As I write this, I'm down to the last four weeks of my free Game Pass PC sub. It's time to go into maximum overdrive. BACKGROUND:
This game made a bit of headlines right when it came out, but I never really looked into what it was. A few months ago, a cloud version of this game was released on Switch, and it also gave you a demo that allows you to check if the game runs well for you. Obviously, it did not perform well on my Switch (because the Internet in this godforsaken country is utter garbage), but I was able to play enough of the game that I wanted to play more. PLOT: Control follows the story of Jesse Faden, a woman who's searching for her long lost brother Dylan. Her search takes her to the Federal Bureau of Control, a fictional agency tasked to investigate supernatural phenomena. As Jesse enters, the entire building goes into a full lockdown, and now she must deal with the cause of the chaos along with her own personal mission. Right off the bat, the game gets absolutely fucking weird and throws most conventional logic out of the window. The sci-fi weirdness is cranked up to 11, distorting everything from the FBC building, the people inside, and even Jesse's perception of reality. It can reach Christopher Nolan levels of "what the fuck is going on" at times, so you might wanna steel yourself if you're not used to reality-warping shenanigans or unorthodox storytelling structure. Once I got over the initial shock of all the wacky bullshit going on, I gradually got a sense of what kind of world the game was building, and I thought it was interesting overall (even if some things feel a bit contrived or go unexplained). Most of the weirdness in the game is tied to alternate dimensions, the most important of which is the Astral Plane. The forces that reside in the Astral Plane can cause what are known as Altered World Events, which, as the name implies, are events that defy conventional logic. One of the most prominent effects of AWEs is the creation of Objects of Power, which are everyday objects imbued with "paranatural" effects (e.g. causing objects to float, blasting objects several feet away, etc.). The Bureau's job is to study and contain these Objects of Power, but a select few (including our protagonists) can actually interact with Objects of Power and gain supernatural abilities by doing so. Although the main plot does an adequate job of filling you in on some of what's going on, a lot of the meat to the game's lore is found in the game's optional collectibles. These can range from a bit of text you can read, to audio recordings, and even short videos that clue you in on certain aspects of the story. If you're the least bit intrigued by the game's strange story, these are worth seeking out. The main threat of the game is dubbed The Hiss, a mysterious entity that possesses people and causes untold havoc everywhere in the facility. Throughout the story, Jesse will slowly uncover where The Hiss came from, and how she and her brother tie into its origins. It's not much of a character and more of a "force" that everyone else fights against, so apart from the mystique surrounding its nature and origin, I didn't find it to be an engaging antagonist. Naturally, you get to know Jesse the most in the game, and she's a decent character for the most part. You get a sense of all she's been through and how badly she wants to find her brother, and you get to be confused alongside her as weird shit starts happening and she attempts to figure it out. In contrast, you don't really get to know the other characters Jesse meets, but many of them have pretty distinct personalities. PRESENTATION: Control goes for the full AAA approach for its graphics, with a style that leans very close to realism and impressive polish when it comes to its models and environments. This is definitely one of those games that will give lower-end PCs a workout, but if you have the means to enjoy this game at its highest display settings, you will definitely see how well of a job they did with the visuals. To go along with that, there are a few cutscenes filmed in live action, which don't look out of place at all next to the actual game. Though not the most eye-popping game in terms of a distinct art style, it actually works well in Control's favor, as the reality-distorting shit will actually feel out of place alongside the game's otherwise realistic look. To go along with that, the Oldest House (which is what the Bureau's headquarters is known as) feels like any large office space you've may have seen, and the juxtaposition of the mundane setting along with all the weird shit that happens makes for a striking contrast. The music is more on the subtle side, but there were some particularly awesome tracks sprinkled in there. The clear standout for me was Take Control, a rock track that plays during what I feel is the game's best action sequence. The voice acting is also quite outstanding, with great voices across the board. The motion capture and the facial expressions are also pretty good to go along with that. GAMEPLAY: Control is a third person shooter, which means blasting the shit out of enemies in a third person perspective. If you've played one of these before, it'll feel familiar, but you will soon discover that it's more than just another shooter. In terms of the actual gunplay, Control is pretty standard. Instead of a full arsenal of weapons, you only actually wield one gun known as the Service Weapon. As you progress, you're able to change up the Service Weapon's form, and each form is essentially another gun. You have your standard pistol, a shotgun-type weapon, an assault rifle/SMG equivalent, a powerful charge shot (my personal favorite), and a grenade launcher. It's nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to a loadout, but I was quite entertained by the concept of the gun simply altering its appearance in order to function as these distinct weapons. You don't have to think about collecting ammo, as the weapons work more like overheating weapons in other games (where you just kind of have to wait it out until you can fire again). Where most of the game's fun lies is in Jesse's abilities. As you play, you'll run into Objects of Power that give you all sorts of powers, and they're all pretty fun. You can use telekinesis to hurl objects at enemies (extra fun since the game's environments are pretty