I'm playing awe right now and just found a document called "the blessed organization" connecting bless, blessed pictures, and blessed repair, meaning your theories are correct, nice job
The real craft of Control, or just Remedy in general, comes from the fact that no matter what, you always find out it's deeper than you thought. What other new stories and connections are lying dormant among the collectibles throughout the game?
When The Board says OOP are 665, it's very interesting because in one of his presentations, Dr. Darling tells Pope the code for the quarry is 665 "neighbor of the beast." It seems like he's just being his goofy self, but now we know there is more significance.
Absolutely! 665 is a long running joke in Remedy games. It shows up in Max Payne and Quantum Break as well as outside of the Directors Office. The security station at the start of the hall leading to the office has it above the window. It was 667 in Max Payne 2. I think what the Board is essentially saying is that OoPs contain power that are neighbors to the beast. With Northmoor we see how corrupted he got using that power.
I am beyond amazed, I can't believe that such a huge player in crucial events has gone unnoticed for so long. I recognized his name from the surfboard document, but never thought twice about it until now and this is just some incredible deductive reasoning and simply mind blowing evidence that makes me even more excited for the AWE DLC!
They should have hired gamers for the Investigation sector lol. We found it faster than the Bureau after over 60 year of them looking into it! The possibilities for this are crazy though. My tin foil hat theory is that maybe we will uncover more about Bless through the Door in the Oceanview marked with the upright white pyramid.
See, Yes! Dude! So I just started playing control about a month ago. I've loved remember since MAx Payne and really went down the rabbit hole since Alan Wake day 1. So, after reading all the docs I've found I started piecing things together. I was seeing the shared blessings info, and knew certain items had to do with one another, be it one Oop can rub off on another or share trates. Great job linking things together! Yes I hope we get to venture into the White pyramid and or the spiral door. its do exciting to think of the possibilities they can do with all the lore already set up.
the way he left the surfboard there to be found while he himself dissapeared completely made me think he was important! glad to see my hunch was right haha
I picked up Control about a week ago and I'm close to platinum. I'm hooked! Can't wait to play The Foundation, this game is like XFiles+Alan Wake rolled up into one.
Now after AW2 Chester Bless are direct linked with Barry Wheeler, since hes part of the "cult" (Barry emails Alice Wake about this) Close to the end of AW2 - There are lots of boxes with a brand called "Blessed" - some sort of moving company. I dont know what to think about this but Alice and Barry is connected to Bless now.
I noticed thar after the fact. I dont recall of the boxes were there in previous scenes. But the one I saw then in was the one after Alice jumped into the lake. Seems like the Blessed were doing the pack out of her personal property after her supposed death. I presume they stole a lot of her stuff for 'reasons'
@@GamingUniversityUoG: Does the Blessed Organization work for The Board? ..are they The Board? In Jeanne Gibbs's third Shift Account she's certain that the Process and Protocols Office was translocated to the Foundation from the Containment Sector for a reason -- and what do we find near the center of the Collapsed Department? The ActionMaxx Camera. And finally, is there a connection between Chester Bless and Martin Hatch / Warlin Door?
I said it on the Discord, I'll say it again: MIND - BLOWN! Brilliant work compiling and visualizing all the evidence. Seems that this Chester Bless entity is one of the key figures of the lore. All this gives me an eerie feeling that he/it/Blessing is capable of more than just giving OoPs their powers, that there is something big and powerful lurking in the dark.
My mind was blown too when I found this info. It makes me both nervous and excited. I'm not sure if the writers will make this a character we will physically meet or simply an entity in the background. But getting to the root of OoP's and Altered Items seems too important to the lore to not focus on.
So could Chester be trying to control/access the Boards power? By having his tour "The power of the Board" is he trying to force a physical representation of the Board in this dimension?
That's one hypothesis. Either that or The Board serves under him, or he uses the Pseudoym or Bless in reference to the Blessing energy. Until AWE we will have to theorize and wait for more data points.
@@TheLevitatingFleem both having a very similar function within the games lore, an interconnected web of Altered Items and events. While there's no distinct blatant connection, the parallels between them is somewhat interesting.
Going back through these videos now, it's amazing just how much you were correct about BEFORE the AWE expansion was released. Remedy leaves a breadcrumb like no other game company
Me either! I was so confused when I saw reddit talking about this. I though he was just a con man who took advantage of the Guru Surfboard to make some money. But with everything else there is a lot more going on here.
This game never cease to amaze. It's fascinating that even though you already presented a lot of information and theories , people are still able to find more. With that new portion of knowledge I'm so exited for AWE DLC. Hopefully we'll find a connection with Alan Wake and we'll learn the truth about The Board.
I can saw for sure we will get more info on Alan Wake and how he is connected to this world. I fully believe the Writer's are building up to a confrontation with the board in one form or another.
Chester Bless sounds kinda like Jester’s Bless which sounds like a trickster god making practical jokes by giving every day objects magical properties.
So as a key item here, when Jesse enters the Panopticon in the main game, she encounters the Refrigerator. Inside, she encounters "The Other", a disgraced member of The Board that is no longer a part of the Board, and though Jesse fights it a few times, in one of the DLC's, it suddenly becomes VERY helpful to her, and offers her a power that the Board denies her, is angry that The Other gives her, but later let's her keep. The Board tells her she is the first Director to be able to have BOTH powers. You may want to revisit this now that the DLC's are all out.
I think you're mistaking Former with Other. Really the only thing we got from the AWE in this one is confirmation that this isn't a single individual but a full organization.
With Control's most recent dlc, you have stumbled onto something telling. The Blessed Organization is heavily referenced in the AWE DLC. It's all setting the stage for a Control 2/Alan Wake 2 Sequel.
Personal interpretation has me thinking Chester Bless as a reality compatible manifestation of the Astral Plane-bound Former. Control does mess a bit with character lineage and parallels, and Bless representing some sort of unknown counter or potential opposing force to the FBC whilst the DLC exploring further the presence of the Former, I start to see some potential connections there. Whoever he may be, I am hyped to unravel more of mystery in AWE. Also, thank you for the quality video content and analysis 😁
Hoping you release an update to this video with info we learn about Barry Wheeler in Alan Wake 2. I wonder if the DLC will shed more light on this mystery. On an unrelated (maybe) note, I was just replaying Control and just got to Central Research. Coming or of the sector elevator there is an office to the right with a film projector playing video of a bed in a room with a pair of shoes next to it. I can't seem to find any information on what this is about. Any ideas Dean?
Yeah, when I played, I did notice these "Blessed" companies and started to link them together, but never really went much further into investigating. But this obscure topic does bring a lot of possibilities as a lore, bringing a full potential for a second game
Phenomenal video bro!! I literally have been going over all of these "Blessed" documents over & over again & this was exactly what I was missing... the piece of the puzzle I believed wasn't even supposed to be revealed! Thank you sir, you mad lad, thank you... Great Job!
Been binging a lot of these videos since I am watching an Alan Wake II playthrough and seeing how the number 665 was relevant in context with the objects of power/board already, while it is described as "the neighbor to the beast" in AW2 is fascinating.
@@atlev Some amateurish interperatation from my side would be that, with the way the board speaks in metaphorical equivalents. Objects of power are Holders/665 to the Other/blessing. By this interpreatition, Objects of power are the "nieghbors to the beast" of the blessing/blessed company. I'm assuming this means that OOP are not actively objects of power because they choose to be so, but simply due to their proximity to "the beast" which I am assuming simply means something paranautral on a volatile scale.
At the way top of the power plant there’s a file about chester and the surf board he left behind in his Hollywood apartment home , Which is a object of power that gives you confidence, he disappeared with everything though just leaving the surfboard behind for some reason
Makes me wonder if Chester Bless was an agent of the Board who went rogue and is creating OOPs and Altered Items for no greater purpose than to create chaos...
Funny you should say that, I just read a theory on reddit that Dr Ash and Chester Bless might be one and the same. Some people have noted how Dr Ash sounds strangely similar to Aidan Gillen in the recordings and Chester Bless is rumored to be this universe's Paul Serene from Quantum Break
This just proves I didn't pay that much attention - I didn't even know he was mentioned in the campaign!!! But this is very exciting and interesting... He owns a lot of stuff, a film studio, a repair unit (for jukeboxes only?), a help group... Possibly more. He seems to know what he's doing, possibly another organization of itself except instead of a bureaucracy... A monarchy. He seems to place himself as a ruler, possibly all-knowing, omniscient. A god? Blessed is an interesting choice, meaning in it's formal usage "made holy; consecrated". But it's not pronounced "bless-t" but "bless-ed". This could mean himself being blessed. Holy. A god, or godly artifact. I also found what was interesting is that there was a Zane who was a filmmaker, perhaps he is connected to this, perhaps he had worked with Blessed... Perhaps this could be a connection or reason why there's two Zanes. That there is only one, and something had happened with Blessed that caused him to become a poet going to Bright Falls. Though not too much evidence supports that. But the video was very interesting, and seems like another universe-wide big bad like the Not-Mother (an analysis on the events in Ordinary would be great), perhaps he works with her.
