Review for Control. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the video game was released on 27/08/2019
The 2019 videogame has so far been the scene of top-level productions, capable of giving prestige to new and old companies. On the one hand, small surprises and / or great confirmations have arrived, but what has been able to really upset (for good, of course), have been the great returns. Important brands have made their (re) appearance, generating profits and consensus left and right, thus stealing the show even from the “younger” ones. Among the great returns there is also the name of Remedy Entertainment which, after the experiment - only half successful - completed four years ago with Quantum Break, it returns to the scene with a brand new IP with great potential: Control. The talented Finnish developers have placed high expectations on the production, so much so as to anticipate a possible transformation into a real brand, destined to last over the years. Breaking into the hearts of gamers is not easy at all, especially when you are the authors of unforgettable and unforgettable masterpieces like Alan Wake and Max Payne, and this Remedy knew very well. For this reason the software house has decided to focus on the elements that have always distinguished its work: an important background story, a charismatic protagonist and a fresh gameplay with a unique style.
At the end of the run, we realized that not all of these factors worked properly, making Control probably not remembered as an absolute masterpiece., still remaining an excellent game, which does not look bad in any way with the other big pieces so far released. The reason is obvious.
The key element of the production is certainly the plot, a plot that proves to be mature, full of facets and damn complex from the very first bars. Jesse Faden, the protagonist of the story, goes to the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control, of which, quickly and following mysterious events, he will even become the Director. The "visit" of the young woman, whose face was donated by the beautiful American actress Courtney Hope, however, has very hidden objectives.
Soon, what will be the main narrative strand of most of the story will be revealed. Jesse is looking for a specific person which, apparently, the agency has somehow hidden from the eyes of the world. Once inside the Bureau's threshold, Jesse is faced with a situation on the verge of human understanding. The structure - which acts as the theater for the whole story - fell prey to a mysterious paranormal entity that slowly nestled itself in every corner, also taking over the mind and body of most of the agents and more generally of all (or almost) the unfortunates present.
Soon, the protagonist realizes that, in order to find clues to the mysterious disappearance of her brother, whose cause she attributes to the high levels of the Bureau, she will have to collaborate with the same - suspected - executioners, in an attempt to eradicate a more threatening threat. big than it seems. And this is where the Control storyline literally explodes, but which is also difficult to understand, given the intricate dialogues that open the doors to complex conspiracies, the mysteries to be revealed and the refrigerators which, to put it a little à la David Lynch, not "they are what they seem".
Yes, we didn't randomly talk about refrigerators. Why, but then you will find out for yourself, one of the strengths of the narrative ecosystem of Control is precisely that which revolves around the mysterious Objects of Power: simple and common tools that, for some reason, are linked to the alternative dimension from which it also comes the Hiss, that sort of "virus" that infected everyone present.
Power is nothing, without Control!
In order to explore the building with greater freedom, Jesse is called to purify the so-called Checkpoints, places where most of the toughest enemies gather, such as bosses, mini-bosses and special soldiers. The latter, which also act as a bonfire-style respawn point, allow the protagonist both to power up and to transport herself from one point to another in the structure, but also to customize her arsenal and accept new assignments. They go well with the main story, offering a more than satisfying overall playful picture. However, Jesse's mission is only one: to find his brother Dylan at any cost, and to do so it will be necessary to make his way through a number of important enemies, divided among them by a sort of always different "mutation", which gives the revived appearance and different skills.
In its simplicity, the gunplay, but above all the gameplay in general, of Control is more fun, satisfying and addictive than it might seem at first. Jesse, as you complete activities, some of which are ancillary, in addition to unlocking new upgrades for what is the first and proper Object of Power, the "simple" service pistol, actually equipped with different shapes and abilities, unlocks new powers both physical and psychic, thus becoming, over time, a real beloved of the Hiss.
In her body, for some strange reason, the abilities lurk without apparently leaving traces of mutations or mental alterations even though the protagonist often and willingly talks literally alone, a bit like Senua in Hellblade. By acquiring new powers, the approach to fighting changes exponentially, even if the skills acquired do not make you cry a miracle from the point of view of inventiveness. And if dodging and telekinesis are two solutions as abused as they are useful for overcoming enemies, the mental possession of enemies with little life left and the possibility of creating shields by lifting surrounding boulders and rocks become two solutions that are certainly more fascinating, but clearly less effective. .
Each skill can be upgraded, and gives access to different types of branches, albeit far from numerous since the classic skill tree enjoyed by the protagonist is actually a little thin and does not offer many alternatives. You can enhance, in addition to skills, health and energy, but we are sure that you will soon divert your attention to skills related to telekinesis, clearly the most effective and if we want unbalanced technique within the Remedy title. As we said earlier, the customization offered to the main gun convinced us much more.
Jesse's weapon can become, if necessary, a sort of machine gun, a small grenade launcher and even a sniper rifle, all without ever changing the original aspect too much, but only the type of archetype. Using elements found around the map, gradually of increasing rarity, in a crafting system that is anything but complex, it is possible to create and enhance new types of fire, with attached mods.
