Control Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Remedy Entertainment
Released 27th August 2019
I have a confession to make: I'm not the biggest fan of Remedy's games. So when I was recommended to play Control, I had many doubts about this title but I still gave it a try. Did I enjoy it? Mostly, yes. However, I still have my reserves about Remedy and their projects which simply don't entice me as much. Though, the reason I actually like this game compared to their other flagship titles like Alan Wake or Quantum Break is that maybe due to the fact that the team designed this game in a Metroidvania manner, letting the player experience the narrative elements at their own pace. Maybe it's because they used more efficient development strategies to keep costs and time low after splitting away from Microsoft. Or maybe it's because the plot is genuinely interesting as they commit to a cheap copy of the SCP formula.
Story
The story the game presents is bizarre, to say the least. You play as Jesse Faden, someone who has been hunting the location of the supernatural investigators of the FBC, Federal Bureau of Control. Upon stumbling into the area, things hit off on a weird note as you are suddenly promoted to be the Bureau's director and are tasked with defeating the Hiss, a supernatural entity. Other than that, the narrative is an incredible oddball that's hard to comprehend at times and due to that, the game creates its own charm with it. As I progressed I found myself awing at the letters and recordings to be found as collectables and plot points of side quests, as they made me feel like I was opening my third eye when observing the lore and exploring this well-thought-out world. The game, however, made me lose this sense of attraction towards the final quarter as not much kept me to be constantly intrigued by the world like before.
Gameplay
The gameplay is fun but flawed. The massive arsenal of psychic abilities you get persuaded me to complete side quests to unlock and upgrade them. From hurling tables at enemies to blocking shots with your debris shield, or even temporarily mind-controlling an enemy to fight by your side, these are all such fun to experience and designed fantastically well as I would be using every single ability throughout the mayhem and destruction I have caused.
Your other approach to combat is your weapon forms. The Service Weapon you gain access to almost immediately in the game delivers different modes you can switch between in combat. This recharging weapon can fire like a charged sniper, a rapid SMG and more. While using the gun, it felt like I was shooting sponges, compared to the heavy feel of debris-chucking, however, I liked the company of having an alternative for when my energy needed to recharge from the flying and dashing. The choices for the weapon forms felt generic and not at all unique as you would expect from an Object of Power, which is a literal object that is the source of certain supernatural dealing.
The other form of variety in gameplay are perks you can equip on your weapon forms or yourself which didn't offer incredible new abilities to weapons or anything but instead just stat bonuses which is a shame to see, again. The enemies you come across don't vary much either. You'll be introduced to the whole, small cast of throwable punching bags by the halfway point and unfortunately, they cause a repetitive loop later in the game, the only difference being that they're more plentiful and tougher.
Bossfights
The boss fights are not at all intriguing. The build-up and set-up they have in the story piqued my interest each time. A lead member took over by the Hiss, that must look and play really fun, right? Apparently not in this game. The bosses were just jacked-up enemies that you've either fought already or were up and coming to your hitlist. While this applies to the campaign bosses, the sidequest bosses are the opposite. Each boss I came across while fetching some extra skill points was great and unique from the monumental Former to the copycat esseJ, however, each fight would drag on a bit too long, making the impact of my bullets feel even more pointless.
Characters
The characters were quite bland for me. While Jesse's internal monologues and secretive struggles prevailed personality-wise, no other character hit that same peak. Emily Pope was an intriguing informative on my side, Casper Darling was an almost comical, yet eerie mystery and Helen Marshall was a half-interesting, half-generic tough soldier. Everyone else suffered from either not being memorable enough or having dialogue linger on too much.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere is impeccable. The tone of tension and mystery enshrouds this game very nicely while serving up amazing imagery of concrete walls shifting or humans being taken over by the Hiss, floating like balloons. The aggressive sound effects complement what the gameplay attempts and the soundtrack of this game is intense yet worrying (in a good way) in the form of paranormal and supernatural impact. The technical performance, however, flops. The game would freeze or drop in frames multiple times, especially during the pausing and unpausing of the game and it would even crash once or twice before you complete the 10-hour narrative. Overall, the atmosphere it delivers is a creative masterpiece but with technical trouble.
Story- 7.5/10
Gameplay- 8/10
Bossfights- 6.5/10
Characters- 6.5/10
Atmosphere- 8/10
Good
Whether you're someone like me who doesn't find much worth in Remedy's experiments, or you're someone who worships their games, Control is, without a doubt, an enjoyable experience that hopefully marks the studio's continual increase in quality.