I definately think he is an entity akin to Ahti. I'm still on the fence of how the hierarchy works here. I'd definitely say above the Board since they claim to maintain his law. There are so many possibilities to consider I don't know where to start.
There are many enemies, the hiss are still around and are still a threat, then theres the former who seems to hold misterious powers to corrupt altered ítems and the astral plane itself, we have the not-mother and of course now Chester Bless Also good observation about Chester maybe being the leader of a rival organization to the bureau, it makes sence that they arent the only players in this games, that there are others with their own objectives and methods , also i love how while the hiss is a HUGE threat and manages to almost bring the bureau to it's knees they arent the only menance present on the game, you have all this villanous entities waiting for their turn to cause chaos or using the current weakened status of the organization to further their goals, i feel like this makes the world feel more realistic and believable, definetly one of the best games of the last decade
This last week I went through the entire game from start to finish. Story, side missions, DLC - even used a checklist to make sure I got all the documents/media... then I sat down and went through the ENTIRE pile of information... I feel like a total fool though because while I noticed almost all of this the ONE thing I didn't notice was in the surfboard document "Chester Bless". It's the one connection I didn't make. I did def notice all the references to the Investigations Sector though... and it's got me intrigued/worried. I'm sure w/e happens in AWE will be amazing... but it makes me realize I've hyped up the Alan Wake aspect so much in my mind that I might be setting myself up for disappointment. Clearly this whole Bless thing is gonna be a part of it. Hell it might be WHY the sector closed... I think in the documents it shows Investigations being open as late as 2015 and then all mention of it stops. Just for fun, you can also see in the mail room all the sectors of the FBC we visit in game... as well as one that's name is covered up and dark. We need a trailer for AWE already lol but I don't think we'll get it till June 25th, since that's when The Foundation is available for Xbox players.
I forgot that it wasn't coming to xbox until June. But yeah there is going to be so much good information down in the Investigation Sector. I can't wait to get in there!
@@GamingUniversityUoG Agreed. It might sound silly but I'm more excited about going to that sector than I am about the new consoles coming this year hahaha. Hopefully though, in spirit with the rest of the game, for as many answers as we find I sorta hope we leave with even more questions.
Same lol. I know I'm super picky about the games I play, but frankly I can't think anything yet to be released I'm excited about as much as seeing what Remedy has in store for us.
Having now played Alan Wake 2, I gotta know what the connection is with the number 665 appearing both in The Board message referenced in this video and that being Thomas Zane’s hotel room number 🤯
Great vid, I found it after I noticed that Blessed thread and googled it. This opens a huge area for wild speculation and I speculate that there’s a connection between Bless and the Former, and that connection is tight. We’re made to believe that Bless is some extremist group that pulls AI’s out of their hat, but case files and gameplay hint that the Former is capable of giving AI’s powers or additional powers, like the Fridge and the Flamingo, he may aswell be the one bleeding Astral into our world. This would also explain why the Board allegedly let the Nail get corrupted by the Hiss (it is stated that the broken nail is simply cannot be taken over as it’s broken) - to prevent it from getting taken over by the Former. Note this - Jukebox, Fridge, Flamingo and, supposedly, Surfboard were never corrupted by the Hiss (Camera is an oddball for this theory, though). Additional speculated connection is the The Former’s powers - he teleports Id’s like Jukebox does, Jesse is basically all “I’m good Director, I need no Board” after meeting the Former (Surfboard confidence). As a related speculation - Fondue Fountain is an aggressive AI by default, which, if you take a closer look - is not true for all other AI’s. That hammer that causes rapid deterioration? Even that doesn’t kill by itself, you die of some paranatural AIDS basically. However, the Fridge? Oh, it kills allright... Anyhow - the Former is a being that existed in the Astral plane and now it inhabits the FBC’s basement, thanks to the Astral bleed caused by damage to the Nail. A scary though, considering it tried killing you. Twice.
man, your video's are all amazes me everytime..... especially all the videos about CONTROL. & thank you for sharing about this unknown knowledge to us... waiting for more of your videos'
Out of curiosity, I looked up the name meaning for Chester; it has old English and Latin roots meaning "camp of soldiers". Adding in the last name it's not a stretch to translate Chester's full name to "Blessed Camp of Soldiers". Could this be a reference to the Board itself, with Chester Bless acting as a sort of go-between for or even an actual member of the Board? Is the Board this "blessed camp of soldiers"? What is the enemy these "soldiers" are engaged against? Perhaps the Hiss. Or perhaps the Hiss are merely agents for another entity that we do not know about. Or maybe Chester represents a group diametrically opposed to the Board and the "blessed camp of soldiers" are opposed to them. This is mostly speculation, but it offers food for thought.
Fascinating stuff. I remember when I saw the investigation order in the Formation thinking this was likely going to be a future plot thread, though I didn't make the connection to Chester Bless. One of the Tokui case files mentions that the Bureau is aware of 'altered organisations' so my interpretation initially was there might be rival agencies or perhaps criminal organisations with links to the paranatural. It's looking like this guy might be a lot more important than that! Anyway assuming it is followed through in AWE it's awesome to have this kind of foreshadowing hidden in the lore
Considering they briefly mentioned it in the main campaign and then doubled down on it in Foundation, it feels like they are building up to something big!
@@GamingUniversityUoG heaps of possibilities! I guess we will find out soon enough. Props to the Control subreddit as well, lot of good discussions there
@@OopsieBoopsies Indeed, the service weapon is not just those physical weapons, but the entire concept as well - the enchanted weapon that only the chosen can wield. Stands to reason other parts of the legend have a basis in reality as well.
I found an interesting connection between the CHESTER cathedral devoted to BLESSED Mary and Lady Godiva (the name means gift of God. Just like ZANE). Peeping TOM and the poet Alfred TENNYSON are related to Lady Godiva. Coincidence?
It's my theory but I think Chester Bless will be somehow connected to Polaris. Because the Chester Cathedral in the UK is dedicated to Blessed Mary (Aka stella maris/Polaris)
🤯 I remember reading the collectible about Chester Bless but I didn’t realize there was so much more behind it. I want to be as smart as you when I grow up 😁
Haha I wish I could take credit but this one goes out to the control reddit community. I had no clue before I came across the work into this topic they already did. I was just as gobsmacked as you.
The book club is something I need to give more focus to at some point soon. But yes everything is relevant. Even one of the dead letters references Thomas Zane and Cauldron lake tangentially.
Hows this for a theory, is Chester Bless The Former? Perhaps he was creating OoP without the boards permission as an act of rebellion or as retaliation for his firing?
After having thought about it, ive decided Chester Bliss is either The Former, Or The Former working through Dr. Ash. Id have to go through the dlc documentation again, but i think the timing might line up to when he left the foundation after having spent a lot time with the former through the mini nail (what im calling the thumbtack.)
Thumbtack. I like that! lol. For the chester Bless Former relationship I am not sure. It seems weird that The Board states they hold the reins/Law of the Blessing but also say the Former is a liar and not to be trusted. It feels like their opinion of the Former is different than the opinion of Bless.
@@GamingUniversityUoG But that would assume that "the blessing" and Bless are the same thing. "The blessing" could just be the name for the powers that they give humans and the name Bless would just be a signal word that only the board and the director would understand in context. We know that the former can give powers, and will do so just to screw with the board, he did so when he gave Jessie the second one in The Foundation. I mean, i feel like The Former, through Dr. Ash, being Chester Bless could easily be my "Pepe Silva" but it is fun to think about. Dr. Ash was the son of a director, so if there were to be a genetic component to being one he might have been a candidate allowing him to harness and use the blessings.
I just watched this video today before paying my second play through (Final Draft) of Alan Wake 2. The second time you visit Parliament Tower, there is a computer with emails from Barry Wheeler, one of which mentions him going on a Blessed Retreat and even mentions Chester by name as the owner of the company. He expresses that he's never been happier while there. Don't know fully what this means but adding more pieces to the puzzle.
