Released in 2019, Control is a third-person action video game. The game was developed by Remedy Entertainment and stars Courtney Hope as the voice and character model of protagonist Jesse Faden. The game begins with Jesse entering the Oldest House, which is the headquarters of a mysterious organization known as the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). Not much is known about Jesse, except for the fact that ever since an incident from her childhood, she has been psychically linked to an entity known as Polaris; it is Polaris that brings Jesse to the Oldest House. Sensing that her long-lost brother, Dylan, is inside the Oldest House, Jesse searches for him in the seemingly infinite FBC headquarters. She quickly learns, however, that the Oldest House and many of its inhabitants have been possessed by The Hiss, a supernatural energy force that is responsible for the deaths of numerous FBC workers, including the Director. As the new Director, it is up to Jesse to rid the Oldest House of The Hiss.
One of the first aspects of this game players will notice is its breathtaking graphics and almost psychedelic presentation. Remedy Entertainment is known for developing visually stunning games, and Control is no exception. Regardless of whether you’re playing on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC, the game is bound to look amazing, and I found myself using photo mode more often than usual. While Control’s sleek design is mostly due to modern gaming technology, the game’s realistic setting also contributes to its appearance. Apart from being overrun with enemies, many sections of the Oldest House look like any other office building. In addition, many of the game’s cutscenes and other scripted events are presented in a cinematic, often trippy fashion. The part that I feel best illustrates the game’s surreal presentation occurs towards the end of the game and consists of Jesse navigating a location known as the Ashtray Maze. As Jesse reaches the end of a hallway, or top of a ceiling, the maze’s corridors will shift, revealing yet another hallway or room. The dizzying way in which the corridors shift transforms what would otherwise be a tedious section into an entertaining one, and the inclusion of enemies adds variety to the gameplay. Also worth mentioning is the fact that a badass song plays throughout this entire section. Words don’t even begin to describe just how awesome this scene is, which is probably a good thing since this game is definitely worth experiencing for yourself.
An interesting feature of the game is the fact that it takes place entirely in one setting. It is, however, easy to forget that you’ve been in the same building for hours due to how large and diverse the Oldest House is. From maintenance to research, the building has several different sectors, and it’s ridiculously easy to get lost in the Oldest House’s labyrinthine design. Luckily, the game implements a fast-travel system, which is extremely convenient, especially later in the game when Jesse has access to more sectors. Players shouldn’t over rely on this feature though, because exploration is essential to making the most out of Control. Later in the game, players will gain access to rooms or other locations they previously couldn’t enter. Inside these locations are various collectibles, and even optional bosses that, when defeated, yield materials or Ability Points, which can be used to upgrade Jesse and her weapons. Finding a hidden location will award players with experience points as well; most of these can only be accessed after obtaining the Levitate ability. Control: Ultimate Edition even gives players access to even more locations, offering even more hours of gameplay and exploration.
Another aspect of the game I enjoyed was its strong female protagonist. Being linked to Polaris obviously makes Jesse powerful, as she possesses abilities that no other character in the game has. This isn’t to say she’s overpowered, though, as she cannot obtain an ability without first completing an Astral Plane challenge. While these challenges are quite simple and serve as tutorials for the player, it’s still inspiring and realistic to see a female character, or any character for that matter, overcome a challenge and grow stronger as a result. Jesse is not invincible, either, as she can die, and rather easily at that. The game’s punishing difficulty system really threw me off guard at first and took some getting used to. My first real challenge occurred at the beginning of the game, where I was faced with several enemies, including the first mini boss. This was a real wake-up call for me, as prior to this moment I had only dealt with two to three enemies at once, and in wide open areas. In this section, however, the area was much more confined, and the enemies were much stronger. It took me several tries before I was able to defeat each enemy, and as frustrating as this was at first, I was glad it happened so early in the game because I learned not to let my guard down.
