10 Things I Like in Control (2019)
After bouncing off Remedy’s 2019 action horror game back when it initially came out, and then again after I shot Alan Wake 2 directly into my veins last year, it’s finally clicked for me, and I’m really enjoying it. Although I like the overall story, where I think Control really shines is in environmental design, the weird detritus scattered throughout for you to find and interact with.
Here’s a list of 10 of my favorite things, in no particular order.
The Guys Just Floating Around
In Control, a hostile entity called The Hiss has infiltrated the Federal Bureau of Control. Most of the creatures you come across are aggressive, but there’s also a bunch of random office workers just sort of. Floating. Chilling. Chanting ominously. It’s the first real taste of the supernatural infringing on reality, and it’s super effective in slamming you straight into the weird, crooked atmosphere suffusing the whole game.
Eventually these guys just become set dressing, but I’m still like. Oh, hey buddy. How’s it hanging up there.Dr. Darling’s Home Videos
Live action segments are a staple of Remedy’s design, and the Darling Tapes are some of my favorites. Nothing like interrupting your journey through a brutalist nightmare-scape with clips of a handsome, excitable man in a sweater vest and lab coat explaining nonsense science. The videos have a low-fi corporate charm, like something shown to a Wal-Mart employee in 2002. But like everything else in Control, there’s an underlying air of menace, and as you progress through the game you start to worry that Dr. Darling is more than just a bumbling eccentric.
The Cool Blue Mold
There’s some mold. It’s taking over the basement of the building. It’s pretty and blue and gross, and breaks up the monotony of grey stone. That’s my whole review.
Recording Studio
I’m pretty sure that this is just a place where you can hang out and listen to a song by the Poets of the Fall, the real-world identity of the Old Gods of Asgard, the fictional band whose music has some sort of darkness-purifying power. I don’t think this section is part of a quest, it’s just a fun little set piece to showcase a collaborator’s art, which I love.
Langston
Langston runs the Panopticon, a section of the Bureau that houses the dangerous altered items, and he’s just a really well-done NPC. Everything from the actor’s performance, to the legitimately funny writing, to the model’s cleft lip, to his tired affection for his troublesome job. He felt very well realized.
In fact, I liked him so much that it made me like the DLC less, since he shows up there and is just an annoying punchline, all the personality drained out of him. I think it might even be a different actor. But it just makes me appreciate the guy in the base game more.
Flying Around
Listen, the best thing to do in a video game is to fly or go fast. End of story. The “blink” and “far reach” moves in Dishonored, the moth wings in Hollow Knight, the grappling hook in Sekiro. Zipping around rules. About halfway through the game, Jesse gains the ability to levitate, and it feels awesome.
The Service Weapon’s Weird Lips
There’s a campiness to the horror in Control, which is why it works. It’s such a mishmash of legends and stories and creepypastas, and if it took itself seriously in the slightest it would collapse under its own weight. And nothing sums that up like the magical mind-control gun having funny little lips that whisper in Jesse’s ear. It truly sent me. Probably the most Lynchian moment in the game, and that’s saying something.
The Ashtray Maze
Legitimately made me say “OH COOL!” out loud, and although I prefer Alan Wake 2’s musical number, the ashtray maze is still a stunning bit of level design, and admittedly has more momentum than “Herald of Darkness”. Thanks to a Coheed and Cambria phase in my teens, I am very susceptible to nerdy glam metal. Wish it was a little longer, as an experience, but at least it doesn’t wear out its welcome.
Ahti’s Whole Thing
Is he a janitor? Is he a god? Is he some sort of merry trickster? I don’t know, but I love to see him, and I appreciate all of his gems of wisdom.
Jesse’s Reactions to Alan Wake
In general, I like the script in Control, but there’s a level of self-consciousness to it, which I predict is why Jesse has so much narration as the straight man. As in, someone will say something goofy, and she’ll do a Marvel-esque “well that just happened” aside, really undercutting the humor. Luckily, by the time the DLC rolls around, the writing has mostly outgrown this.
There’s a section in the Oceanview Motel, when we get our first taste of the new Thomas Zane, in a very Twin Peaks: The Return sequence where Alan and Zane argue. Jesse watches it from offstage, and afterward she just makes this sort of. “Wow. Drama,” face that made me laugh out loud. This is followed by some clunky expository voice over (which is 100% necessary for people who haven’t played Alan Wake, I don’t fault them for this) but the initial reaction was great, and I wish more moments in the base game could have been carried by performance alone.
Overall, Control is a game with impeccable vibes, fun characters, some rough edges, and a couple bafflingly frustrating design elements. Still definitely worth your time, especially if you bounced off due to the difficulty and frequency of the combat. The added accessibility features mean you can skip past most of it, and just experience the game for its story and exploration. It is also undoubtedly a conditioning run for Alan Wake 2 which, in my humble opinion, sticks any landing that Control doesn’t quite manage.