I am kind of wondering if we should do s deep dive into the older games to look for a reference to this Bless character. I mean the first few minutes of Alan Wake had references to characters in Quantum Break ("waves both Wilder and more Serene", so it is possible Remedy hid some clues about this Chester Bless in the earlier games.) Gah Remedy is the best, i mean what other game developer makes you wonder if this tiny, barely referenced character that might be super important is referenced in games from over 10 years ago? Bloody brilliant.
What I did for this one was have a friend with the text files from the game scan them to find any reference to Bless. If we can find the files for the older games we can pull the same trick. If we find anything I'll make sure to let everyone know! Seriously though I'm still finding new things in these games. Remedy really is incredible.
After watching this and the rest of your vids on the Remedyverse I decided to start a fresh playthrough of Alan Wake and exhaustively search for any hint of Blessed, were both in the official Control discord so Ill tag ya there if I find anything. If you want me to keep an eye out for anything else lemme know!
in the Board hotline entitled Objects of Power, in the start the board says:"Objects of Power are Holders/665 ", in quantum break game, in the parking lot scene, the passcode of the door was also the number "665"!
Something to note, during Jesse's first conversation with The Board, it says it is broadcasting to her the "Other" (which i presume is what the black triangle is- the board is something somewhere else)
Basically you're saying Chester bless is responsible for giving power to OoP? We know The Board can alter and change those powers, so why not? Maybe we're finding out more infos about all the members of the board (2 thus far). Anyway, this game surprises me day after day, but I think the main characters of this game are us. I mean remedy put the community at the center of this work. And this is something I've never seen from a videogame. (Hope the video for AWE dlc will last 1h at least haha)
Either he himself or an organization he represents. And it is unknown whether Bless is simply a Pseudonym in reference to the Blessing the Board mentioned. There are still a lot of unknown factors but with the information we have that's the best idea I can come up with. Oh boy an hour! That would be nuts lol.
Holy shit, "The power of the Board" is a pun. It makes total sense now. The whole motivational speak was Chester Bless rubbing it on the FBC's face, gloating about his knowledge of the Astral Plane, the existence of the Board and his ability to create Altered Items.
"Just as I thought I had run out of new secrets to find in Control..." Boy if I had a dollar for every time I hear those words, I would've been able to play Alan Wake back in the Xbox days. (PC was a good first step but it wasn't enough, they really should put Alan in PS4 or PS5)
I'm wondering if any of the details regarding America Overnight producer, Karen Harris, are significant in relation to Chester Bless. For instance, why was she targeted (although it may have been the show that was being targeted rather than her specifically)? And who is the FBC agent she was romantically involved with?
Frankly I don't think she specifically was targeted. She just happened to be the one who touched it. It was stated that she was romantically involved with the host of America Overnight.
I absolutely plan to! Most likely it will be after AWE comes out just to make sure I have the best information to go off of. But I have considered doing a, "What to expect" video for the Investigation Sector with everything we know about what is there so far.
On an unrelated note... I thought that Tomassi and the America Overnight host sounded similar. Could it be just be the same voice actor, or could Tomassi have once been the host of America Overnight, until Chester tried to destroy the satellite program with the A.I./OOP Fondue Set...?
I'll have to stop and listen to the two voices side by side again. Honestly on my most recent play through I got the impression that the Doctor who was a guest talking about the bed was the host putting on a fake voice. The timbre of their voice was so similar.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Agreed. My only counter to this idea is that the host was disciplined for breaching employee relationship conduct rules. I suppose Trench could have given Tomassi a second chance, but until Remedy gives a bit more it's all just speculation.... Thanks for the heart, btw.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Although, thinking about it further, isn't it conceivable that the cash strapped FBC, who wouldn't want too many people involved in satellite offshoots (I mean the content and production values of 'Threshold Kids' was shockingly questionable, let alone very subjective as to its application for entertaining a child (no wonder P6 went the way he did!) plus less prying eyes getting involved in a highly classified department) and therefore any guests might well have been 'fake', possibly using actual experiences from agents, and their frequent motel stays, to ferret out real A.I.s from the general public...? Why have the risk of the good doctor going rogue when your DJ can just put on a silly accent. The magic of radio!
Have you considered that The Former seems to hold a lot of similarities to the way you are describing Chester? Maybe his dissent was more than just conceptual and more fondu based....
Chester’s Bless sounds like Jester’s Bless, the Board might be the Norse pantheon, and the Former might be Loki. So might Chester Bless = The Former = Loki?
After what we learn in AWE that Blessed is a full organization, it is likely Chester is a pseudonym for one of its members. Who that member is, no clue.
Based on the intel in this segment, specifically bout Bless bein connected to the Board but also effecting objects that the FBC has to round up on behalf of the Board; Id say theres one more piece of this puzzle that can already be solved. From this, Id say that Chester Bless maybe the real identity of the Former.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I look at that intel provided & it looks like Bless is creating more problems for the Board as the Board oversees the agency in charge of keeping those types of objects from causing trouble in an uncontrollable environment.
You know, watching this video after playing Alan Wake 2 made me wonder why the number 665 keeps appearing... is there any significance in it, besides being the "Neighbor of the Beast"?
@@GamingUniversityUoG Oh, unfortunately I've never played Max Payne, even though I had many chances through the years since the release of the first game. And since they're remaking both, I decided to wait until then to try'em. Anyway, maybe there's some significance for the Board calling the hosts of Objects of Power 665? Just like they used the Satan allegory in room 666 for Scratch?
09:47 In one of the videos Dr Darling tells Emily the password is “Blackrock665” and jokes about it being “the neighbor of the Beast”. I wonder if there’s any connection there?
665 is a number Remedy uses a lot. Max Payne 1 uses it to initiate a decontamination protocol in the d6 facility. In Quantum Break it is the code for the underground parking garage. My simple theory is it is used intentionally. If holders/665 refers to OoPs then I believe they hold otherworldly energy/blessing. So anyone bound to the OoP is a neighbor to the beast as they are bound to this otherwordly energy. Go check out the booth located in front of the director's office. It has 665 printed on it as well.
The board must have read that from Jesse's head after she saw darling's combination film. It's also on the take a number counter outside the directors office.
That's very possible that because Jesse heard Darling refer to it as 665 that they tried to use it. I need to replay and notate where in the story each hotline call was sent. They were likely calling Jesse in reaction to something that was going on in the story.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I was under the impression that 665 has a significance all it's own in control, connections to max payne notwithstanding. The fact that it's the "neighbor of the beast" and terms like "gift from god" are being used... and now knowing the Chester Bless connection... I feel like the number might have been relevant to Darling in relation to paranatural concepts, surely there's some interesting overlap between the paranatural and religious. I'm sure plenty of folks experiencing AWE's think it's the work of God. Much like the board, I'm having trouble explaining what I mean, but I think you see what I'm trying to say.
Hyperreality sounds like eldritch things. Things that tear reality asunder by existing. I wonder if Chester Bless is even a man? Is he breaking the Masquerade?
I doubt he is fully human. More like what the Anderson Brothers or Ahti is. Or maybe someone like Dr. Darling who ascended into another plane of reality. No clue. Interesting to think about though.
Hyperreality just means a dificulty to distinguish between fiction and reality, like for example consumerism, where we atribute value to brands or individuals
Absolutely. I fully intend to do a follow up if we get any more information. Also the music is the opening theme from Quantum Break. The details are in the description.
5:22 That addendum is on an incident that you can find at least one more thing about, I think even a tape. That might be connected to the movie camera, recreating the workplace drama of a movie or tv show.
I think the former getting kicked out had something to do with working with Ash. I think the former saved Ash from something and the board were unhappy for getting involved
Just rereading some of the documents in game, for fun y'know, and noticed in the Ordinary AWE documents they mention a Mrs Chester. Wonder if she's a relation to Chester Bless.
Honestly the thought has crossed my mind. My question about the Ordinary AWE is why did the Projector randomly show up NOW? I have a hunch someone put it there intentionally.
Hi , i have question , in the research sector when you come out of elevator there are two rooms on right hand side ( not the path to hra lab ) , in the second room there is a video projector that show's a video of a room , im really curious about it ? Any idea about it ?
If I'm thinking of the same one as you I think it is the individual who was trapped in a lost office section when a building shift forced them down into the foundation. I'll have to take a look at it again. I don't remember much from it. Frankly I have heard a lot of tall about some kind of fire ability which would make sense considering Alan wake is about light vs darkness and fire would be a light source.
