What would you get if you took a slice of Twilight Zone, a sprinkle of X-Files, finished it off with a dab of Twin Peaks and turned it into a video game? You’d get Control.
The Basics
Control drops you into the role of Jesse, a woman who herself is dropped into the role of Director of the Federal Bureau of Control through a series of odd events. Your main mission is kind of two fold, you are freeing the building you have found, known as The Oldest House from an entity known as the HISS. This is one of the story points that is confusing to me because its seems that early in the game your charter gives the HISS their name, but there is tons of paperwork to discover that moves the story along, and on that paperwork, the characters are known as the HISS. You would think this is a huge error, but when you see some of the other things that happen in this game, it is actually completely reasonable. The other main story line is your search for your brother. I will spoil nothing, and only say that it is you and your brother and this strange government agency have quite the relationship.
You are not a superhero, yet throughout the game you have the ability to acquire superhero like powers. From telekinesis to the ability to levitate for short periods of time, these are fun add-ons that are all upgradeable.
I personally suggest upgrading your health followed by energy. Then it’s the powers you like and use most. I used launch A LOT once I had it. I loved grabbing stuff and throwing it at my enemies. Even better after an upgrade and you could grab them!
I guess I would call Control a third person shooter although you technically only have one weapon. This “Service Weapon” however has several forms to unlock and each of these forms has modifications that can be applied as well.
If you love to craft, this isn’t your game. There is some crafting but it is very basic. Materials can be found thought The Oldest House with certain things in certain areas, however the only thing you really NEED to craft are your weapon’s forms and then the upgrade slots for those forms.
The one thing I didn’t like was the side missions. It’s not that they were bad. They were great! It’s that they are so easy to miss. From a note hanging on a janitor’s cork board to just talking to a few NPCs, if you don’t come back to places you’ve already been and interact again and again, you will miss stuff. There is so much good stuff you don’t want to do that, so make sure you read everything, talk to everyone, interact with all you can.
On the Plus Side
- Fantastic story
- Unique play
- Cool Powers
- Unlike most games out there now
The Negatives
- Glitchy maps
- Side missions were hard to find
This is unlike many games currently available. There is plenty of cool stuff to do, lots of secrets to be found and a lot of great story to unravel. PLAY THIS GAME!