If you have ever taken Acid, Control will be a familiar experience, it will also be familiar if you're a fan of Metroidvania styled games; now, I do not recommend playing this game on acid, unless you have a spotter handy. It's a hell of a trip though. Control takes place in The Oldest House, a large skyscraper in New York that is the apex of otherworldly experiences, you take control of Jesse Faden our newest and most badass female action hero yet, who has just become the new director of The Federal Bureau of Control. You become the director after the previous one blew his damn brains all over the place, so naturally you pick up his brain drenched pistol, and after taking possession of The Service Weapon, Jesse begins to uncover the mysteries that push you as the player to dig deeper and uncover exactly what the fuck is going on in a game, that is best described as Metroid meets Quantum Break, as designed by Pink Floyd.
If you are familiar with Remedy's previous games like Max Payne 1 & 2, Alan Wake or the aforementioned Quantum Break, Control will seem familiar, but the story while integral, and expertly crafted, takes a back seat to player exploration, puzzle-solving and extremely frenetic and intense combat. If you thought that Alan Wake and Quantum Break were too heavy on story, this will bring you back to the glory days of the first two Max Payne games. The story is what drives you to explore The Oldest House, and it is one of Remedy's best and most intriguing plot lines, but, that is due to the way the story is doled out. You will not be watching endless cutscenes, you will spend most of your time engaged in frantic gun battles, solving simple but fascinating puzzles and in general, experiencing the wonderfully crafted world at your doorstep.
Like all of Remedy's games, the writing is top-notch, and the mix of paranormal meets noir just butters my biscuit, while tickling my asshole in the most pleasant way possible. In many ways, I kept thinking Sin City had a baby with Alan Wake, and Pink Floyd provided the lubricant. Jesse is a wonderful lead and definitely my new favorite heroine, the performance by Courtney Hope is what sells the entire story, the fact that she can make some pretty out there dialogue sound compelling and natural, while making her character easy to root for and effortlessly charming, is something that you really only see in a Remedy game. The cast of characters she interacts with are just as likable or threatening depending on the situation, and of course, the entire game, down to the notes and hidden logs you find are exquisitely well written, then again, do you expect anything less from Remedy? Who I swear paid me nothing for this review, although, I would take a custom Jesse Action Figure as payment, pretty please Remedy.
When it comes to kicking ass, Jesse puts the boot in ass-kickery. You will start out with only your trusty Service Weapon, which has infinite ammo, it just takes a few seconds to recharge once you have blown your load, and blowing your load feels as good, as well, blowing your load. But, it's not too long before you gain telekinetic powers and can throw large, heavy objects at anything that looks at you funny. Before you're even halfway through, you will gain a shield ability and my personal favorite possession, where you can turn wounded enemies to your side to fuck up the other side, the last ability you unlock is levitation, which is just fucking boss, but it should have unlocked sooner, because the game just doesn't feel quite right till you can fly over the ants pestering you. These abilities are not only fun to play around with, but they are vital to your survival, as there is no regenerating health, you must pick up health that enemies drop once you mollywhomp their asses.
There are no difficulty levels to choose from, as the game has that stupid rubberband director controlled A.I, which I have never been a fan of. Kick too much ass, and your ass will be the one getting kicked, it is more fair than other games that try this style of difficulty, but I still find it really annoying to get into a groove, then get fucked like it's prom night and I just had a roofie-colada. The difficulty spikes are pretty much the only thing that irks me about this game, that feeling of being top dog, only to be fucked like the bottom bitch is just a boner killer.
My boner was not down for too long though, even if the game has moments of frustration, they are backed with the pure pleasure of some of the most satisfying combat in recent memory, no one does cinematic action quite like Remedy, again, that Jesse Action figure, please!!! There are echos of Dark Souls here, you need to be on your toes, know when to dodge and what ability to use to level the playing-field. Of course, not only will you get new abilities, but you can upgrade Jesse to become stronger and more resilient. Your Service Weapon also has quite a few forms to upgrade, like a Shotgun, Sniper mode, and machine pistol variation that will change up your playstyle, and give you more variety and control over how you play, after all, Control is the name of the game. It was a weak pun, but one that is hard to resist for any writer.
The Oldest House is quite a marvel to explore, as it has a very unique 80's aesthetic that makes great use of the supernatural setting, expect to see many changing locals, and be sure to take your time to experience a place that is dripping with detail that sucks you into this captivating world full of concepts, that are rarely seen in any form of art. The pacing is pitch-perfect, and I was constantly playing just a little bit more to see where the story was going, I even read every log I found, which is something I rarely do in these kinds of games. The world may not be as breathtaking as something like Bioshock's Rapture, but, there are few games that offer such a deep and compelling narrative hook to their visually stunning worlds, quite like Remedy has done with Control.
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