@@GamingUniversityUoG it's the boss that has one eye and shoots what looks like a laser beam out of the eye apart from the eye it looks like the hiss warped
@@GamingUniversityUoG IMHO Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest JRPG games of the century. I've spent 40+ hours playing it and I didn't regret a single moment. I even got it on Steam and PS1.
There is definitely a lot of SCP inspiration in this story. I honestly have not dived into the Rabbit hole of SCP at all. For Bless though, I find it hard to label him on the God/Bad spectrum until I know more about his motivations. We have seen the fingerprints of his actions but his goal is still a mystery.
It’s funny you say that because when I first read about Blessed Productions (or whatever the film company was called) it reminded me of M,C, and D the scp dealers
@@gnarcissist7669 its similar yes, but they also have that religious intention like the horizon initiative I just want a Prometheus laboratories equivalent that creates crazy weapons that we can use in some game
one thing I thought about. What exactly happens to an item when jesse cleanses it? Is she essentially destroying the item? Wasn't the bureau researching that item??
After she cleanses the objects they reappear in the panopticon. If you keep heading back during the Langstons Runaways quest you'll see the empty cells start to populate.
I think this all goes around the fact that we know nothing about the board and we asume they are the "good side", SPOILER: the foundation show us that there is some kind of conflict between the board and the former and if the board is related to the "blessed" then i think we are about to find out that we are working for the bad guys :P
I fully believe that The Board will be the ultimate villain during this Grand Arc of this story. Or at the very least an enemy along the way. They are ultimately self serving. We just don't know what their motivation is currently. They just want to retain influence and Control over the Oldest House and FBC
I wonder if Chester is actually the Former (or a puppet of). Seems to be antagonistic. Also in choosing the song “song for the others” he comes across as a contemporary (equal) of the others (the board) as the former once was So this could all be a physical manifestation of their astral civil war
I'll definitely have a AWE video talking about what all we learned. There isn't enough here with Bless for a full video but it will be part of another one.
I have a few on the foundation and AWE. But those are topics unrelated to this. I believe this one included information from Foundation. I do plan to do a sequel to this which takes it in a new direction and includes AWE information.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Thanks mate! You're awesome and I'm grateful for this channel, since it has been very helpful because I've seen Sam Lake's writing style very interesting and also as a way similar of my writing style and a source of inspiration.
Whats up with that director with no death date? All the other directors have death dates but not that director. I cant remember his name but it was something like strom or something.
@@GamingUniversityUoG thats the difficult part, its an exchange of dialogue that jesse has with Simon Arish (if i remember correctly)and I think the director with no death date is Broderick Northmoor. While double checking ran across the name.
Oh dug a little deeper definitely him, hes the director before trench but he went mad with power and agreed to be contained in the maintenance sector. Thats the gist of it but there was a lot more, damn this game is deep with lore.
@@Rastrio01 oh gotcha. Yeah Northmoor isn't dead. He is still currently contained in the NSC (Northmoor Sarcophagus Chamber). His excess energy powers the Oldest House. During the main campaign the Hiss almost cause him to break out. That's the main mission where Jesse has to fix the coolant pumps and energy converters. Ahti talks about the, "Pensioner inside"
I wonder if God mentioned in America Tonight is the same god who works through machines (or objects) mentioned in Dead Letters. Additionally, 665 is mentioned as the neighbor of the beast, and the board is called the devil in the tree, so are oops created or overtaken by the board meant to be used to spread their influence or something else entirely? Now I know how Emily feels
I've wondered if this Blessed organization is the equivalent of Marshall Carter and Dark ltd in the scp universe. People making and selling altered/anomalous items to cuase chaos for some unknown reason.
I'm playing awe right now and just found a document called "the blessed organization" connecting bless, blessed pictures, and blessed repair, meaning your theories are correct, nice job
Yup, playing AWE now and this video was right on the money.
Can you link an image or somewhere I can read this?
Not to mention a mention of a mole in the FBC.
Barry Wheeler has joined the Blessed Cult, we need to save him 😩
The real craft of Control, or just Remedy in general, comes from the fact that no matter what, you always find out it's deeper than you thought. What other new stories and connections are lying dormant among the collectibles throughout the game?
Quiet a bit! I'm hearing up to investigate the Willow/Sterling AWE as well as other topics. It's crazy how much information they packed into his game.
When The Board says OOP are 665, it's very interesting because in one of his presentations, Dr. Darling tells Pope the code for the quarry is 665 "neighbor of the beast." It seems like he's just being his goofy self, but now we know there is more significance.
Absolutely! 665 is a long running joke in Remedy games. It shows up in Max Payne and Quantum Break as well as outside of the Directors Office. The security station at the start of the hall leading to the office has it above the window. It was 667 in Max Payne 2.
I think what the Board is essentially saying is that OoPs contain power that are neighbors to the beast. With Northmoor we see how corrupted he got using that power.
@@GamingUniversityUoG It's 4 hours later and I'm still noticing my typos. I'm grateful you could still read it. 🤣I'm loving your videos!
That number connects to Alan Wake 2. The 665 is a room in the hotel where u meet Thomas Zane.
I am beyond amazed, I can't believe that such a huge player in crucial events has gone unnoticed for so long. I recognized his name from the surfboard document, but never thought twice about it until now and this is just some incredible deductive reasoning and simply mind blowing evidence that makes me even more excited for the AWE DLC!
They should have hired gamers for the Investigation sector lol. We found it faster than the Bureau after over 60 year of them looking into it!
The possibilities for this are crazy though. My tin foil hat theory is that maybe we will uncover more about Bless through the Door in the Oceanview marked with the upright white pyramid.
I can't believe I've watched and read most the documents mentioned and still didn't make the connection I feel like a dummy now 😂
Don't worry I felt I same way when I finally found this info on reddit. I couldn't believe I missed it 😉
See, Yes! Dude! So I just started playing control about a month ago. I've loved remember since MAx Payne and really went down the rabbit hole since Alan Wake day 1. So, after reading all the docs I've found I started piecing things together. I was seeing the shared blessings info, and knew certain items had to do with one another, be it one Oop can rub off on another or share trates. Great job linking things together! Yes I hope we get to venture into the White pyramid and or the spiral door. its do exciting to think of the possibilities they can do with all the lore already set up.
the way he left the surfboard there to be found while he himself dissapeared completely made me think he was important!
glad to see my hunch was right haha
If we find Barry Wheeler, we find Chester Bless…
Our boy Barry doesn't know what he's involved in!
@@GamingUniversityUoG did he really ever ?
I picked up Control about a week ago and I'm close to platinum. I'm hooked! Can't wait to play The Foundation, this game is like XFiles+Alan Wake rolled up into one.
Absolutely! You're going to love the Foundation as well! Yeah Control is like Warehouse 13. H.P. Lovecraft and Fringe/X-files had a baby.
@@GamingUniversityUoG aswell as confirmed scp foundation inspiration
@@GamingUniversityUoG can’t forget House of Leaves
Now after AW2 Chester Bless are direct linked with Barry Wheeler, since hes part of the "cult" (Barry emails Alice Wake about this)
Close to the end of AW2 - There are lots of boxes with a brand called "Blessed" - some sort of moving company. I dont know what to think about this but Alice and Barry is connected to Bless now.
I noticed thar after the fact. I dont recall of the boxes were there in previous scenes. But the one I saw then in was the one after Alice jumped into the lake. Seems like the Blessed were doing the pack out of her personal property after her supposed death. I presume they stole a lot of her stuff for 'reasons'
@@GamingUniversityUoG: Does the Blessed Organization work for The Board? ..are they The Board?
In Jeanne Gibbs's third Shift Account she's certain that the Process and Protocols Office was translocated to the Foundation from the Containment Sector for a reason -- and what do we find near the center of the Collapsed Department? The ActionMaxx Camera.
And finally, is there a connection between Chester Bless and Martin Hatch / Warlin Door?
These games have some of the deepest and most intriguing lore ever. And this is a masterful analysis
Glad to know we are likely going to be seeing this character in Control 2. Based upon the teases we got in AW2
I said it on the Discord, I'll say it again: MIND - BLOWN!
Brilliant work compiling and visualizing all the evidence.
Seems that this Chester Bless entity is one of the key figures of the lore. All this gives me an eerie feeling that he/it/Blessing is capable of more than just giving OoPs their powers, that there is something big and powerful lurking in the dark.
