CONTROL's themes and presentation are so cool and addicting that the Oldest House is likely to go down as one of my favorite video game locations of all time. The production design across the game is so mysteriously enticing that I kept wanting to come back to the game whenever I wasn't there. Combined with collectibles that build the world, and I was hooked for 9/10's of my playthrough.
However, that last tenth of my immersion was ruined by HOW this game handles its world-building secrets. I don't understand why so many games fail to grasp what BIOSHOCK knew all the way back in 2007: DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO STOP THE GAME TO INTERACT WITH LORE ITEMS. You literally have to put the controller down and wait for audio logs, video messages, and episodes of TV shows to play out in full. It's such a momentum killer. Just make it all strictly audio and let it play in the background!
It's a real pain, because the exploration and combat mechanics in this are so fun and well rounded that said interruptions truly sting. Running, dodging, gunning down enemies in front of you while telekinetically throwing items at flanking enemies all combine into some exhilarating combat experiences.
The only time it goes awry is when the game's own visuals screw you over. This game has a limited color pallet: Red, Grey, White, and Black. And when your black-clad character is fighting black-clad enemies in a dark, shadowy room, you'll frequently get killed by projectiles that you couldn't TELL were projectiles because they mix in with all of the OTHER PARTICLE EFFECTS. The number of baffling deaths I suffered were too many.
Despite my gripes, I'm very eager to keep exploring and see what the Ultimate Edition's DLC entails. The FBC is too intriguing of a world for me to leave behind, even with the breaches in its structure.
However, that last tenth of my immersion was ruined by HOW this game handles its world-building secrets. I don't understand why so many games fail to grasp what BIOSHOCK knew all the way back in 2007: DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO STOP THE GAME TO INTERACT WITH LORE ITEMS. You literally have to put the controller down and wait for audio logs, video messages, and episodes of TV shows to play out in full. It's such a momentum killer. Just make it all strictly audio and let it play in the background!
It's a real pain, because the exploration and combat mechanics in this are so fun and well rounded that said interruptions truly sting. Running, dodging, gunning down enemies in front of you while telekinetically throwing items at flanking enemies all combine into some exhilarating combat experiences.
The only time it goes awry is when the game's own visuals screw you over. This game has a limited color pallet: Red, Grey, White, and Black. And when your black-clad character is fighting black-clad enemies in a dark, shadowy room, you'll frequently get killed by projectiles that you couldn't TELL were projectiles because they mix in with all of the OTHER PARTICLE EFFECTS. The number of baffling deaths I suffered were too many.
Despite my gripes, I'm very eager to keep exploring and see what the Ultimate Edition's DLC entails. The FBC is too intriguing of a world for me to leave behind, even with the breaches in its structure.