Control Game Review -by: hitchcock7034

Control by: Remedy Games

A few years ago Remedy Games released Quantum Break, an ambitious attempt to merge television with gaming. While the concept of merging a game and a TV show may have sounded interesting in theory, it ultimately fell apart in the final release. Control feels like the developers studied what went wrong in Quantum Break and tried to learn from their mistakes.

Photo By: @16bit.ninja

Control is not an easy game to describe...    

    It seems to belong to the genre of science fiction, though its subject matter goes beyond many science fiction stories. Its peculiar and sometimes abstract plot is filled with bizarre encounters and occurrences that are often left unexplained. Even its main character finds a lot of it confusing. We’re dealing with scientific phenomena, but of a nature that goes beyond any regular understanding of science. I’m almost tempted to compare it to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, insofar as it revolves around the idea that there are things in our universe beyond our ability to comprehend.

    The player character is Jesse Faden, a young woman who 

has been on the run and searching for her younger brother Dylan since a very bizarre incident with a slide projector in her home town. When her search leads her to a New York building known only as “The Oldest House” she discovers a whole new world. Turns out the Oldest House is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control, a top-secret branch of the U.S. government designed to investigate phenomena that defy conventional science- including weird occurrences related to other dimensions and so-called “objects of power” that offer superpowers. Shortly after arriving, Jesse finds the Bureau’s director dead and herself taking his place. Jesse gradually learns the Buerau has been infested by a mysterious entity known only as “The Hiss” (though exactly who or what they are is never made clear), and finds herself faced with trying to control the invasion while also pursuing answers about her past. Along the way she meets various allies, and some strange enemies.

    It feels difficult to slide Control into any one style of gaming. Certainly we can see the influence of previous titles. One can draw comparisons to Half-Life (1998). The whole concept of the Oldest House  as a top-secret research facility based on studying extra-dimensional phenomena that is invaded by something from another dimension calls to mind the Black Mesa Research Laboratory (albeit now with significantly less OSHA violations, though some are still notable). There is even the concept of “resonance” playing into the game’s dimensional physics (reminiscent of the “Resonance Cascade” that sets the Half-Life games into motion). Furthermore, one of the first powers the player gets is Telekinesis, an ability that works a lot like Half-Life 2’s gravity gun (as well as similar mechanics in Bioshock, Prey, and Dishonored).

The plot begins...

    Jesse arrives after a disaster has already happened, and gradually learns the Bureau’s history through materials obtained around the building. These include documents, tape recordings, mysterious phone calls from the supposedly dead director, and video presentations from chief scientist Dr. Casper Darling (played in live action Matthew Porretta), not entirely unlike the various recordings found throughout Rapture.

However, the developers do seem to have fun with the various collectibles Jesse can obtain. For instance, in addition to Darling’s videos and documents, there is also the in-universe series “Threshold Kids.” Ostensibly, this is a children’s show (also filmed in live action) designed to teach kids staying at the Bureau about the strange occurrences they might experience—a function deliberately undermined by its unsettling puppets and weird scripting choices. Like one where a puppet skeleton with a doll’s face attached to its head routinely yells at a child puppet while trying to teach her about different types of brains. These odd details seem to suggest the developers had fun coming up with stuff for the player to find. We can even see this reflected in the various everyday objects that also contain powers- a 1960’s-style telephone, a television, a refrigerator, and an x-ray machine, to name several.

    The gameplay of Control is a mix of various styles. It incorporates aspects of shooters, puzzle-solving, platforming, parkour, and an open range of options for accomplishing objectives. There are also some RPG elements in the form of the player being able to upgrade Jesse, her weapon, or her powers to make her stronger, as well as optional side quests that provide more insight into the game’s lore.

Photo by: @dungend_photography

The characters are compelling...

    My personal favorite, outside of Jesse herself, was Emily Pope- a brilliant and extremely nerdy researcher. Dr. Darling, despite not actually appearing in-game (only showing up in live-action footage) does a pretty good job of explaining the various concepts that appear throughout.

But of course...

what really stands out are the various enemies encountered during the game. Most of the opposition comes in the form of infected humans who are controlled by various enigmatic figures. The Hiss itself is an abstract entity- we never really know who or what it is, what it wants, or why it is taking over the Oldest House. This is actually quite fitting as it makes it feel like something truly alien, something beyond our ability to completely understand. Some of the side quests also lead Jesse to confronting other weird alien creatures and bizarre occurrences.

 

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-hitchcock Instagram: @hitchcock7034