My mind was blown too when I found this info. It makes me both nervous and excited. I'm not sure if the writers will make this a character we will physically meet or simply an entity in the background. But getting to the root of OoP's and Altered Items seems too important to the lore to not focus on.
So could Chester be trying to control/access the Boards power? By having his tour "The power of the Board" is he trying to force a physical representation of the Board in this dimension?
That's one hypothesis. Either that or The Board serves under him, or he uses the Pseudoym or Bless in reference to the Blessing energy. Until AWE we will have to theorize and wait for more data points.
Here in 2023 I had a wild idea that Chester Bless could be related to the Former, but I don't really have anything concrete.
@@JKKoneofakindHmm, what led you to that theory?
@@TheLevitatingFleem both having a very similar function within the games lore, an interconnected web of Altered Items and events. While there's no distinct blatant connection, the parallels between them is somewhat interesting.
Going back through these videos now, it's amazing just how much you were correct about BEFORE the AWE expansion was released. Remedy leaves a breadcrumb like no other game company
Just finished replaying the game preparing for AWE, I don't remember this character or nane either!
Me either! I was so confused when I saw reddit talking about this. I though he was just a con man who took advantage of the Guru Surfboard to make some money. But with everything else there is a lot more going on here.
Confirmed in awe. The next Remedy game could be about the Blessed organization.
Hopefully we get some resolution for the plot thread. I'd like to see some conflict with these Paracriminal groups.
This game never cease to amaze. It's fascinating that even though you already presented a lot of information and theories , people are still able to find more. With that new portion of knowledge I'm so exited for AWE DLC. Hopefully we'll find a connection with Alan Wake and we'll learn the truth about The Board.
I can saw for sure we will get more info on Alan Wake and how he is connected to this world. I fully believe the Writer's are building up to a confrontation with the board in one form or another.
Man, im in love with this game. Keep coming back to it because the lore is just so crazy. Glad they did the dlc's.
Same here! Trying to riddle out the lore is tons of fun.
Chester Bless sounds kinda like Jester’s Bless which sounds like a trickster god making practical jokes by giving every day objects magical properties.
I'll have to look into that. There are some other links for this Bless fellow that I'll discuss in a later video.
The Cosmic Jokes, yes? Terror in the name of a "prank".
So as a key item here, when Jesse enters the Panopticon in the main game, she encounters the Refrigerator. Inside, she encounters "The Other", a disgraced member of The Board that is no longer a part of the Board, and though Jesse fights it a few times, in one of the DLC's, it suddenly becomes VERY helpful to her, and offers her a power that the Board denies her, is angry that The Other gives her, but later let's her keep. The Board tells her she is the first Director to be able to have BOTH powers.
You may want to revisit this now that the DLC's are all out.
I think you're mistaking Former with Other. Really the only thing we got from the AWE in this one is confirmation that this isn't a single individual but a full organization.
I feel like the Blessed Organization is a potential antagonist for the sequel to Control.
100% that's me expectations for Control 2
looks like we have a Chester Bless appearance in the A.W.E. DLC
I saw the memo near the start of the Investigation Sector! If there is more info I haven't found it yet
With Control's most recent dlc, you have stumbled onto something telling. The Blessed Organization is heavily referenced in the AWE DLC. It's all setting the stage for a Control 2/Alan Wake 2 Sequel.
He got foundation part wrong. Blessed organization is explored in AWE.
Personal interpretation has me thinking Chester Bless as a reality compatible manifestation of the Astral Plane-bound Former. Control does mess a bit with character lineage and parallels, and Bless representing some sort of unknown counter or potential opposing force to the FBC whilst the DLC exploring further the presence of the Former, I start to see some potential connections there. Whoever he may be, I am hyped to unravel more of mystery in AWE. Also, thank you for the quality video content and analysis 😁
Hoping you release an update to this video with info we learn about Barry Wheeler in Alan Wake 2. I wonder if the DLC will shed more light on this mystery.
On an unrelated (maybe) note, I was just replaying Control and just got to Central Research. Coming or of the sector elevator there is an office to the right with a film projector playing video of a bed in a room with a pair of shoes next to it. I can't seem to find any information on what this is about. Any ideas Dean?
Yeah, when I played, I did notice these "Blessed" companies and started to link them together, but never really went much further into investigating. But this obscure topic does bring a lot of possibilities as a lore, bringing a full potential for a second game
Phenomenal video bro!! I literally have been going over all of these "Blessed" documents over & over again & this was exactly what I was missing... the piece of the puzzle I believed wasn't even supposed to be revealed! Thank you sir, you mad lad, thank you... Great Job!
Haha thanks! It's crazy how well hidden this one was and yet staring us right in the face.
Been binging a lot of these videos since I am watching an Alan Wake II playthrough and seeing how the number 665 was relevant in context with the objects of power/board already, while it is described as "the neighbor to the beast" in AW2 is fascinating.
YES I noticed that as well! What does 665 mean in relation to Control I wonder?
@@atlev Some amateurish interperatation from my side would be that, with the way the board speaks in metaphorical equivalents.
Objects of power are Holders/665 to the Other/blessing.
By this interpreatition, Objects of power are the "nieghbors to the beast" of the blessing/blessed company.
I'm assuming this means that OOP are not actively objects of power because they choose to be so, but simply due to their proximity to "the beast" which I am assuming simply means something paranautral on a volatile scale.
At the way top of the power plant there’s a file about chester and the surf board he left behind in his Hollywood apartment home , Which is a object of power that gives you confidence, he disappeared with everything though just leaving the surfboard behind for some reason
There is so much mystery behind the Blessed Organization. I'm curious to see where it all leads.
Makes me wonder if Chester Bless was an agent of the Board who went rogue and is creating OOPs and Altered Items for no greater purpose than to create chaos...
Funny you should say that, I just read a theory on reddit that Dr Ash and Chester Bless might be one and the same. Some people have noted how Dr Ash sounds strangely similar to Aidan Gillen in the recordings and Chester Bless is rumored to be this universe's Paul Serene from Quantum Break
This just proves I didn't pay that much attention - I didn't even know he was mentioned in the campaign!!! But this is very exciting and interesting... He owns a lot of stuff, a film studio, a repair unit (for jukeboxes only?), a help group... Possibly more. He seems to know what he's doing, possibly another organization of itself except instead of a bureaucracy... A monarchy. He seems to place himself as a ruler, possibly all-knowing, omniscient. A god? Blessed is an interesting choice, meaning in it's formal usage "made holy; consecrated". But it's not pronounced "bless-t" but "bless-ed". This could mean himself being blessed. Holy. A god, or godly artifact.
I also found what was interesting is that there was a Zane who was a filmmaker, perhaps he is connected to this, perhaps he had worked with Blessed... Perhaps this could be a connection or reason why there's two Zanes. That there is only one, and something had happened with Blessed that caused him to become a poet going to Bright Falls. Though not too much evidence supports that.
But the video was very interesting, and seems like another universe-wide big bad like the Not-Mother (an analysis on the events in Ordinary would be great), perhaps he works with her.
I definately think he is an entity akin to Ahti. I'm still on the fence of how the hierarchy works here. I'd definitely say above the Board since they claim to maintain his law.
There are so many possibilities to consider I don't know where to start.
There are many enemies, the hiss are still around and are still a threat, then theres the former who seems to hold misterious powers to corrupt altered ítems and the astral plane itself, we have the not-mother and of course now Chester Bless
Also good observation about Chester maybe being the leader of a rival organization to the bureau, it makes sence that they arent the only players in this games, that there are others with their own objectives and methods , also i love how while the hiss is a HUGE threat and manages to almost bring the bureau to it's knees they arent the only menance present on the game, you have all this villanous entities waiting for their turn to cause chaos or using the current weakened status of the organization to further their goals, i feel like this makes the world feel more realistic and believable, definetly one of the best games of the last decade
This last week I went through the entire game from start to finish. Story, side missions, DLC - even used a checklist to make sure I got all the documents/media... then I sat down and went through the ENTIRE pile of information... I feel like a total fool though because while I noticed almost all of this the ONE thing I didn't notice was in the surfboard document "Chester Bless". It's the one connection I didn't make. I did def notice all the references to the Investigations Sector though... and it's got me intrigued/worried. I'm sure w/e happens in AWE will be amazing... but it makes me realize I've hyped up the Alan Wake aspect so much in my mind that I might be setting myself up for disappointment. Clearly this whole Bless thing is gonna be a part of it. Hell it might be WHY the sector closed... I think in the documents it shows Investigations being open as late as 2015 and then all mention of it stops. Just for fun, you can also see in the mail room all the sectors of the FBC we visit in game... as well as one that's name is covered up and dark. We need a trailer for AWE already lol but I don't think we'll get it till June 25th, since that's when The Foundation is available for Xbox players.
