A Remedy game which, indeed, carries on that unique brand of idiosyncratic presentation, mystique, atmosphere, and design you can really only expect from the studio. I was turned on to this title after hearing one Jeff Gerstmann continually gush about it across Giant Bomb podcasts and videos. I picked up the Ultimate Edition some point in late 2020 and played it in March 2021. What followed was an immense level of immersion and attraction the likes of which I hadn't experienced in many years prior to trying this title.

Thus, I will try to avoid spoilers and split this review up into "good, bad, other" sections.


This game's presentation is second to none. The visual fidelity is outstanding even on the "lowest" presets, and the art direction is as mesmerizing as it is gorgeous. The game is quite the visual spectacle, whether it's you wandering through the bureau searching for clues and information, or fighting your way through the game's many hectic battles. Just about every object you see can be either destroyed or physically deformed via damage, which gives extra character and sensation to the environment, making it feel more lived-in rather than just a static backdrop.

Characters and the textures, shaders, and geometry that comprises them look spectacular, although at times the performance-capture is so dialed-in on the facials that it can reach uncanny valley levels at times, although nothing to really take you out of the experience. The game's dialogue, characters, and general plot are what kept me so deeply entrenched in playing this game through to the "end". The vibe of the bureau and the inhabitants within it create such an immensely unnerving yet enthralling atmosphere that I wound up searching virtually every nook and cranny of the many areas searching for as much of the lore fragments and secrets that I could find.

The general design of the bureau is worthy of praise in its own right. Given the nature of the structure, each area has signs that tell you where you are, and you can honestly use these to get around without consulting the map if you want to. Many areas are locked behind various access levels or are areas you may need new abilities to access, which promote further exploration which is more often than not rewarded decently.

The game's combat really surprised me, as I didn't expect it to be so frenetic and challenging. I've been gaming for well over 20 years as of this review, and have conquered some quite frankly absurd challenges in games, which run the gamut of "well-designed but patience/skill-testing" to "awfully designed fake difficulty bull***", and it's almost refreshing to see the 'type' of difficulty that Remedy chose for Control.

Jesse can have her abilities and durability upgraded, both with personal mods and upgrades from a progression tree, but even with a maxed out health bar, her actual "defense" stat remains the same, so you're still encouraged to mitigate damage sources rather than simply tank them. This encourages constant traversal so as to dodge enemy attacks rather than remaining static, but some battles can become absolutely absurd at times, which I'll address later. Still, overall the battles are fun and require tactical consideration as to how you'll approach them, which leads to the player learning more intricacies of the game's mechanics.

The game's aural presentation is just as excellent as its visual side. Whether it's environmental ambiance, battle sounds, the weapon discharges, the enemy murmurs, or the music, it's all very well-mixed and envisioned. Being a Remedy game, Sam Lake -- an actual long-time friend of members of the band Poets of the Fall, sure enough got them to make some music for the game, and it's all as good as you'd expect it to be. But the Poets aren't the only ones on tap here, the game has music which can be heard around the bureau on mobile radios and PA systems. So much of it was so good I had numerous moments where I'd find a radio, turn it on, and either sit there jamming to music or -- after getting a certain ability later -- literally carrying the radio with me as I progressed onwards.


I don't have too much harsh to say about this title, but it did have some things that marred the experience at times. If you choose to play this game in DX12 mode, be aware that there's a very high chance that you'll encounter the 'texture bug' where the textures don't load properly anymore. I had to go back to DX11 mode to fix this. DX11 mode also has much longer load times, so be wary of that.

Speaking of loads, dying in this game is such a huge setback a lot of the time that it's baffling how badly it was handled. If you die, you lose 10% of your 'currency' (not really any analogue to conventional currency but an in-universe resource, if you will), which is fine... but it also will send you all the way back to whatever the last control point you stepped through, which at various points of the game, given how massive the total playing area is, can be ludicrously far back. Thankfully you do have the ability to fast travel between control points, but there are times where you can't go back to the area you were at, because you either didn't find the control point yet, or that area just doesn't have one.

