Control Ultimate Edition

Control is an action metroidvania game developed by Remedy, now well known for Alan Wake series and the quality of their story, does Control measure up in terms of writing? We'll visit the oldest building, and from our very first interaction, we'll realize that we're in for a rather surreal adventure.

Story

Right from the start our protagonist, Jesse Faden, enters a secret agency building and tells us how, as a child, she was involved in an incident in which she lost her younger brother; even though she doesn’t know his fate, she feels that he is in this building. Furthermore, there is a consciousness within her with whom she communicates. This introduction only raises more questions, and what happens moments later leads us into an overwhelming situation.

Of course, we could ignore the rest and focus on our lost brother, but I have to admit that, even though it didn’t catch my attention at first, the work being done in this mysterious building and its eccentric workers end up encouraging you to keep exploring and uncover the decline of this organization. To do this, we can explore optional areas and find reports and audio clips (collectibles) scattered about; again, using them isn’t mandatory—they just add extra information about past events. That said, don’t expect all your questions to be answered...

Gameplay

Near the introduction we will receive a strange pistol... and that´s it! Well, after time you can customize it by giving a function like a shotgun, a sniper, etc; but for these you need to progress and farm, making you feel stuck with the standard version. Also we will have some extra powers as telekinesis, dash, barriers and more to help during battles, again those take time to get because the "source", necessary to improve most things and dying cause losing 10% with no chance to recover them.

In addition to our arsenal, we’ll have a skill tree to upgrade and modifiers that specifically boost a certain trait. To make the most of these advantages, you’ll need to complete side quests and explore. Fortunately, the game is generous in showing you where to find the side quests, but for the latter, you’ll have to search every corner and revisit areas that were previously blocked off (like in any Metroidvania). However, the map interface can be a bit cumbersome, and the fact that you can’t mark locations on it—combined with the frequent random battles—makes exploration a little frustrating.

One thing worth noting is the movement in the game: you can move with ease, and the physics are just as fluid, which makes combat more dynamic; however, there isn’t much variety when it comes to enemies, and those that are very different are rare. On the other hand, there are boss battles with different mechanics, except for a few optional ones where the difficulty lies in the sheer number of enemies attacking you, making them tedious.

The game features 4 large areas to explore (all in the same building?) and 2 additional ones via DLC, although they aren't related to the main story—especially one that merely connects this game to another—they add extra hours of gameplay if you're looking for more. There are also 2 minigames: a 4-mission level and an arena-style arcade game, both designed to help you get better mods, though they can get repetitive due to their lack of variety.

Is it worth?

Most likely Yes, Control features great gameplay and a story that, while not for everyone, is quite interesting. Exploring and finding collectibles has a certain charm, though the battles can feel monotonous as the game progresses; however, the accessibility options can help you see how the game ends. Completing the base game will take you 10 hours, and achieving 100% completion (campaign and DLC) will take about 30 hours.