I forgot that it wasn't coming to xbox until June.
But yeah there is going to be so much good information down in the Investigation Sector. I can't wait to get in there!
@@GamingUniversityUoG Agreed. It might sound silly but I'm more excited about going to that sector than I am about the new consoles coming this year hahaha. Hopefully though, in spirit with the rest of the game, for as many answers as we find I sorta hope we leave with even more questions.
Same lol. I know I'm super picky about the games I play, but frankly I can't think anything yet to be released I'm excited about as much as seeing what Remedy has in store for us.
I never thought of Chester Bless as the one that blesses objects of power, thus creating them. This is a really interesting idea.
We have seen one confirmed case in the Jukebox but there are likely others.
Having now played Alan Wake 2, I gotta know what the connection is with the number 665 appearing both in The Board message referenced in this video and that being Thomas Zane’s hotel room number 🤯
Great vid, I found it after I noticed that Blessed thread and googled it.
This opens a huge area for wild speculation and I speculate that there’s a connection between Bless and the Former, and that connection is tight. We’re made to believe that Bless is some extremist group that pulls AI’s out of their hat, but case files and gameplay hint that the Former is capable of giving AI’s powers or additional powers, like the Fridge and the Flamingo, he may aswell be the one bleeding Astral into our world. This would also explain why the Board allegedly let the Nail get corrupted by the Hiss (it is stated that the broken nail is simply cannot be taken over as it’s broken) - to prevent it from getting taken over by the Former. Note this - Jukebox, Fridge, Flamingo and, supposedly, Surfboard were never corrupted by the Hiss (Camera is an oddball for this theory, though). Additional speculated connection is the The Former’s powers - he teleports Id’s like Jukebox does, Jesse is basically all “I’m good Director, I need no Board” after meeting the Former (Surfboard confidence).
As a related speculation - Fondue Fountain is an aggressive AI by default, which, if you take a closer look - is not true for all other AI’s. That hammer that causes rapid deterioration? Even that doesn’t kill by itself, you die of some paranatural AIDS basically. However, the Fridge? Oh, it kills allright...
Anyhow - the Former is a being that existed in the Astral plane and now it inhabits the FBC’s basement, thanks to the Astral bleed caused by damage to the Nail. A scary though, considering it tried killing you. Twice.
fudge man im loving this game every moment i read, watch. and play. my mind is blown
man, your video's are all amazes me everytime..... especially all the videos about CONTROL. & thank you for sharing about this unknown knowledge to us... waiting for more of your videos'
You got it! I'm glad I can give something back to the community and keep the excitement alive while we wait for AWE!
It's simply amazing how I keep discovering more and more secrets of this game, amazing videos
There is so much information in this game that I don't know if we will ever discover all its secrets.
Out of curiosity, I looked up the name meaning for Chester; it has old English and Latin roots meaning "camp of soldiers". Adding in the last name it's not a stretch to translate Chester's full name to "Blessed Camp of Soldiers". Could this be a reference to the Board itself, with Chester Bless acting as a sort of go-between for or even an actual member of the Board? Is the Board this "blessed camp of soldiers"? What is the enemy these "soldiers" are engaged against? Perhaps the Hiss. Or perhaps the Hiss are merely agents for another entity that we do not know about. Or maybe Chester represents a group diametrically opposed to the Board and the "blessed camp of soldiers" are opposed to them. This is mostly speculation, but it offers food for thought.
Fascinating stuff. I remember when I saw the investigation order in the Formation thinking this was likely going to be a future plot thread, though I didn't make the connection to Chester Bless. One of the Tokui case files mentions that the Bureau is aware of 'altered organisations' so my interpretation initially was there might be rival agencies or perhaps criminal organisations with links to the paranatural. It's looking like this guy might be a lot more important than that! Anyway assuming it is followed through in AWE it's awesome to have this kind of foreshadowing hidden in the lore
They have hinted that the weapon the director uses might have been. Excalibur. Mjølner.
So the knights of the round table might be a organization to.
Considering they briefly mentioned it in the main campaign and then doubled down on it in Foundation, it feels like they are building up to something big!
@@GamingUniversityUoG heaps of possibilities! I guess we will find out soon enough. Props to the Control subreddit as well, lot of good discussions there
@@OopsieBoopsies Indeed, the service weapon is not just those physical weapons, but the entire concept as well - the enchanted weapon that only the chosen can wield. Stands to reason other parts of the legend have a basis in reality as well.
@@mjolnir112 agreed.
I'd like to see an update to this with the new info added with the AWE dlc.
Great job putting these together btw.
I have some mild updates in the Board and Other videos on the channel. Not focused on them but the Blessed Organization is mentioned
I found an interesting connection between the CHESTER cathedral devoted to BLESSED Mary and Lady Godiva (the name means gift of God. Just like ZANE). Peeping TOM and the poet Alfred TENNYSON are related to Lady Godiva. Coincidence?
An update. Lady Godiva apparently was the mother of the hero Hereward the WAKE. Many dots come together.
It's my theory but I think Chester Bless will be somehow connected to Polaris. Because the Chester Cathedral in the UK is dedicated to Blessed Mary (Aka stella maris/Polaris)
Wow zero dislikes and over 800 likes, That’s how you know the video was really good
No jinxing it lol. Thank you! This one was a lot of fun to make. Made me feel like a conspiracy theorist haha.
@@GamingUniversityUoG lol I could tell, it definitely made me go in a bit of a binge watch
🤯 I remember reading the collectible about Chester Bless but I didn’t realize there was so much more behind it. I want to be as smart as you when I grow up 😁
Haha I wish I could take credit but this one goes out to the control reddit community. I had no clue before I came across the work into this topic they already did.
I was just as gobsmacked as you.
Gaming University I have to learn that every document and media collectible has more to it than meets the eye. Even the book club ones lol
The book club is something I need to give more focus to at some point soon. But yes everything is relevant. Even one of the dead letters references Thomas Zane and Cauldron lake tangentially.
Hows this for a theory, is Chester Bless The Former? Perhaps he was creating OoP without the boards permission as an act of rebellion or as retaliation for his firing?
After having thought about it, ive decided Chester Bliss is either The Former, Or The Former working through Dr. Ash. Id have to go through the dlc documentation again, but i think the timing might line up to when he left the foundation after having spent a lot time with the former through the mini nail (what im calling the thumbtack.)
Thumbtack. I like that! lol. For the chester Bless Former relationship I am not sure. It seems weird that The Board states they hold the reins/Law of the Blessing but also say the Former is a liar and not to be trusted. It feels like their opinion of the Former is different than the opinion of Bless.
@@GamingUniversityUoG But that would assume that "the blessing" and Bless are the same thing. "The blessing" could just be the name for the powers that they give humans and the name Bless would just be a signal word that only the board and the director would understand in context. We know that the former can give powers, and will do so just to screw with the board, he did so when he gave Jessie the second one in The Foundation. I mean, i feel like The Former, through Dr. Ash, being Chester Bless could easily be my "Pepe Silva" but it is fun to think about. Dr. Ash was the son of a director, so if there were to be a genetic component to being one he might have been a candidate allowing him to harness and use the blessings.
Nice video!! I’ve been waiting for this video for two days XD Great work
Haha thanks! Yeah you half called me on the topic in FBC Investigations the other day. Didn't want to spoil it though.
Great video like always. Now I’m even more excited for next DLC.
Same here! I'm hyped so hyped for it right now!
I just watched this video today before paying my second play through (Final Draft) of Alan Wake 2. The second time you visit Parliament Tower, there is a computer with emails from Barry Wheeler, one of which mentions him going on a Blessed Retreat and even mentions Chester by name as the owner of the company. He expresses that he's never been happier while there. Don't know fully what this means but adding more pieces to the puzzle.
Thank you for all that you do, this is amazing
You're very welcome and thank you!
I am kind of wondering if we should do s deep dive into the older games to look for a reference to this Bless character.
I mean the first few minutes of Alan Wake had references to characters in Quantum Break ("waves both Wilder and more Serene", so it is possible Remedy hid some clues about this Chester Bless in the earlier games.)
