By Nickolas Brooks
(SPOILER WARNING! Do not read this review if you are interested in playing this game for yourself!)
Control is an action-adventure mystery game developed by Remedy Entertainment Oyj, a Finnish studio that is best known for developing the first two Max Payne games for Rockstar, Alan Wake and Quantum Break. It was published by 505 Games, who have published games such as Terraria, PAYDAY 2, Sniper Elite 3, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and the PC version of Death Stranding. The game was released on Aug. 27, 2019 and went on to win numerous awards, including Best Art Direction in the 2019 Game Awards and having several Game of the Year nominations.
The premise
The plot is as simple as it can be. It is about a woman named Jesse Faden (voiced by Courtney Hope, who also voices Beth Wilder in Quantum Break), trying to find her kidnapped brother, Dylan. She does so by going to the Federal Bureau of Control building to find out anything that can lead her to him. While being appointed as the new director of the FBC, the building is put on lockdown due to an entity called “The Hiss”, possessing anybody in the place for an unknown reason.
The gameplay
The gameplay for Control is quite breathtaking, in my opinion. So much happens when Jesse is using the pistol she is equipped with, along with her psychic powers when she throws objects at enemies. The structures and atmosphere fits well within its gameplay too, although at times, it can feel like a bit of a maze when I need to go from point A to point B.
The story
I’m having a hard time trying to figure out the story exactly. The main plot is Jesse trying to find her brother, but I completely forgot about it due to other characters being introduced, the missions I have to go through and the gameplay. If the plot was mainly about someone who wants to uncover the mysteries about the Hiss possessing people in the FBC, then it would make more sense.
The conclusion
I’m going to give Control a 6.5/10. While its gameplay, voice acting, atmosphere, visuals and level designs are impressive, the story falls very flat and gets sidetracked quite a bit, almost making me forget about why Jesse is trying to find her missing brother. Control is currently available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One/Series X.