The latter are also accompanied by a level of enhancement, which offers, based on the quality, increasing statistics. We are sorry to ascertain that, despite everything works just fine, Control lacks that spark of innovation that it could have brought, instead rowing on much more conservative shores. Let's be clear, we had a lot of fun, especially combining the various skills during the fights, but we would certainly have expected a little more.
An enemy is forever
Thankfully, Control is characterized by a very high level of challenge. The enemies, although not exempt from occasional blunders, enjoy a very grim artificial intelligence that often puts the player on the spot. Most of the fights see enemies well blended in terms of variety, forcing Jesse to have to watch his back on multiple fronts. Add to this that the latter tend to surround the protagonist, often forcing her to abandon the cover. Some types of opponents, then, have the ability to heal their allies, thus giving rise to clashes that require greater dedication to be completed. The core of the clashes however remains the spectacularity and the frenzy, but to bring home the skin it is necessary to approach the various battles calmly and with a good strategy, especially those with the most important enemies. The boss fights, in particular, offer the best from the point of view of gameplay, in a game where you do not live - fortunately - only fights.
From time to time, the rhythm is broken by enigmas and environmental puzzles, actually all in all simple but useful for the purposes of truth. It is above all in these situations that the artistic vein of Control comes out in all its glory. Some steps, halfway between Twin Peaks e Inception, they surprised and amazed us more than once, especially at the end of the adventure, giving us glimpses of scenic mastery that are difficult to find elsewhere and with which Remedy has always been able to cheer us up since the time of the first Max Payne.
The crazy direction, however, accompanies the entire crossing, lasting about twenty hours, then characterized by the presence of multiple NPC very important for the purposes of both a better understanding of the game world and its secrets and a playful level. Many of them, in fact, provide the protagonist with extra tasks necessary for the acquisition of precious skill points, currency to upgrade and objects for the crafting, mechanics that lengthen the overall longevity, already abundantly embellished with a considerable amount of timed assignments.
The latter often consist in the elimination - within a specific time frame - of a certain objective, which can be found conveniently marked on the game map.
Spectacular, crazy, psychedelic
As for the graphics sector, the game manages to hold on to an excellent level of detail, even on a mid-range PC (trial version of our review). With medium settings (almost mandatory due to the high demand of the recommended requirements), the title manages to maintain a constant 30 fps, with excellent polygonal models and effects in general. Good is the lighting system and the rendering of the shadows, even if in truth the game is characterized by always very dark scenarios. In addition, the particles: the explosions on the screen generated by the abilities of both the protagonist and the opponents are really valuable; the same can be said for the other effects, such as those of gunshots, hand-to-hand "slaps", very effective on the first few bars, to tell the truth, and so on.
The same cannot be said of animations, however, especially facial ones. Some NPCs in particular are characterized by an almost caricatured facial expression and difficult to find in the real world.
The protagonist, inspired, as we said at the beginning, by Curtney Hope, is, on a technical level, of an excellent level. The same does not happen with regard to the narrative characterization, as Jesse turns out to be a perhaps excessively anonymous character and for which it is almost impossible to feel empathy. Technically speaking, however, Control manages to hit, despite a "single" setting. As already mentioned above, in fact, the whole adventure takes place in the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Control, which however opens up and expands more and more, both thanks to the assimilation of new skills, and simply by progressing in history. The scenarios, despite everything, maintain a strong characterization and are easily distinguished from each other, which is very important even when you decide to do something healthy. backtracking, to make the most of all the possibilities that the Metroidvania nature of the title can offer.
In this regard, we will easily remember where we were blocked by a door with an access level that was too high or by an overhead opening, reachable only by levitating. Returning to the more strictly technical discourse, the good news continues, but also collides with some less positive ones. The chosen soundtrack is very pleasant: especially in the final stages and in the most important clashes, you can hear excellent pieces, which make every fight, every clash, every frame, even more dynamic and frenetic. A sore point regarding dubbing, often out of sync and with voices that do not represent, qualitatively speaking, certainly the highest point of production.
The new Remedy course, with Control, can be considered promising. On the one hand we find a fun and well thought-out gameplay, slightly limited by a series of questionable choices (such as the poor customization of the skill tree), with an over the top artistic direction, worthy of the best Hollywood films, on the other hand we came across a general plot far from unforgettable and a protagonist for which it is almost impossible to sympathize. Jesse Faden is a character with little character and all too anonymous, which involves the gamer in his story only partially. His is a story of revenge which slowly takes on distinctly different connotations. In a flurry of situations on the edge of human understanding, numerous mysteries to unravel and people to find and save, we spent about 25 hours to complete the main story and most of the ancillary activities, admitting that we had a lot of fun, except for some situations in which the level of challenge seemed a little off balance. Overall, however, Control is a product that works, but which, probably, cannot be defined as the best Remedy product up to now, as many would have hoped for. If you are looking for an excellent action with a sensitive metroidvania connotation and with a fresh and satisfying combat system, you are in the right place.
► Control is an Adventure-Action game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by 505 Games for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the video game was released on 27/08/2019
