Control is a delightful shooter that pays tribute to urban supernatural mystery and conspiracy stories like X-Files and SCP Foundation, and which riffs on an open-world formula by taking place entirely in the twisting confines of the Oldest House, a spatial anomaly turned government headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Control. Control knows what it wants to be, and while it may take notes from other works, there is nothing that quite matches its energy. All this coalesces into an engrossing and unique experience that is marred by difficulty spikes, emotionally nebulous stakes, and poor performance on 8th generation consoles.

The truth is, while the game's overall story isn't outright bad, it does seem to take a backseat to the worldbuilding and exploration aspects - an unusual problem for a game of such narrow scale compared to the ubiquitous wide-open sandboxes of recent years. The game follows Jesse Faden, who seeks out the FBC to find her missing brother, only for the organization to seemingly subsume her as she assumes the mantle of Director and is subsequently pushed into conflict with an invading hostile force called the Hiss. But while the game's central mystery is important and well done, it becomes clear exactly how much work and expense was put into background supplemental material, as the player stumbles on documents scattered throughout the Oldest House, ranging from frenzied letters sent by paranormal believers, to in-depth partially redacted write-ups of anomalous objects. Some of these objects even relate to the player, in that Jesse earns new abilities by neutralizing "Objects of Power." The effect of this, however unintentionally, was that plumbing the depths of the game's extensive background reading and many branching paths became much more engrossing than the unfolding central story as the game progressed - especially as the Hiss is disappointingly revealed to be a nebulous doomsday threat. By comparison, the fridge that eats people when they're not looking at it and the traffic light that only lets you move when its green are just plain more interesting.

While narratively the Hiss are lacking, in gameplay terms engaging them in combat reveals one of the most well-oiled machines that Remedy has ever constructed. The Service Weapon, a shapeshifting gun, has a variety of weapon forms that can be equipped and upgraded, each serving a different niche, none feeling redundant - supplemented by powers, which, while not as diverse in appearance or effect as in BioShock or Dishonored, are still powerful, satisfying, and, most importantly, useful. A telekinetic throw move can hurl objects, and even rip chunks out of the floor and walls, or nab weakened enemies off their feet to be used as fodder against their comrades. Another ability sees Jesse raise a wall of rubble into the air as an impromptu shield. Plenty of third person action games have incorporated supernatural powers, but Control is so intentional and pared down with the scope of the abilities at the player's disposal that I never found myself wanting for more.

This belies an unforgiving difficulty curve that, while ameliorated by the kind of difficulty adjustment options now standard in the industry, still feels strange and jarring. Enemies do a lot of damage and drop health when they're defeated, sometimes in quite stingy amounts. At best, this results in a fun tension where mistakes are punished but the player can pull ahead in a tough situation. At worst, a fight can deteriorate into a river-dance of attrition as you struggle to stay alive and make moves until your inevitable death. Despite this flaw, the combat is clearly one of the main attractions, and thanks to robust enemy variety and wealth of options for tackling them, the combat never feels like a chore.

Control is very focused on spectacle, and the art direction reflects this with an emphasis on Escher-esque geometric forms, warped office complexes giving way to abstract non-interiors and vertigo without warning. Graphically speaking, the game looks very good, and a lot of stress is placed on the particle effects, whether it's the bizarre psychic residue that hangs in the air and heralds nearby enemies, or the crumbling cement of the Oldest House torn asunder by bullets and projectiles. Binders and file folders explode into clouds of paper sheets when shot, sparks and dust flies with wild abandon, the game at times looking like a cross between a surrealist painting and a John Woo action film. This is, for some, a double-edged sword, as Control fits neatly into the trend of games that seem to struggle to run optimally on current consoles, a friction between developer intent and affordable hardware that hearkens back to the baleful years of the PlayStation 3, and earlier. The games visuals become slightly less pleasing when the game slows to a crawl during a tense moment, a consequence of ambitious visual character. There seems to even be a small freeze when the "Options" button or touchpad is hit, as the game loads in the relevant menu - strange considering the interface's minimalistic, no-frills design. While this can't be fully blamed on Remedy, stable player experience seems to be becoming a luxury good even on home consoles, which is a troubling development to be sure.

Control defied my expectations, entering my life as a game I assumed I wouldn't care much about, now here to stay, having sauntered its way into my pantheon of favorites with its unique vision and addicting gameplay. A black horse hit if there ever was, and well deserving of its success.