Remember when I mentioned combat having its issues earlier? Yeah, we're gonna talk about that now. While I do love the game's combat in general, some of the enemies are beyond cheap, having abilities that either obscure your vision entirely or stunlock you for stupidly long periods of time, AND dealing out insane amounts of damage on top of that. Jesse is a glass cannon, meaning she is capable of dishing out celestial levels of punishment, but she can't absorb a large amount of it herself. You have a good arsenal to defend yourself with, but there are points in the game where you won't have certain abilities or weapon permutations yet, and there WILL be boss/mini-boss encounters where you will die repeatedly until you figure out how to properly counter-cheese said enemies.



The game does have a 'narrative mode' available for those who don't want to bother with the difficult combat.


The game does currently have two DLC expansions available, one of which can be started and completing before you "beat" the game, and the other that becomes available after clearing the final main story quest. I haven't completed the latter yet, but I will say fans of Alan Wake will enjoy the earlier expansion. The game has so much to see and do that it's worth any price you see, although it does seem to go on sale often. Don't be dissuaded by my explanations of the difficulty, the game absolutely does not hold your hand, but honestly there's a small bit of that which I like. But I will say it could've been tuned a lot better than it was. I recommend DX11 mode as well so you don't get your immersion killed by the texture bugs.

Ultimately, and this is a bold statement but one I am resolute in, Control is easily one of the best games I've played in the past decade, and one of the best games I've played, ever, period. I was elated to hear confirmation from the Board (wink wink) that there will be more substantial Control content down the line. If you read this far and don't have the game already, buy it! If you read this far and already experienced the exaltation that is Control, feel free to comment and let me hear your thoughts. This game's universe and lore is incredible and I'm glad I was able to experience it.