destructible), levitate and dash to move around, throw up a barrier of debris to defend yourself, and even mind control weakened enemies to fight for you. These abilities were so much fun, I found myself using them more than the gun, though the gameplay encourages you to alternate between them, as your powers are tied to an energy meter that has to recharge after a while. Enemy variety isn't that remarkable in terms of both combat or appearance, but it's fun to decimate them Jean Grey-style with telekinesis that I didn't really care. The only real issues here for me are how some of them can be real damage sponges, and how dealing with hordes of them can feel tedious after a while. There isn't much in the way of bosses, either, which is a shame given that there are a few interesting fights in the game. What's more, a lot of those more interesting fights are optional, while the story bosses aren't as fun. As you explore and fight, you'll collect various materials which you can use to craft new forms for your Service Weapon (or upgrade forms you already own), as well as acquire things called Mods. These Mods are equippable items that you attach to either yourself or your weapons, and they give you all sorts of helpful buffs. Many of these Mods are worthwhile, but I found it odd that you can only carry a limited amount of them at a time. That seems unnecessary. Moreover, while the crafting aspect works fine, I feel as if they introduced way too many items for you to collect. I think the game's currency would have sufficed as the material you need to make things. Everything else feels extraneous, but in the grand scheme, this particular issue wasn't really a big deal. In addition to Mods, you also have a skill tree where you spend Ability Points to improve your powers. You have standard stuff like more health and more energy, but the most worthwhile skills expand upon and improve your powers. For example, you can upgrade your telekinesis throw to also hurl weakened enemies, which means you can enjoy throwing a motherfucker at another motherfucker. For the entirety of the game, you'll be exploring the Oldest House, which is much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. You'll be navigating through interconnected areas like the Executive Section (the offices), the Research Area (the labs), Maintenance, and Containment (which is where most of the weird shit is). Despite mostly being a mundane-looking government building, there are some interesting-looking locations, and you also get to wander areas that have been distorted and even traverse briefly through other dimensions. Exploration is structured like a Dark Souls game, where you go through the areas in a mostly linear manner, but are free to backtrack and roam once you start unlocking pathways and acquiring keys to doors. There's actually quite a bit to find, from the game's collectibles (most of which are story-related and build on the game's lore), helpful items like crafting materials and Mods, and even optional fights with tough enemies. My only issue is the map, which is rarely helpful (especially in terms of figuring out where you are relative to elevation). It would have also been helpful if there were indicators on the map that pointed out where points of interest are, but all you get is a marker that tells you which section something is in. The game has fast travel points in the form of Control Points, but you must activate them first before you can use them as such. These Control Points are also where you do things like upgrade and spend Ability Points, and they also serve as a checkpoint should you die. Dying itself isn't that bad (the penalty is simply lose some of your currency), but the fact that (barring very few exceptions) you can only respawn at Control Points makes certain missions a pain in the ass due to all the backtracking. Along with the main story and all the exploration, the game also gives you a bunch of side quests you can do. You'll run into many of these with little effort, as you'll probably talk to the NPC/find the collectible that triggers the quest on your way to the next main quest. A few (called Bureau Alerts) appear at random and have to be completed before the time elapses, and you can choose to make a detour to the designated area if you wish. The quest themselves range from simple puzzles, challenge rooms against waves of enemies, and even the occasional boss fight, and you can tackle them whenever you want, at your own pace. There's also something called Board Countermeasures, which I equate to the daily quests you see in many a mobile game. These are small tasks (usually some variation of kill x enemies) that reward you with helpful items like Mods or crafting materials. You have to pick out which ones you activate at Control Points (and you also have to cash in completed quests at Control Points), but it's often just best to just activate everything since you're bound to complete a bunch of them without even thinking about it. Once the game ends, you're dropped back into the Oldest House, allowing you to continue exploring, completing quests, and rounding up collectibles. In case the stuff I detailed somehow wasn't enough to get it across, there is a good amount of extra content to this game. There's even a challenge mode called Expeditions you can get into, and you can get a couple of additional DLC story campaigns if you want more story. VERDICT: Despite a few issues, I really enjoyed Control. Playing as basically Jean Grey with a gun was a blast, I enjoyed piecing together the game's bizarre sci-fi mystery story, and I liked that there was plenty to do and explore outside of the main campaign. Though not perfect, I can see why it got plenty of accolades in 2019, and I'd say that all that acclaim is deserved. If you're looking for a complex story to sink your teeth into, or you want an unorthodox shooter experience, Control is definitely a game you should check out. The story isn't for everyone, and the shooter gameplay suffers a bit when it comes to enemy variety, but if you're interested in either one of these aspects of the game, I think you should play it. Here's a Steam link to the Ultimate Edition of Control, which comes with the DLC expansions: Control Ultimate Edition on Steam (steampowered.com) - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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