Fun and fast-paced combat system comes packaged with a decent supernatural story.
As of writing this, I have not played Alan Wake so any easter eggs or references to it were lost on me. That being said, at no point did I feel like I was missing a large part of the story because of it. Control gets a lot of praise, and after putting around 60 hours into the game, I can see why but I can also see where it stumbles.
Firstly, Jesse Faden is a great protagonist. She's come to the FBC in search of answers as well as her brother and gets wrapped up in the increasingly bizarre and paranormal events taking place within the walls of Bureau. Courtney Hope does a great job voicing Jesse and it was nice to not be bombarded with quips from her nonstop. Supporting character such as the mysterious janitor, Ahti, or the eccentric scientist, Casper Darling, are also great. The biggest issue the story has in my opinion is that it never really reaches a strong climax and ends quite abruptly. A lot of mystery and intrigue culminates in a finale that feels a bit unfulfilling. Despite that, the world building and lore along the way is very strong.
Combat is stylish, fun, and sometimes quite chaotic. Between your service weapon many forms and your supernatural abilities granted over the course of the game, you are given many options to how your approach fights and with a large enemy roster using the correct tool for the job is important. Additionally, Control features semi destructible environments that create a spectacle as you dash through windows and desks while hurling furniture at your enemies. There are some boss fights as well though only a handful are truly interesting rather than being essentially a named variant of a normal enemy type. Some of these fights can be kind of tough especially due to the camera not giving you a good view of whether you are levitating over a surface or the void (and your death).
The environments of Control are kind of a mixed bag, though mostly great. While this is not a normal government office building, it does still contain much of what you would expect. A plethora of offices, boardrooms, bathrooms, and SO much of the color grey is too be found here. A lot of samey environments can also make it somewhat confusing to navigate the FBC, even with the map you are given. With that said, Control is still very visually appealing, making good use of ray-tracing, and featuring some beautiful set pieces. The ashtray maze was a specifically memorable segment.
The Ultimate edition comes bundles with two major story DLCs, The Foundation, and AWE:
The Foundation is the weaker of the two DLC, taking places under the FBC and featuring a large cave system filled with red sand. After the novelty of the red sand wears off, this rocky network becomes unfortunately dull. The DLC also centers around a side character from the main game who was rather forgettable, only appearing momentarily before disappearing. I found it hard to get hooked on the story here outside of the broader lore tidbits sprinkled throughout. The side missions here are pretty good though such as one where you are cleansing a supernatural film camera by starring in your own action flick. If this DLC was on its own, I would only recommend it on a deep sale.
AWE, on the other hand, was very enjoyable, possibly more so than the main game. This DLC ties heavily in with Alan Wake, and I would imagine hits even harder for those who have played the game prior, but I found it gripping nonetheless. AWE takes you to the investigations sector of the FBC brings the player much closer to the horror genre than anywhere else in the game. Encounters with the main "entity" are intense and can be genuinely frightening. The environments are more memorable here even including a recreation of a moon landing with the real Apollo 14. Side missions are pretty much non-existent here though there is a arcade game mode you can play. AWE was my personal peak of enjoyment while playing Control and would recommend it highly if it were standalone.
Control offers a breadth of content without overstaying its welcome and makes up for its weaknesses with great combat, excellent atmosphere, and a relatable protagonist. You can regularly find the ultimate edition on sale for dirt cheap making for a real steal based on what you get.
As of writing this, I have not played Alan Wake so any easter eggs or references to it were lost on me. That being said, at no point did I feel like I was missing a large part of the story because of it. Control gets a lot of praise, and after putting around 60 hours into the game, I can see why but I can also see where it stumbles.
Firstly, Jesse Faden is a great protagonist. She's come to the FBC in search of answers as well as her brother and gets wrapped up in the increasingly bizarre and paranormal events taking place within the walls of Bureau. Courtney Hope does a great job voicing Jesse and it was nice to not be bombarded with quips from her nonstop. Supporting character such as the mysterious janitor, Ahti, or the eccentric scientist, Casper Darling, are also great. The biggest issue the story has in my opinion is that it never really reaches a strong climax and ends quite abruptly. A lot of mystery and intrigue culminates in a finale that feels a bit unfulfilling. Despite that, the world building and lore along the way is very strong.
Combat is stylish, fun, and sometimes quite chaotic. Between your service weapon many forms and your supernatural abilities granted over the course of the game, you are given many options to how your approach fights and with a large enemy roster using the correct tool for the job is important. Additionally, Control features semi destructible environments that create a spectacle as you dash through windows and desks while hurling furniture at your enemies. There are some boss fights as well though only a handful are truly interesting rather than being essentially a named variant of a normal enemy type. Some of these fights can be kind of tough especially due to the camera not giving you a good view of whether you are levitating over a surface or the void (and your death).
The environments of Control are kind of a mixed bag, though mostly great. While this is not a normal government office building, it does still contain much of what you would expect. A plethora of offices, boardrooms, bathrooms, and SO much of the color grey is too be found here. A lot of samey environments can also make it somewhat confusing to navigate the FBC, even with the map you are given. With that said, Control is still very visually appealing, making good use of ray-tracing, and featuring some beautiful set pieces. The ashtray maze was a specifically memorable segment.
The Ultimate edition comes bundles with two major story DLCs, The Foundation, and AWE:
The Foundation is the weaker of the two DLC, taking places under the FBC and featuring a large cave system filled with red sand. After the novelty of the red sand wears off, this rocky network becomes unfortunately dull. The DLC also centers around a side character from the main game who was rather forgettable, only appearing momentarily before disappearing. I found it hard to get hooked on the story here outside of the broader lore tidbits sprinkled throughout. The side missions here are pretty good though such as one where you are cleansing a supernatural film camera by starring in your own action flick. If this DLC was on its own, I would only recommend it on a deep sale.
AWE, on the other hand, was very enjoyable, possibly more so than the main game. This DLC ties heavily in with Alan Wake, and I would imagine hits even harder for those who have played the game prior, but I found it gripping nonetheless. AWE takes you to the investigations sector of the FBC brings the player much closer to the horror genre than anywhere else in the game. Encounters with the main "entity" are intense and can be genuinely frightening. The environments are more memorable here even including a recreation of a moon landing with the real Apollo 14. Side missions are pretty much non-existent here though there is a arcade game mode you can play. AWE was my personal peak of enjoyment while playing Control and would recommend it highly if it were standalone.
Control offers a breadth of content without overstaying its welcome and makes up for its weaknesses with great combat, excellent atmosphere, and a relatable protagonist. You can regularly find the ultimate edition on sale for dirt cheap making for a real steal based on what you get.