[h1]CONTROL[/h1] A Remedy game which, indeed, carries on that unique brand of idiosyncratic presentation, mystique, atmosphere, and design you can really only expect from the studio. I was turned on to this title after hearing one Jeff Gerstmann continually gush about it across Giant Bomb podcasts and videos. I picked up the Ultimate Edition some point in late 2020 and played it in March 2021. What followed was an immense level of immersion and attraction the likes of which I hadn't experienced in many years prior to trying this title. Thus, I will try to avoid spoilers and split this review up into "good, bad, other" sections. [h1] THE GOOD [/h1] This game's presentation is second to none. The visual fidelity is outstanding even on the "lowest" presets, and the art direction is as mesmerizing as it is gorgeous. The game is quite the visual spectacle, whether it's you wandering through the bureau searching for clues and information, or fighting your way through the game's many hectic battles. Just about every object you see can be either destroyed or physically deformed via damage, which gives extra character and sensation to the environment, making it feel more lived-in rather than just a static backdrop. Characters and the textures, shaders, and geometry that comprises them look spectacular, although at times the performance-capture is so dialed-in on the facials that it can reach uncanny valley levels at times, although nothing to really take you out of the experience. The game's dialogue, characters, and general plot are what kept me so deeply entrenched in playing this game through to the "end". The vibe of the bureau and the inhabitants within it create such an immensely unnerving yet enthralling atmosphere that I wound up searching virtually every nook and cranny of the many areas searching for as much of the lore fragments and secrets that I could find. The general design of the bureau is worthy of praise in its own right. Given the nature of the structure, each area has signs that tell you where you are, and you can honestly use these to get around without consulting the map if you want to. Many areas are locked behind various access levels or are areas you may need new abilities to access, which promote further exploration which is more often than not rewarded decently. The game's combat really surprised me, as I didn't expect it to be so frenetic and challenging. I've been gaming for well over 20 years as of this review, and have conquered some quite frankly absurd challenges in games, which run the gamut of "well-designed but patience/skill-testing" to "awfully designed fake difficulty bull***", and it's almost refreshing to see the 'type' of difficulty that Remedy chose for Control. Jesse can have her abilities and durability upgraded, both with personal mods and upgrades from a progression tree, but even with a maxed out health bar, her actual "defense" stat remains the same, so you're still encouraged to mitigate damage sources rather than simply tank them. This encourages constant traversal so as to dodge enemy attacks rather than remaining static, but some battles can become absolutely absurd at times, which I'll address later. Still, overall the battles are fun and require tactical consideration as to how you'll approach them, which leads to the player learning more intricacies of the game's mechanics. The game's aural presentation is just as excellent as its visual side. Whether it's environmental ambiance, battle sounds, the weapon discharges, the enemy murmurs, or the music, it's all very well-mixed and envisioned. Being a Remedy game, Sam Lake -- an actual long-time friend of members of the band Poets of the Fall, sure enough got them to make some music for the game, and it's all as good as you'd expect it to be. But the Poets aren't the only ones on tap here, the game has music which can be heard around the bureau on mobile radios and PA systems. So much of it was so good I had numerous moments where I'd find a radio, turn it on, and either sit there jamming to music or -- after getting a certain ability later -- literally carrying the radio with me as I progressed onwards. [h1]THE BAD[/h1] I don't have too much harsh to say about this title, but it did have some things that marred the experience at times. If you choose to play this game in DX12 mode, be aware that there's a very high chance that you'll encounter the 'texture bug' where the textures don't load properly anymore. I had to go back to DX11 mode to fix this. DX11 mode also has much longer load times, so be wary of that. Speaking of loads, dying in this game is such a huge setback a lot of the time that it's baffling how badly it was handled. If you die, you lose 10% of your 'currency' (not really any analogue to conventional currency but an in-universe resource, if you will), which is fine... but it also will send you all the way back to whatever the last control point you stepped through, which at various points of the game, given how massive the total playing area is, can be ludicrously far back. Thankfully you do have the ability to fast travel between control points, but there are times where you can't go back to the area you were at, because you either didn't find the control point yet, or that area just doesn't have one. Remember when I mentioned combat having its issues earlier? Yeah, we're gonna talk about that now. While I do love the game's combat in general, some of the enemies are beyond cheap, having abilities that either obscure your vision entirely or stunlock you for stupidly long periods of time, AND dealing out insane amounts of damage on top of that. Jesse is a glass cannon, meaning she is capable of dishing out celestial levels of punishment, but she can't absorb a large amount of it herself. You have a good arsenal to defend yourself with, but there are points in the game where you won't have certain abilities or weapon permutations yet, and there WILL be boss/mini-boss encounters where you will die repeatedly until you figure out how to properly counter-cheese said enemies. The game does have a 'narrative mode' available for those who don't want to bother with the difficult combat. [h1] THE REST [/h1] The game does currently have two DLC expansions available, one of which can be started and completing before you "beat" the game, and the other that becomes available after clearing the final main story quest. I haven't completed the latter yet, but I will say fans of Alan Wake will enjoy the earlier expansion. The game has so much to see and do that it's worth any price you see, although it does seem to go on sale often. Don't be dissuaded by my explanations of the difficulty, the game absolutely does not hold your hand, but honestly there's a small bit of that which I like. But I will say it could've been tuned a lot better than it was. I recommend DX11 mode as well so you don't get your immersion killed by the texture bugs. Ultimately, and this is a bold statement but one I am resolute in, Control is easily one of the best games I've played in the past decade, and one of the best games I've played, ever, period. I was elated to hear confirmation from the Board (wink wink) that there will be more substantial Control content down the line. If you read this far and don't have the game already, buy it! If you read this far and already experienced the exaltation that is Control, feel free to comment and let me hear your thoughts. This game's universe and lore is incredible and I'm glad I was able to experience it.