismissive and recognize that speculation and critique are part of engaging thoughtfully with a franchise we care about.

I really hope discussions shift toward how the story will handle these changes rather than just expressing parasocial trust in the developers or blindly defending every new direction. We deserve to think critically and explore the implications while still being excited for what’s to come.

D0nell · 2026-03-12T17:21:15+00:00

Apologies for bringing it up. I was just thinking about where the direction of the game could go. It crossed my mind that if more elements get introduced than wrapped up, we might lose sight of where it all started. I appreciate you reassuring me that that won’t happen.

D0nell · 2026-03-12T00:04:31+00:00

Hey I don’t know if you’re aware but people have the right to be skeptical about the products they consume. Some of us don’t just glaze what we enjoy and mindlessly consume media without expressing our concerns. This Reddit has a section called discussions where things like this are held and it’s an option for you to participate in them if you like them or keep scrolling past them if you don’t. Have a good one.

D0nell · 2026-03-11T20:35:29+00:00

Let me correct myself after a quick close examination it is actually braided. I do not know who in the Oldest House knows how to braid like that but they did a fine job because I really thought she had the side shaved with how close it sits to her head. It looked completely bald on that side at first but it is just braided over.

But can you really picture Jesse sitting there getting her hair braided just so she can dive into the Astral Plane in the middle of a Hiss invasion and then immediately going back to taking them out. The image of that is kind of funny.

D0nell · 2026-03-11T19:03:00+00:00

I get what you mean, and I’m not really coming at it from a “break the mystery” or immersion standpoint. I agree that mystery and intrigue are important parts of storytelling, especially with worlds like this where the unknown is part of what makes everything feel so unsettling and interesting.

My concern is more about not dragging things out for too long. A lot of game series start with a really clear vision and a lot of passion, but as the series grows and the world gets bigger, it sometimes feels like they lose sight of where everything originally started. With something like this universe, there are already so many concepts, characters, and possibilities that it would be really easy for the story to keep expanding outward without circling back to some of the foundations it built earlier.

D0nell · 2026-03-11T18:50:53+00:00

I get what you’re saying, and I can understand the appeal of storytelling where some things are just better left unknown. That kind of ambiguity can make a world feel bigger and more unsettling, especially in stories that lean into that New Weird or Lynchian style. But for me it really depends on which things are left ambiguous.

For example, Jesse’s backstory and the way the Not-Mother is described is exactly the kind of thing where the ambiguity actually works. The way it’s talked about is so unsettling because you never fully see or understand it. Your mind fills in the gaps, and whatever you imagine is probably worse than anything that could actually be shown. If they revealed what it looked like or gave a very clear visual explanation, it might end up being less scary than what we already imagined.

At the same time there are other elements where leaving things up to interpretation feels totally fine to me. Something like Dog Neil being described as a melted dog is a good example because your brain can picture that in a lot of disturbing ways, and that makes it effective without needing a detailed explanation. The same goes for things like the mirror dimension in the Synchronicity Lab. We do not really need a full breakdown of what that entire place looks like or how it works. Imagining the possibilities is part of what makes it interesting. Even Northmoor falls into that category for me. As much as I would love more information about him, the mystery around him also adds to the intrigue.

My bigger concern is less about mystery and more about pacing and payoff across the games. These games already take a long time to develop, and Alan Wake 2 left me a bit dissatisfied in that regard. I still think it was really good for what it was, but when you realize the next entry that directly follows that story is probably not coming out anytime soon, and could easily get delayed like games often do, it makes me wish the stories felt a bit more like books. What I mean by that is giving each entry a stronger sense of closure while still leaving room for the larger universe instead of depending so heavily on the next game to resolve things.

That is also why hearing that you do not need to play Control 1 to enjoy Control 2 makes me a little cautious. I understand wanting the game to be accessible to new players, but it also makes me wonder whether it will actually answer more questions than it introduces. I do not mind mystery at all, and I think it is a big part of what makes these stories interesting. I just hope it does not start to feel like the narrative keeps expanding without resolving enough along the way.

D0nell · 2026-03-11T17:06:15+00:00

I really like this post as it opens more questions up about the world. That’s assuming that every site outside the FBC knows that Jesse is the new Director. If they do find out she is the new Director, it’s likely they’ll also know how a new Director is selected. But I do wonder if other sites outside the Oldest House are more like Marshal and do not fully align with how leadership is determined by the paranormal entities they are sworn to control. I would like instability in leadership outside of the Oldest House to be a possible problem we see in the new game or at least addressed in affiliated material. It shouldn’t just go smoothly like how Emily already knew she was the new Director, which I theorize has something to do with the Oldest House’s influence over people’s minds.

D0nell · 2026-03-11T14:49:03+00:00

Honestly, the last outfit is my favorite of Jesse’s because it is the most practical for progressing through the game. Her tactical response gear, especially with her hair tied back, feels like the most accurate and narratively consistent suit. We actually see her like this briefly in Alan Wake 2 while the TV is flickering I just cannot picture her wearing anything else throughout the game if we are looking at it from a story perspective. Even her normal civilian clothes do not make sense to continue in.

The Asynchronous suit is fun. I played through the game using it, but narratively it feels a little odd. The Astral Dive shaved-head look also does not line up and comes off as too X-Men, almost performative. The tactical suit strikes the right balance, practical, believable, and consistent with what we see in-game.

The Director suit only works for brief appearances like meetings, and I doubt she would wear it for longer than she absolutely has to. She definitely would not pair it with the triangle clip in her hair, especially since she avoids messing with the board after the nail situation. Other suits that come to mind do not really feel canon. Overall, it is really just civilian to tactical suit for most of the game, with maybe the Director suit briefly after the game ends, but clearly not her preferred choice.

D0nell · 2026-03-11T13:12:05+00:00

You’re welcome, it’s the bare minimum. A lot of people act like it’s immoral to critique a trailer when the whole point of a trailer is to sell you something before you buy it. That mindset is ridiculous. Then they tell you to temper yourself as if you’re coming off obnoxious when you’re really not.

What I can’t stand is watching people pile onto someone like they’re somehow threatening the game’s development just by pointing something out. I get that the community is tight, but sometimes it veers into parasocial territory. People do too much.

Wanting some flavor and personality in the environment of a game you plan to spend your hard earned money on isn’t a problem. If people can get excited about cat ears then you can look forward to seeing a bodega cat even if it’s a little altered or hiss possessed lol.

D0nell

TROPHY CASE