Gah Remedy is the best, i mean what other game developer makes you wonder if this tiny, barely referenced character that might be super important is referenced in games from over 10 years ago? Bloody brilliant.
What I did for this one was have a friend with the text files from the game scan them to find any reference to Bless.
If we can find the files for the older games we can pull the same trick. If we find anything I'll make sure to let everyone know!
Seriously though I'm still finding new things in these games. Remedy really is incredible.
After watching this and the rest of your vids on the Remedyverse I decided to start a fresh playthrough of Alan Wake and exhaustively search for any hint of Blessed, were both in the official Control discord so Ill tag ya there if I find anything.
If you want me to keep an eye out for anything else lemme know!
Sounds good! I just finished Max Payne 1 and will start up MP 2 soon. I'll do the same.
We'll share notes later!
in the Board hotline entitled Objects of Power, in the start the board says:"Objects of Power are Holders/665 ", in quantum break game, in the parking lot scene, the passcode of the door was also the number "665"!
Thank you for your dedication GU💯
Absolutely!
Something to note, during Jesse's first conversation with The Board, it says it is broadcasting to her the "Other" (which i presume is what the black triangle is- the board is something somewhere else)
Basically you're saying Chester bless is responsible for giving power to OoP? We know The Board can alter and change those powers, so why not? Maybe we're finding out more infos about all the members of the board (2 thus far). Anyway, this game surprises me day after day, but I think the main characters of this game are us. I mean remedy put the community at the center of this work. And this is something I've never seen from a videogame. (Hope the video for AWE dlc will last 1h at least haha)
Either he himself or an organization he represents. And it is unknown whether Bless is simply a Pseudonym in reference to the Blessing the Board mentioned.
There are still a lot of unknown factors but with the information we have that's the best idea I can come up with.
Oh boy an hour! That would be nuts lol.
Holy shit, "The power of the Board" is a pun. It makes total sense now. The whole motivational speak was Chester Bless rubbing it on the FBC's face, gloating about his knowledge of the Astral Plane, the existence of the Board and his ability to create Altered Items.
"Just as I thought I had run out of new secrets to find in Control..."
Boy if I had a dollar for every time I hear those words, I would've been able to play Alan Wake back in the Xbox days. (PC was a good first step but it wasn't enough, they really should put Alan in PS4 or PS5)
At this point of the game I dont think we will ever stop finding new stuff.
What a great video. It was very interesting watching this mystery unfold
This one was a lot of fun to put together. I'm glad you enjoyed!
I'm wondering if any of the details regarding America Overnight producer, Karen Harris, are significant in relation to Chester Bless. For instance, why was she targeted (although it may have been the show that was being targeted rather than her specifically)? And who is the FBC agent she was romantically involved with?
Frankly I don't think she specifically was targeted. She just happened to be the one who touched it. It was stated that she was romantically involved with the host of America Overnight.
Amazing video as always! Can I make a suggestion? A video about the Investigations Sector would be awesome!!! ☺️
I absolutely plan to! Most likely it will be after AWE comes out just to make sure I have the best information to go off of.
But I have considered doing a, "What to expect" video for the Investigation Sector with everything we know about what is there so far.
Gaming University “What to expect” video sounds good, the Investigations Sector seems a great place to explore, I’m so excited for the AWE dlc
On an unrelated note... I thought that Tomassi and the America Overnight host sounded similar. Could it be just be the same voice actor, or could Tomassi have once been the host of America Overnight, until Chester tried to destroy the satellite program with the A.I./OOP Fondue Set...?
I'll have to stop and listen to the two voices side by side again. Honestly on my most recent play through I got the impression that the Doctor who was a guest talking about the bed was the host putting on a fake voice. The timbre of their voice was so similar.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Agreed. My only counter to this idea is that the host was disciplined for breaching employee relationship conduct rules. I suppose Trench could have given Tomassi a second chance, but until Remedy gives a bit more it's all just speculation....
Thanks for the heart, btw.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Although, thinking about it further, isn't it conceivable that the cash strapped FBC, who wouldn't want too many people involved in satellite offshoots (I mean the content and production values of 'Threshold Kids' was shockingly questionable, let alone very subjective as to its application for entertaining a child (no wonder P6 went the way he did!) plus less prying eyes getting involved in a highly classified department) and therefore any guests might well have been 'fake', possibly using actual experiences from agents, and their frequent motel stays, to ferret out real A.I.s from the general public...?
Why have the risk of the good doctor going rogue when your DJ can just put on a silly accent. The magic of radio!
BRILLIANT as usual !!! Thanks for sharing this amazing theory !!! Ready to play the AWE !
Thann you so much! I can't contain my excitement for AWE!
Alan Wake 2 means this video needs an update
Have you considered that The Former seems to hold a lot of similarities to the way you are describing Chester? Maybe his dissent was more than just conceptual and more fondu based....
Stay tuned on this train of thought. I do have more set up about the nature of the Blessed Organization!
Chester’s Bless sounds like Jester’s Bless, the Board might be the Norse pantheon, and the Former might be Loki. So might Chester Bless = The Former = Loki?
After what we learn in AWE that Blessed is a full organization, it is likely Chester is a pseudonym for one of its members. Who that member is, no clue.
@@GamingUniversityUoG any update video on that from the dlc?
I remember the capital B for blessed when America overnight got the fondue set. But I never thought much of it. This is crazy.
It really is! My brain broke a little when I came across this info.
Based on the intel in this segment, specifically bout Bless bein connected to the Board but also effecting objects that the FBC has to round up on behalf of the Board; Id say theres one more piece of this puzzle that can already be solved. From this, Id say that Chester Bless maybe the real identity of the Former.
We'll have to wait and find out. Considering the board seems to be working with Bless but tells us to ignore the Former as a liar in not sure.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I look at that intel provided & it looks like Bless is creating more problems for the Board as the Board oversees the agency in charge of keeping those types of objects from causing trouble in an uncontrollable environment.
I can't wait to find out what the full story is! There is definitely a soap opera going on behind the scenes with all these parties.
@@GamingUniversityUoG More like a thrilling drama. But still good point.
You know, watching this video after playing Alan Wake 2 made me wonder why the number 665 keeps appearing... is there any significance in it, besides being the "Neighbor of the Beast"?
Joke from the writers since max payne 1. I heard some thoughts that 665 is the neighbor before meeting the beast and 667 is the neighbor after
@@GamingUniversityUoG Oh, unfortunately I've never played Max Payne, even though I had many chances through the years since the release of the first game. And since they're remaking both, I decided to wait until then to try'em.
Anyway, maybe there's some significance for the Board calling the hosts of Objects of Power 665? Just like they used the Satan allegory in room 666 for Scratch?
I FUCKING CALLED IT. CHESTER BLESS IS MENTIONED IN ALAN WAKE 2
09:47 In one of the videos Dr Darling tells Emily the password is “Blackrock665” and jokes about it being “the neighbor of the Beast”. I wonder if there’s any connection there?
665 is a number Remedy uses a lot. Max Payne 1 uses it to initiate a decontamination protocol in the d6 facility. In Quantum Break it is the code for the underground parking garage.
My simple theory is it is used intentionally. If holders/665 refers to OoPs then I believe they hold otherworldly energy/blessing. So anyone bound to the OoP is a neighbor to the beast as they are bound to this otherwordly energy.
Go check out the booth located in front of the director's office. It has 665 printed on it as well.
Gaming University ah ok that’s interesting. I haven’t played a Remedy game since Alan Wake so a long time! I need to try Quantum Break.
The board must have read that from Jesse's head after she saw darling's combination film. It's also on the take a number counter outside the directors office.
That's very possible that because Jesse heard Darling refer to it as 665 that they tried to use it. I need to replay and notate where in the story each hotline call was sent. They were likely calling Jesse in reaction to something that was going on in the story.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I was under the impression that 665 has a significance all it's own in control, connections to max payne notwithstanding. The fact that it's the "neighbor of the beast" and terms like "gift from god" are being used... and now knowing the Chester Bless connection... I feel like the number might have been relevant to Darling in relation to paranatural concepts, surely there's some interesting overlap between the paranatural and religious. I'm sure plenty of folks experiencing AWE's think it's the work of God. Much like the board, I'm having trouble explaining what I mean, but I think you see what I'm trying to say.
I would love to see a supplement video for this, now that AWE has been released.
There isn't enough info to make a full video on this but it will be discussed in a video soon that touches upon various little topics.