Players who want less of a challenge will be thrilled to know that the game comes with an assisted mode that can be accessed at any time in the options menu. One of the features of assisted mode is invincibility, which makes Jesse unable to be killed by enemies. She can, however, take damage, and she will die if she falls into an out of bounds area in the game map. I had to resort to using this feature a few times in the game during a couple particularly challenging bosses. Perhaps the best part about this feature, aside from the obvious, is that it can be enabled and disabled at any time. The only downside is that the game never once tells players that this feature exists. In addition, the assisted mode menu is located towards the bottom of the options menu, meaning players basically have to scroll all the way to the bottom to access it. I wouldn’t have known about this feature if I hadn’t referred to a discussion board on how to defeat the boss in chapter 5, and being aware of this feature before this fight would’ve really helped. Regardless, I think more games should make use of this feature, especially since so many people don’t play video games because they think they’re too hard, or that they’d be bad at them. More games having an invincibility feature would expose a lot more people to gaming, as well as make games less stressful for longtime gamers.
Another feature I really enjoyed about Control was its diverse combat system. You can eliminate enemies with the Service Weapon, which is acquired at the beginning of the game and is actually various weapons in one. Players can alternate between weapon types at any time, and each type has its perks and flaws. Jesse can also punch enemies (Melee), launch multiple objects like a Jedi master (Launch), and protect herself from enemy fire by using objects in her environment as a shield (Shield). I found myself using the Launch ability the most often, because I found this much more satisfying than firing a gun. Besides, this was the first time I encountered an ability such as this in a video game, so I wanted to make the most of it. Some abilities Jesse acquires later on include Levitate, which isn’t very useful in combat but can be used to find hidden locations, and Seize, which can be used to control enemies. Seized enemies will not attack Jesse and will instead attack other enemies, which is useful in situations in which Jesse is outnumbered. All of these abilities can be upgraded at Control Points, which are this game’s version of save points. Many of these abilities use up energy, and it’s easy to use up all your energy, especially if you use these abilities as liberally as I did. Luckily, Jesse’s energy, as well as her health, can be upgraded. I’d recommend upgrading Jesse’s health early on in the game because many enemies can kill the player in two hits if their health isn’t upgraded. Many combat-based abilities can even be upgraded to unlock new abilities. For instance, Levitate, when upgraded to level 2, will unlock an ability that allows Jesse to ground pound enemies below her. The endless ways in which players can eliminate enemies keeps the combat from getting repetitive, and the wide enemy variety ensures that each encounter is a fresh one.
Another thing that surprised me is how much content Control offers. In addition to playing through the main story, players can also complete various side quests and other missions. Completing side missions rewards players with Ability Points, and players can accept missions called Board Countermeasures, which are missions that require players to meet a specific requirement. Most of these involve killing a certain number of enemies with a specific type of weapon, usually in a singular area in the Oldest House. Timed missions known as Bureau Alerts pop up randomly at various points throughout the game, and offer more variety and rewards than Board Countermeasures. A Bureau Alert mission usually consists of clearing out a certain area of The Hiss or protecting FBC workers from dying in combat. If Jesse dies during one of these missions, the player will fail the mission and will have to wait until the next one appears. Some side missions will even take players to areas they otherwise wouldn’t explore in the main story, so playing the bonus content is a must if you want to make the most out of this game.
Overall, Control is a visually stunning game with plenty to offer. Its psychedelic presentation is a sight to behold, and its innovative combat system ensures that players will never be bored. In addition, the game offers hours of bonus content from its DLC to side missions. Its strong female protagonist is refreshing to see, and its assisted mode features, particularly the invincibility ability, makes the game accessible for more casual gamers. Control is available to play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC.
—Brittany Crosse, Blog Editor
Brittany Crosse’s Bio:
Brittany Crosse is a senior at Lewis University who has previously attended Moraine Valley Community College. She is majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, and hopes to one day make a career out of writing short stories, which has been a goal of hers ever since she was little. In addition to writing, she also plans to teach fiction writing at the university level. Her interests outside of writing include TV shows, anime, music, video games, and books, her favorite authors being Neal Shusterman, Stephen King, and Haruki Murakami. Brittany spends most of her time with her dog Cordelia, a.k.a. “Cordy.”