Control | PS4 Review

Welcome to The Oldest House. A building of unknowable shape and terrifying design. Laden with foreboding, and featuring a new mystery around every corner. Jesse Faden knows nothing about this place when Control begins, but as she memorizes the labyrinth before her, so too will you. Taking on the role of Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, you’ll use the fabled Service Weapon to clear out the infestation of Hiss. Be sure to watch out for those Altered Items and Objects of Power, too.

Down the Rabbit Hole

If a lot of that sounds like nonsense to you, it’s by design. Control opens up a can of mysteries right at the beginning, leaving the player slightly confused but incredibly intrigued. There’s a wild sense of imagination and creativity on display in the setting. Have no fear, however, as the answers actually come along pretty early, and nearly all is revealed. It’s refreshing to see the “mystery box” concept have real answers in a story.

A Mystery to Solve

Jesse is a fun protagonist in that she’s often as confused as we are. The game frequently cuts away to her thoughts during conversations and cutscenes, which proves to be a competent and unique way of letting us see inside our character’s head. This kind of narration is typically reserved for novels, after all. There are a handful of other characters, each proving to be interesting in their own right as you learn more. One notable exception is a character who is the vessel for The Hiss (the evil force invading The Oldest House), who is built up to be demonstrably important, but fizzles out with less than 5-10 minutes of screen time.

You may be familiar with Remedy’s past work of stylish action shooters. While the studio’s DNA is readily apparent in story and gunplay, the actual structure is quite a bit different. Gone is the linearity of their past games; Control is a 3D Metroidvania, and it is refreshing. You truly become one with The Oldest House as you take your new abilities and keycards to old areas. Where once there was an endless pit separating you from where you needed to go, now you could just levitate over the gap.

There’s Power in Control

Levitation speaks to what makes combat in Control feel fun and fresh. The Service Weapon is your only gun in the game, though it can take different forms which will equate to a shotgun or assault rifle. That’s not your only line of offense, however. Early on, as Jesse binds herself to so-called Objects of Power, she gains new abilities. Launch is basically telekinesis, and it’s a whole lot of fun hurling objects at enemies throughout the game. Other abilities such as mind control and a shield come into play, as well.

The combat really comes into its own once you have all these powers at your disposal. Floating in the air as you fire your weapon at an enemy, only to spin around and hurl a forklift at another, is a type of fun that rarely got old. There is some frustration in that combat arenas are loaded with explosives that may accidentally kill you, but these situations are relatively infrequent.

A Flair for the Dramatic

Combat is also gorgeous to look at in Control. There are so many stylish visual flairs from the way enemies look, to the trail your telekinesis leaves behind. The sound design also weaves into everything, making combat a cacophony of kinesthetic delight. It can be a little slow and dull at the beginning of the game, but the feeling moves aside for pure delight a few hours in.

You’re not alone in The Oldest House, and other employees of the Federal Bureau of Control have a few tasks for Jesse Faden. These side missions are where Control best comes to life. Short stories fill in this weird, supernatural world and are mesmerizing every time. How could anyone forget a fridge that no one can take eyes off of, lest it become a machine of death? Or how about the 1950’s hand chair that has its own gravitational pull? These are just a couple of examples of this strange universe Remedy has built.

There are some undeniable issues with the game. Framerate often takes a heavy hit during combat, and the game even locked up on me once. I had one cutscene not load at all, and autosave me right afterwards, leaving me to guess at what happened. These technical issues are more than worth putting up with, however. They’re few and far between, and you’ll be so enraptured with the combat and story you’ll be hard-pressed to care about the tech issues.

Brave and Bold

Control is a brave game in the modern world of AAA game design. Yes, it does have the requisite (and wholly unnecessary) “loot” upgrade systems of most modern games. And while it does have a skill-tree, it’s one that’s actually useful and interesting. But brave the game still is. It isn’t open-world, it manages a comfortable length of about 20 hours, and it takes chances with its setting and story.

This is the kind of game I hope for at this budget level. Remedy’s indie sensibilities are on display in every facet of the title. Remedy has never made a bad game, and with Control this holds true. It may sound a bit silly, but this is a gamer’s game, and you owe it to yourself to play it as soon as possible.

Listen to Episode 259 of The Gaming Outsider to hear even more in-depth discussion on the game.

 

This review is based on the PS4 version of Control. Copy of the game provided by 505 Games for the purpose of coverage. The game is also available on Xbox One and PC.