Control

Control is a third-person shooter developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by 505 Games. The video game was released in 2019 for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It was well-received by critics and sold relatively well despite having an unconventional plot, reminiscent of the cryptic stories in David Lynch’s cinema. Its release was followed by two high-quality DLCs: The Foundation and AWE.

PLOT

Summarizing the story of Control in a few lines is impossible. Its writing is nothing short of complex and leaves room for many interpretations. Jesse Faden, our protagonist, is on a search for her brother who disappeared twenty years ago. She believes she can find him inside the Federal Bureau of Control, headquarters of a secret government organization that deals with seemingly inexplicable or supernatural phenomena. Control begins just as Jesse enters the Oldest House, the building that hosts the FBC and where the entire adventure will take place. Jesse will discover that this place is much larger than it seems and serves as a link between multiple planes of existence, called “astral planes.” Besides investigating Dylan Faden’s disappearance, we must defeat the HISS, a force of unknown nature capable of controlling people and deforming matter.

CONSIDERATIONS

The work done by Remedy on Control is incredible. The team led by Sam Lake (also authors of Max Payne, Quantum Break, and Alan Wake) manages to create a meticulously detailed work that is truly unique in its genre. Graphically, Control is breathtaking, but what is most surprising is the gameplay. Within the brutalist context of the Oldest House, you can interact with almost anything. Everything can become a weapon, from desks to speakers, fire extinguishers to shelves… in the absence of objects, you can even extract pieces of concrete from the building’s support columns. Control is a highly auteur work, going against the grain and offering something new and stimulating to engage with. To fully understand the game’s lore, the player cannot passively witness the events. To piece everything (or almost everything) together, one must thoroughly explore the vast environment and… read! Yes, read a lot, because we are talking about hundreds of collectible documents essential to understanding, at least in part, the world of Control.

IN CONCLUSION

Control is a product of exceptional quality, with practically no weak points. However, it is not for everyone, as it is definitely not simple (in the broadest sense of the term), but it is recommended to at least give it a try. Remedy is a studio to support and protect, because there are very few teams capable of daring so much, boldly ignoring current commercial trends.

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