Hyperreality sounds like eldritch things. Things that tear reality asunder by existing. I wonder if Chester Bless is even a man? Is he breaking the Masquerade?
I doubt he is fully human. More like what the Anderson Brothers or Ahti is. Or maybe someone like Dr. Darling who ascended into another plane of reality. No clue. Interesting to think about though.
Hyperreality just means a dificulty to distinguish between fiction and reality, like for example consumerism, where we atribute value to brands or individuals
@@carso1500 However, eldtritch beings are fictional things, sometimes.
Great video! Thank you for posting this. I hope you post a followup. :) Can you tell me what song you used for the background music? Link?
Absolutely. I fully intend to do a follow up if we get any more information.
Also the music is the opening theme from Quantum Break. The details are in the description.
5:22 That addendum is on an incident that you can find at least one more thing about, I think even a tape. That might be connected to the movie camera, recreating the workplace drama of a movie or tv show.
Was it the one about the dogs chasing the Mail truck?
@@GamingUniversityUoG No, it was more information about the 2 FBC workers who were caught fucking in the office
Keep making great videos!!!
You got it! Thanks
I remember when I was playing and noticed the recurrent usage of the terms Bless and Blessed with a capital B and I was like "waaait a minute!" lol
You're quicker than me lol. I required Reddit to put the pieces together
@@GamingUniversityUoG In fairness though I didn't look into it like you did. Your videos are top tier.
The former was kicked out by the board. Due to disagreements.
Maybe he worked with Blessed.
I can't wait to find out!
@@GamingUniversityUoG same.
Could be
I think the former getting kicked out had something to do with working with Ash. I think the former saved Ash from something and the board were unhappy for getting involved
@@waggishwonderland makes sense.
Just rereading some of the documents in game, for fun y'know, and noticed in the Ordinary AWE documents they mention a Mrs Chester. Wonder if she's a relation to Chester Bless.
Honestly the thought has crossed my mind. My question about the Ordinary AWE is why did the Projector randomly show up NOW? I have a hunch someone put it there intentionally.
@@GamingUniversityUoG I wonder if they can see far enough to know the projector releases the Hiss into the Bureau?
Hi , i have question , in the research sector when you come out of elevator there are two rooms on right hand side ( not the path to hra lab ) , in the second room there is a video projector that show's a video of a room , im really curious about it ? Any idea about it ?
What do you think of the boss from the underground lab in the foundation? And do you think we'll get new powers in AWE?
If I'm thinking of the same one as you I think it is the individual who was trapped in a lost office section when a building shift forced them down into the foundation. I'll have to take a look at it again. I don't remember much from it.
Frankly I have heard a lot of tall about some kind of fire ability which would make sense considering Alan wake is about light vs darkness and fire would be a light source.
@@GamingUniversityUoG it's the boss that has one eye and shoots what looks like a laser beam out of the eye apart from the eye it looks like the hiss warped
Chrono Trigger music at the end? Nice.
Frog's Theme is an absolute must for me. One of my favorite tracks on the OST.
@@GamingUniversityUoG IMHO Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest JRPG games of the century. I've spent 40+ hours playing it and I didn't regret a single moment. I even got it on Steam and PS1.
Ah, so this is one way to make a conspiracy string board! I've always wondered how to do that!
This guy is amazing!! Mind blown!!
My mind is still blown too! I wonder what the writers are building up to.
Bless almost comes off as the Dr. Wondertainment of Control. Only more malicious.
There is definitely a lot of SCP inspiration in this story. I honestly have not dived into the Rabbit hole of SCP at all. For Bless though, I find it hard to label him on the God/Bad spectrum until I know more about his motivations. We have seen the fingerprints of his actions but his goal is still a mystery.
It’s funny you say that because when I first read about Blessed Productions (or whatever the film company was called) it reminded me of M,C, and D the scp dealers
@@gnarcissist7669 its similar yes, but they also have that religious intention like the horizon initiative
I just want a Prometheus laboratories equivalent that creates crazy weapons that we can use in some game
one thing I thought about. What exactly happens to an item when jesse cleanses it? Is she essentially destroying the item? Wasn't the bureau researching that item??
After she cleanses the objects they reappear in the panopticon. If you keep heading back during the Langstons Runaways quest you'll see the empty cells start to populate.
@@GamingUniversityUoG ah, so she's arresting them. She's some sort of police officer. I understand
I think this all goes around the fact that we know nothing about the board and we asume they are the "good side", SPOILER: the foundation show us that there is some kind of conflict between the board and the former and if the board is related to the "blessed" then i think we are about to find out that we are working for the bad guys :P
I fully believe that The Board will be the ultimate villain during this Grand Arc of this story. Or at the very least an enemy along the way. They are ultimately self serving. We just don't know what their motivation is currently. They just want to retain influence and Control over the Oldest House and FBC
@@GamingUniversityUoG is the board even in control of the oldest house, or are they separate entities
Dr Wondertainment is at it again.
Speaking in SCP terms bless would seemingly be a combination of Marshall, Carter and dark and the factory.
I wonder if Chester is actually the Former (or a puppet of).
Seems to be antagonistic.
Also in choosing the song “song for the others” he comes across as a contemporary (equal) of the others (the board) as the former once was
So this could all be a physical manifestation of their astral civil war
Based upon what the game set up in AWE I get the feeling Control 2 will focus on this conflict. Hopefully we will get more information at that time.
I’m hoping you update this after AWE 2 dlc!
I'll definitely have a AWE video talking about what all we learned. There isn't enough here with Bless for a full video but it will be part of another one.
Gaming University I can’t wait!!
Hm that makes me wonder if the letter in dead letters is connected. The one about building god
There are a few of those dead letters that I feel may relate to legitimate events. I'll have to dive into them at some point.
Did you guys find the tape after the first encounter with the third thing about the camera, or the film reviewer ?
I believe so yes. It was the one with Brian being interrogated right? I'll have to listen to it again.
When do you think AWE will release?
According to everything out of Remedy it is supposed to drop mid 2020. So within a few months hopefully.
Chester Bless reminds me of Dr Wondertainment from the SCP Foundation, only more sinister.
I wouldn't be surprised if he was the inspiration.
So Chester Bless is the FBC equivalent of the SPC’s ‘Are we cool yet?’ ?
665, the neighbor of the Beast.
665 this series everywhere.
Could you please do these analysis with recent expansions already out?
I have a few on the foundation and AWE. But those are topics unrelated to this. I believe this one included information from Foundation. I do plan to do a sequel to this which takes it in a new direction and includes AWE information.
@@GamingUniversityUoG Thanks mate! You're awesome and I'm grateful for this channel, since it has been very helpful because I've seen Sam Lake's writing style very interesting and also as a way similar of my writing style and a source of inspiration.
did chester become the former? was he originally the former and escaped the astral realm, roaming around in a new body as a self-help guru?
Whats up with that director with no death date? All the other directors have death dates but not that director. I cant remember his name but it was something like strom or something.
I'll have to look into it. Where did you see these dates?
@@GamingUniversityUoG thats the difficult part, its an exchange of dialogue that jesse has with Simon Arish (if i remember correctly)and I think the director with no death date is Broderick Northmoor. While double checking ran across the name.
Oh dug a little deeper definitely him, hes the director before trench but he went mad with power and agreed to be contained in the maintenance sector. Thats the gist of it but there was a lot more, damn this game is deep with lore.
@@Rastrio01 oh gotcha. Yeah Northmoor isn't dead. He is still currently contained in the NSC (Northmoor Sarcophagus Chamber). His excess energy powers the Oldest House. During the main campaign the Hiss almost cause him to break out. That's the main mission where Jesse has to fix the coolant pumps and energy converters. Ahti talks about the, "Pensioner inside"
@@GamingUniversityUoG Oh wow! This game is amazing with details, I dont think I even heard mention of him until Foundation DLC. Thanks for that!
I never heard of this before holy shit.
It's crazy right?! When I came across this info I was going nuts.
I wonder if God mentioned in America Tonight is the same god who works through machines (or objects) mentioned in Dead Letters. Additionally, 665 is mentioned as the neighbor of the beast, and the board is called the devil in the tree, so are oops created or overtaken by the board meant to be used to spread their influence or something else entirely? Now I know how Emily feels
I've wondered if this Blessed organization is the equivalent of Marshall Carter and Dark ltd in the scp universe. People making and selling altered/anomalous items to cuase chaos for some unknown reason.
How did you get that outfit?
The one I've been wearing is the gear you get after cleaning tier three of exhibitions.