The idea of another person controlling every action my body takes is one that keeps me awake at night more often than I like to acknowledge to myself. So how about a game all about that! It’s called Remote Control, and in it you most titularly remote control human proxies to explore a derelict spaceship and figure out what went wrong on it.
Remote Control plays out in an odd but brain-engaging way. As you set out on a mission aboard The Pelican, that aforementioned spaceship, you must first pick your human proxy. They have likes and dislikes, you can see how many missions they’ve completed, and unfortunately, because of you most of the proxies you previously had are dead, so this is your last chance at the mysterious (and clearly messed up) company you work for.
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Upon starting a mission your human proxy is plonked somewhere on the shift and then it turns into something of a dungeon crawler crossed with The Typing of the Dead. If you want your proxy to move forward, you need to type that in. If you want them to turn, or to use an item, or to inspect something in particular, you need to type that in. It is admittedly a little laborious, but also so much more tactile, because you are performing the same physical action as the character you are playing as.
You even have to be quite careful at points as there are environmental hazards (and seemingly Something, or Someone else) to be wary of. That’s not even mentioning the fact that they can get sick and flat out die, so you need to look after your proxies as best you can, otherwise it’ll be you that gets the boot.
This structure obviously won’t be for everyone. Even still, I deeply respect Remote Control’s commitment to the typing. The experience of playing a game is more often than not limited by the devices and hardware we play them on, so to have something that’s a little bit more involved than just pressing up on a d-pad, even if there is occasionally frustrating friction, is refreshing.
Remote Control doesn’t have an exact release date just yet, but it’s planned for an autumn release this year. You can try out its demo, or just wishlist it, on Steam right here.
