This game was a blast to play through but it was far too short, preventing many of its great qualities from really shining. Control is a graphically beautiful game, which boasts a solid physics engine and destructible environments. It also does a lot of world-building through scattered classified documents that you can read, recordings that utilize 1980's-era video technology, and dialogue with a few important characters. All of these collectibles set the groundwork for a really mysterious and interesting story, though it sort of falls flat. As far as optimization and playability are concerned, I was able to run this game pretty well on high settings with ray tracing on, though there were many occasions where the game would crash abruptly. Combat was very fun, with a variety of special abilities, forms for the Service Weapon, and objects in the environment at your disposal. As you progress through the game and collect resources, the Service Weapon will become more versatile, capable of transforming into many different weapon types. Special abilities are unlocked by "cleansing" so-called "objects of power (OoPs)" found throughout the story or through side-missions, and these abilities will aid you in fighting certain enemy types or in traversing through the environment. The enemies you fight are personnel of the Federal Bureau of Control who are "Hiss-corrupted," with some possessing powers similar to those you are able to unlock. Each enemy type requires some strategic use of your arsenal. The building the game takes place in, "The Oldest House," is home to many different sectors with notable set pieces that were very fun to explore and fight enemies within. The architecture is very abstract and provides a lot of verticality to spice up enemy encounters. This game has two expansions available: AWE and The Foundation, both of which contribute to the lore and add some fun and distinct elements. AWE serves as a crossover between the new Control IP and the Alan Wake franchise, also by Remedy. I cannot really comment on the quality of this crossover as I still have not played the Alan Wake franchise as of the writing of this review, but from the perspective of Control, the new elements meshed well with the already established gameplay. In contrast, The Foundation is purely focused on a new threat taking place in The Oldest House after the events of the main campaign. This expansion provides more new abilities for you to use, though they are isolated, and unable to be used outside of the new sector that the expansion takes place in. In conclusion, this game was a very fun experience that gave me a lot to play around with. There were many unforgettable moments during this game that left me anticipating the sequel that is apparently in the works.

The viiiibe the tech(ray tracing) the lore it is such a weird game love it to death for that . This is the only game that will have me reading text logs with excitement. The theme of wanting to Control the inherently uncontrolable supernatural through bureaucratic means is such an interesting exploration of the inherent human desire to know everything even when it is not possible you want to believe everything has an explanation and that explanation is something that you can grasp fully within your lifetime just look at religion. Deep down everyone at the FBC probably knows that what they are doing is inherently sort of a lost cause but it is a reframed as a noble fruition of the scientific method by FBC rhetoric and the way this tension is portrayed is ahhh so magical. Also this game is one of the few games post 8th gen that lets you absolutely dogpile the environment and personally I am a big believer in asthetics being a driving force in subconcious gameplay enjoyment

I tried so hard to like this game, but simply could not. The gameplay mechanics are sometimes fun but eventually repetitive and boring. The guns are weak, and by the end, you'll be spamming launch around. The game is not challenging at all, either in gameplay, which is pretty easy, or in level design, as the game holds your hand and tells you where to go almost all the time. There are one or two puzzles which are nice, but again, the game throws in your face what you have to do right away. The only part I enjoyed was the labyrinth and soundtrack by Remedy's beloved Poets of the Fall. There is no denying it has amazing visuals; I played it in 4K, and it absolutely demolishes some of the new games that are coming out in graphic design. Also, the art and sound design are great, as well as an innovative story, but it is not actually captivating. Control could have been so much more than it is.

The best atmosphere I've experienced in gaming. The Oldest House is the perfect setting for playing as Director of a secret government agency. Art direction is the strongest point in Remedy Games, and Control is no exception.

Combat is overall pretty solid, although as you progress further into the game you will realize that you only need a couple of abilities in your arsenal to maximize your damage. So the combat can become pretty barebones during the late game. The enemies and missions are amazing, and one mission in particular stole the show. You'll know it when you play it.

The story unfortunately falls short near the end, which is disappointing for a game with such deep lore. Jesse, although a relatable protagonist at first, is a little shallow in personality. You will find yourself more interested in other characters, who are far more well-written.

Still, a game I would say is worth playing. A lot of the issues I have can most definitely be easily fixed in the sequel. And when that comes out, it's got a good chance of being a top 5 game.

imagina fazer um jogo com uma história e um mundo tão legal que te faz revirar todos os cantos no mapa pra ler todos os arquivos e escutar todos os áudios, eu nunca me senti tão entretida com ler textos em um jogo como nesse. uma pena que a gameplay eh tão irritante ponto forte pra alguns pra mim foi de longe a pior parte mas mesmo assim esse jogo continua sendo incrível nunca me senti perdida os espaços no mapa fluem de uma maneira impecável considerando que o jogo se passa em um "lugar só", dá pra vc realmente sentir o carinho dos desenvolvedores nele coisa mais linda.