A multi-link engine comprising: an engine block body including a cylinder block having at least one cylinder; a crankshaft including a crank pin; a piston operatively coupled to the crankshaft to reciprocally move inside the cylinder of the engine; a control shaft rotatably supported on the engine block body; an upper link rotatably connected to the piston by a piston pin; a lower link rotatably connected to the crank pin of the crankshaft and rotatably connected to the upper link by an upper link pin; and a control link rotatably connected at one end to the lower link by a control link pin and rotatably connected at another end to the control shaft; wherein the control shaft is positioned lower than a crank journal of the crankshaft and disposed on a first side of a plane that is parallel to the center axis of the cylinder and that contains a center rotational axis of the crank journal, while the center axis of the cylinder is located on a second side of the plane with the first side of the plane being opposite from the second side of the plane, and being characterized in that said control shaft is supported on the engine block body by a control shaft support cap that is fastened to the engine block body by at least one bolt, the control shaft support cap and the engine block body having mating contact surfaces that intersect perpendicularly with the center axis of the cylinder; and the control link has a center axis that is parallel to the center axis of the cylinder and perpendicular to the mating contact surfaces of the control support cap and the engine block body while the piston is at top dead center and while the piston is at bottom dead center. an engine block body including a cylinder block having at least one cylinder; a crankshaft including a crank pin; a piston operatively coupled to the crankshaft to reciprocally move inside the cylinder of the engine; a control shaft rotatably supported on the engine block body; an upper link rotatably connected to the piston by a piston pin; a lower link rotatably connected to the crank pin of the crankshaft and rotatably connected to the upper link by an upper link pin; and a control link rotatably connected at one end to the lower link by a control link pin and rotatably connected at another end to the control shaft; wherein the control shaft is positioned lower than a crank journal of the crankshaft and disposed on a first side of a plane that is parallel to the center axis of the cylinder and that contains a center rotational axis of the crank journal, while the center axis of the cylinder is located on a second side of the plane with the first side of the plane being opposite from the second side of the plane, and being characterized in that said control shaft is supported on the engine block body by a control shaft support cap that is fastened to the engine block body by at least one bolt, the control shaft support cap and the engine block body having mating contact surfaces that intersect perpendicularly with the center axis of the cylinder; and the control link has a center axis that is parallel to the center axis of the cylinder and perpendicular to the mating contact surfaces of the control support cap and the engine block body while the piston is at top dead center and while the piston is at bottom dead center.