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I’m a big fan of developer Remedy Entertainment. Ever since I played Alan Wake on Xbox 360 I loved their form of storytelling with fun gameplay mechanics. It’s one of the very few developers I’ll actually pay full price for their titles. Alan Wake is what hooked me but Alan Wake’s American Nightmare sealed the deal for me. But little did I realize that Remedy had something planning when it came to their game releases. I’m not sure if it’s because of the popularity of Disney’s MCU or if they just wanted to create their own in-game universe of titles but they did just that with their follow-up game release of Quantum Break on Xbox One. Though I didn’t have an Xbox One at the time I did hear word that Alan Wake novels had made their way into the game. When I learned of this I had to ask myself does this mean Alan Wake was in the same universe as Quantum Break? Or was it just his novels and his adventures just happen on their own? It took a while but I finally got my answer when it came to Remedy’s latest release and my number 4 pick for this year’s Octoberween game titles: Control.

 

If you wanted a simpler way to explain what Control is about it’s basically Remedy’s version of the SCP Foundation: The Game with a little of the supernatural aspect of the X-Files mixed in. I’m not talking about those SCP fan made games that you’ll find on PC but a full-fledged take on what it would be like if such an organization existed and you got to play in that world. The game centers on Jesse Faden as she locates the fabled Federal Bureau of Control building in NYC. She and her brother were caught up in what this game universe calls an “Altered World Event” that gained Jesse a telepathic entity called Polaris and her brother Dylan capture by the FBC. With Polaris’s help Jesse is able to locate the FBC’s main headquarters called “The Oldest House” hidden in plane site in NYC, with the intent to demand where the FBC is holding her brother after the AWE. Instead she finds herself entering the building only to meet an odd janitor (that you have no choice but to meet because once you enter the building, you can’t leave and all halls lead back to the janitor) who directs her to the Director’s office. Inside the Director’s office she finds the Director dead and then is chosen by “The Board” (that happens to be an Astral Plane being that looks like an upside down obsidian pyramid, I know it sounds weird) to become the new Director of the FBC upon picking up an Object of Power called the “service weapon”.  

Jesse learns that the whole building is under lockdown as it’s been invaded by an entity that she dubs “The Hiss” and the building personnel have been possessed by this entity unless they are wearing an unique device that prevents possession. As Jesse rescues other members of the FBC trapped within the building and purges “Control Points” from the Hiss’s possession, she agrees to assist the FBC in taking back Control of “The Oldest House” in exchange they tell her what has become of her brother.

All I’ve mentioned above is info you don’t get told exactly right off the bat but you have to learn all of this as you progress through the game. Some of this you learn from in-game interactions while others from cut scenes and collecting files in the game. You’re basically in the dark like Jesse is as you learn more and more about the FBC and how “The Oldest House” works. There is no hand holding in this game as you’re expected to figure things out as you go. More so when you are literally the new Director of the FBC, complete with Jesse’s signature appearing on official documents, pictures mounted on the walls with her image and your fellow FBC colleagues just accepting the fact that indeed you are the Director as if it’s always been that way.

If you haven’t guessed I love the story and premise of this game. It gives a similar vibe to what you’d expect with Alan Wake but with the corporate world of Quantum Break. If you haven’t played any of those two games I highly suggestion you try them out first before playing Control. Not because you’ll miss critical story elements from each game, they are their own standalone titles, but you’ll have a far better appreciate for Control and the all-encompassing world it tries to create. If you play their prior games you’ll also notice the game plays a bit differently story wise. Instead of it having chapters or a linear level progression the game takes place completely inside “the Oldest House.” If offers for a more open world like gaming experience that has become popular as of late. The difference though is instead it plays kind of like a “metroidvania” title where the building is a constant shifting beast, with rooms blocked off due to Hiss contamination and the very fact that “The Oldest House” is similar to the Tardis from “Doctor Who”. It’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside due to its special properties in having these Control Points. Other than that it looks like one of those older office buildings from the 1950s. You don’t understand why that’s the case, complete with no modern equipment, but you learn the reasons why as you progress in the game. The environments just oozes charm and character with a justified reason for its begin even if you learn it’s reason for being isn’t what you’d expect. It’s a change of pace from Alan Wake’s outdoors levels and Quantum Breaks cityscapes. And good luck learning your way in this building. Even with the pop up map, you’ll be relying on in game signs telling you how to get to what area and elevator rides to even larger floors that don’t seem physically possible.

