Control to get free August update with assist mode ahead of AWE expansion

What you need to know

• Remedy will be releasing a free August update ahead of Control's AWE expansion on Aug. 27.
• The update will feature an upgrade to one of the most widely-used powers in the game and an Assist Mode that'll help players customize their experience.
• This was announced during a demo of the first 15-minutes of the game streamed on Twitch Thursday.

Remedy Games announced that it'll be releasing a free August update for Control players ahead of the upcoming AWE story expansion, which will include upgraded powers and a new mode to make the game easier.

The first big change will be Multi-Launch, which upgrades the Launch ability by allowing Jesse to grab up to three objects instead of just one.

However, more wide-ranging is the introduction of the Assist Mode, which allows players to enable features that might make the game easier. For example, you can make Jesse Faden regenerate energy or health faster and affect if she can die during combat. Additional Control points and self check points have also been added to the toughest story missions and closer to specific boss fights. This should help players struggling with certain bosses or who are having trouble finishing the game a year after release.

This was announced during a 15-minute gameplay demo streamed on Twitch Thursday. Viewers got to see, as you can guess, the first 15 minutes of the expansion, which shows Jesse Faden meeting previously-missing author Alan Wake behind the spiral door at the Oceanview Motel. This leads her into the previously unaccessible Investigations Sector, which is where the bulk of the expansion will take place.

It's a huge map, with around 4-5 hours of gameplay, that integrates elements from the older Alan Wake game — mainly the darkness elements. For example, one point Jesse runs into a mass of darkness blocking a door and has to shine a light on it to dissapate it.

Players also got a glance at the Surge, a new weapon that fires off three shots that can be detonated remotely.

While Jesse fights mostly Hiss during the demo — including a new type that can shoot and dodge at you from the air — she encounters a brand new type of enemy at the end, something that might be familiar to Alan Wake fans.

We'll see how this all comes together when the Control AWE expansion releases on Aug. 27. This will also signal the release of the Control: Ultimate Edition, which will have a staggered release starting on Aug. 27 on Steam.