Control

Two weeks ago I had already written about a game I had wanted to try: Control. After a turbulent week I then spent an hour or two pretty much every evening last week within its world. Today, after around 14 hours, I finished the main storyline.

Control starts with Jesse Faden entering the building of a government agency called “Federal Bureau of Control”. The reception area looks empty but quickly she stumbles upon lots of bodies. She even manages to reach the office of the director just to learn that he has recently been killed with a weird looking service weapon. Turns out, the gun isn’t the only weird thing about this agency. If you’ve watched Warehouse 13, the FBC will appear quite familiar to you as they, too, focus on unexplained phenomena and powerful artifacts. Just before Jesse arrived, they have fallen victim to an alien incursion, though. Something called “The Hiss” has taken control of the building and the minds of a large chunk of the agents working there, turning them against the unaffected.

Unlike Warehouse 13, the world of Control is very dark. There’s blood everywhere and the Hiss are quite frightening. Especially in the beginning there are also quite a few shock elements that initially made me wonder if I could stomach the game. Now I’m really glad I pushed through those initial encounters. The story completely grabbed me and over the course of the last week I was really looking forward to the evenings when I could play an hour or two and learn more about the world of the FBC.

Luckily, not everything is dark and depressing, though. The way the FBC handles the artifacts is just so Warehouse 13 that I also had lots of laughs throughout those 14 hours. Just a small example: One of the collected artifacts is a plastic duck. Right next to it you stumble upon the examination protocol which also includes attempts of communication: “Quack if you understand me.” 😂

Another important aspect of the game is the director’s service weapon. It can be upgraded and extended with new forms, turning it into a rocket launcher, a sub machine gun, and more. But Jesse also has powers of her own. Over the course of the story she learns to levitate, through objects in the environment, and control weakened enemies. Thanks to all of those abilities and the service weapon the numerous battles with the Hiss stay entertaining throughout the game.

And that feeling also includes all the other aspects of the game. I just had lots of fun here! Back during the Winter Steam Sale I purchased the “Ultimate Edition” of the game which also includes two DLCs. I will definitely give at least one of them a try!

Over the years I've written quite a few reviews 🙂 You can find them at /reviews/.