Gameplay wise it’s what you’d expect from Remedy. You control Jesse in the third person with the same combat abilities you’d find in Alan Wake and Quantum Break. Aside from using the “service weapon” (which is basically a futuristic handgun that can perform a variety of functions, from handgun to machine gun to shotgun) you learn to use other Objects of Power that grant you other abilities like telekinesis. This ability is essential in playing Control given that though your weapon has unlimited ammo, it has to cool down when it runs low where you’ll need to pick up a heavy object to either deflect enemy fire or throw to stagger/injure attacks. The bad guys in this game “The Hiss” are basically possessed members of the FBC’s tactical officers. They come in a variety of flavors from your basic security guards, SWAT-like troopers, snipers to actual demolitions experts. You’ll even get Hiss entities that float around like vengeful spirits, complete with their own telekinetic powers. Some Hiss entities are easy to take down, thanks to the level system the game implements, and you’ll known when you’re in for a tough fight if their number level is goes into the double digits and they act like bullet sponges. Thankfully each type of Hiss are weak to certain attack types from your service weapon setting so swapping out attack styles is vital in surviving encounters. As you take down enemies you regain a little health and earn points to upgrade your weapon and boost your Object of Power abilities. I’m at the point where I can do a quick dash to avoid sudden attacks and boost my weapon’s attack power. But there’s far more for me to unlock and upgrade.

As you find more Objects of Power, find classified documents, and take back control of areas within “The Oldest House”, you’ll sometimes get an emergency call to assist in one area as they are being overwhelmed by Hiss attackers. It offers a nice break from the overall mission so you don’t get too bogged down in trying to tackle the main story all at once, plus it helps to give you more points to upgrade Jesse for the harder fights ahead. You’re able to attack the game at your own pace. Right now I’m spending most of my time trying to track down every document, every memo and every message left by prior FBC personnel if only to get a better understanding of how life was like working in the FBC. You’ll find your usual office politics and banter or just read some really weird documentation about how working in such a weird building isn’t for everyone. It’s basically like if you were Jack Townsend, from the book series “Tales from the Gas Station”, where you’re better off just ignoring the weird things that happen while you’re working or your better of quitting before it’s too late. I have a feeling that the FBC has a bad employee turnover rate but at the same time someone like Fox Mulder would have a field day there.

I’m still playing through m copy of the game on Xbox One and I waited for the Ultimate Edition when I heard the game was coming out with DLC. Whenever I can I try to wait to get the whole gaming experience in one go, and hopefully all of it on disc. Sadly that wasn’t the case with the Xbox One version. It requires a download patch for the rest of the game I’m told given how massive it is. I hear that’s not an issue with the PS4 version but I couldn’t see myself buying that version at that time since I have the Alan Wake games and Quantum Break on Microsoft consoles. With that said I’d be curious to see how the game runs on my PS4 Pro since my Xbox One is a base model and the game says its “optimized for Xbox Series X”, a console I don’t have.

I can’t say much about the DLC since I’ve yet to get that far into the game to play it. But I will admit it was the DLC that promoted me to buy my copy at full price. Though the first DLC offering “The Foundation” sounded intriguing it was “AWE” that won me over. Hearing Alan Wake’s voice over in the announcement trailer was one thing but the fact that AWE could also stand for “Alan Wake Event” instead of “Altered World Event” makes me almost want to speedrun the entire game just to play that DLC.

 

Be still, my heart.

Control Ultimate Edition might seem like an odd pick for an Octoberween Game Title. It doesn’t deal with the normal Halloween tropes you’d expect. No jump scares. No monsters or aliens. No spooky settings be it gory or hell-based. No serial killers, zombies, demons or any other creature that goes bump in the night. Instead it more of a suspense thriller that deals with the unknown, the supernatural that is hidden from most people in the world and combated by a clandestine organization. You’re just lucky (or unlucky) enough to get a peek into this dark world and see that perhaps the Federal Bureau of Control may have met it’s match.

I bought Control: Ultimate Edition brand new for $50 on Xbox One/Xbox Series X but right now you can find it for a variety of prices. The base game can go for $10 to $20 depending on what system to around $30, more or less, for the Ultimate Edition depending on system be it last gen or current gen. If I had waited I could’ve played this on Xbox Game Pass when it was offered but owning a physical copy was too much for a temptation for me to pass on. If you’re looking for something different and action oriented when it comes to your Halloween gaming, Control is a fine game to try out for some great octoberween gaming. It may not scare you, it may not make your skin crawl, but it may make you wonder what horrors are being hidden from our everyday lives. And to what lengths certain organizations out there will do secure objects that hold too much power, contain entities that threaten the very fabric of reality and protect us from what’s hiding in plain sight.

 #5: Castlevania Advance Collection - $19.99 digitally, $60+ physically.

#4: Control Ultimate Edition - $50.00 physical, $20-$40 used