Is Control's Jesse Faden in Alan Wake 2?

Alan Wake 2 is easily one of the best games Remedy Entertainment has ever produced. From its robust survival-horror gameplay to its fantastic storytelling, the game excels in every aspect over Remedy's previous titles. It feels like the culmination of everything the Finnish studio has learned and mastered over the last decade of video game development and storytelling.

This is most apparent in how Remedy chose to weave their latest title's narrative into the broader Remedy Connected Universe (or the Remedyverse). We first got hints at the shared universe idea with 2019's Control, specifically its The AWE DLC, which tied that game with the original Alan Wake in a really interesting way.

The game does feature characters from Control like Ahti and even has you interacting with members of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) pretty early on. As such, many fans of Remedy's previous titles might be wondering whether Control's protagonist Jesse Faden makes an appearance in Alan Wake 2.

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Does Control's Jesse Faden make an appearance in Alan Wake 2?

Unfortunately, Jesse Faden does not make an appearance in Alan Wake 2, despite the game's obvious connection to 2019's Control. While the sequel to Alan Wake does not explicitly feature Jesse Faden in the story, the game does have plenty of references to Remedy's previous titles, especially Control.

With their latest title being the long-awaited sequel to Alan Wake, Remedy did not hold back on adding more narrative elements that connect all its major IPs with one another. As such, as you make your way through Alan Wake 2's story, you will find yourself face-to-face with some of the returning characters from Remedy's previous games.

When you leave Bright Falls for the first time and follow Nightingale's trails, you will eventually come across two people who are busy fixing an equipment shed. If you interact with them, you will eventually get to know that they are FBC personnel who are investigating a potential altered world event (AWE) in Bright Falls.

Following that interaction, you will face off against Nightingale, whose undead corpse is infused with the Dark Presence. After defeating Nightingale, you will find a catatonic Alan washed up on the shore of the Forest. This leads you to take control of Alan as he narrates his past ordeal within the Dark Place to Saga and Casey.

In Chapter 3, Late Night, you will eventually come across Ahti, the mysterious but friendly janitor from 2019's Control. After this, you will find plenty of other references to FBC as well as the altered world event that is taking place in Bright Falls. You also come across Estevez, who is a high-ranking FBC employee.