What’s it like to “Control” Jesse Fayden?
Pretty damn cool… for the most part.
Though it’s likely my least favorite Remedy Game (a detail I’ll touch on in a minute), there’s still plenty to enjoy in a single play-through. The combat mechanics get progressively better as you go along, and stylistically, it has similarities to some of the coolest Sci-fi films out there, such as Annihilation and Stalker.
It took a while for the combat and traversal mechanics to grow on me. It felt underwhelming at first. The gunplay didn’t really feel all that satisfying early on, and it was a while before I started to unlock new abilities, which made traversing the building feel like a slog. I used fast travel more than I would have liked to.
Things began to click about 35-40% through though. Using the different abilities in tandem became really satisfying. That’s when the full potential of the combat was realized. Upgrading each ability was useful, though I had to occasionally start from scratch with the upgrade system, which felt a bit superfluous.
The UI of the upgrade system could have been better. I get the whole minimalist stylistic choice… but I actually think that hurt things here. It’s very bland, and uninteresting to look at. Bareboned to say the least.
The same can be said for the environments in this game. It’s cool that this all takes place in one really tall building (or the oldest house) in concept… and it does a nice job at trying to make different floor levels feel distinguishable. It still manages to suffer from a bland color palette, and a lack of interactivity in its level design. These areas feel empty and devoid of entertainment.
Aside from the random enemies that you have to fight, the files you find, and the boxes you open, there’s nothing to do. I can see why making it feel devoid of life would help the narrative… but there’s more that could have been done to immerse the players in this environment. Now that I’ve shat all over the style after saying I really liked it in the beginning, let me explain what I meant by that.
The cutscenes are designed in a way that feel very cinematic. I think that’s when the stylistic flair really shines. I love the look of them. Especially the opening. It sets the perfect stage for the journey ahead, and it manages to establish a level of mystery and intrigue that reel you in immediately. If only it was able to maintain that!!!
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this game, is the narrative.
It starts off really well, and it slowly devolves into a meandering, confusing mess. Mostly because it’s filled with fetch-questy side tasks that don’t really add much to the overall plot. It’s you running around turning on power, or clearing control points for information on your brother.
The entire plot of the game is entering the oldest house to find your brother, and save him. And that’s exactly what you go ahead and do. There’s not much that happens in between. Nothing substantial enough to take note of. You learn a bit about Jesse’s past… but not enough to justify the runtime. The whole experience feels overly drawn out with not enough gameplay variety to keep it compelling.
It’s conceptual ideas don’t always come together satisfyingly, it’s save points are infuriating, and the dialogue exchanges feel stiff to the point of being awkward. And all of these issues are repetitious. So why did I give it 3 and a half stars?
Because when it kicks ass, it kicks ass all over the place. When the concepts do work, you get some really awesome stuff. The motel was a fun way to change the pace of the game. I liked the puzzle solving, though on the easier side. It also added to the weirdness of the environment. The cinematography in the cutscenes is gorgeous, and best of all, the final act is so damn cool.
The last act of this game really brought it together for me. The Maze is a section I see brought up a lot. For good reason too. The level design is slick, and motivated. The song choice adds to the excitement, and the combat feels amazing in the moment.
Trying to save Polaris felt like the right combat balance for me. It was hard, but not hard to the point that I wanted to put head through the tv. It was a really cool section that added a lot of tension. Plus the transition from that set piece into the fake credit sequence, into the office section was just incredible. I wanted more of this content the whole game! Then there’s the final combat stretch that was a bit harder and more frustrating than the Polaris section, but just as fun.
The game ends a bit too abrupt for my liking, but I’m hoping to take away something from the DLC’s. I’m also hoping that the storytelling is tighter knit with the shorter runtimes. We’ll see. Overall, it’s a frustrating game with its underutilized potential. I know you have it in you Remedy! But I can’t deny that I still enjoyed my play-through. Though it’s just that alone. My one (and done) play-through.
Pretty damn cool… for the most part.
Though it’s likely my least favorite Remedy Game (a detail I’ll touch on in a minute), there’s still plenty to enjoy in a single play-through. The combat mechanics get progressively better as you go along, and stylistically, it has similarities to some of the coolest Sci-fi films out there, such as Annihilation and Stalker.
It took a while for the combat and traversal mechanics to grow on me. It felt underwhelming at first. The gunplay didn’t really feel all that satisfying early on, and it was a while before I started to unlock new abilities, which made traversing the building feel like a slog. I used fast travel more than I would have liked to.
Things began to click about 35-40% through though. Using the different abilities in tandem became really satisfying. That’s when the full potential of the combat was realized. Upgrading each ability was useful, though I had to occasionally start from scratch with the upgrade system, which felt a bit superfluous.
The UI of the upgrade system could have been better. I get the whole minimalist stylistic choice… but I actually think that hurt things here. It’s very bland, and uninteresting to look at. Bareboned to say the least.
The same can be said for the environments in this game. It’s cool that this all takes place in one really tall building (or the oldest house) in concept… and it does a nice job at trying to make different floor levels feel distinguishable. It still manages to suffer from a bland color palette, and a lack of interactivity in its level design. These areas feel empty and devoid of entertainment.
Aside from the random enemies that you have to fight, the files you find, and the boxes you open, there’s nothing to do. I can see why making it feel devoid of life would help the narrative… but there’s more that could have been done to immerse the players in this environment. Now that I’ve shat all over the style after saying I really liked it in the beginning, let me explain what I meant by that.
The cutscenes are designed in a way that feel very cinematic. I think that’s when the stylistic flair really shines. I love the look of them. Especially the opening. It sets the perfect stage for the journey ahead, and it manages to establish a level of mystery and intrigue that reel you in immediately. If only it was able to maintain that!!!
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this game, is the narrative.
It starts off really well, and it slowly devolves into a meandering, confusing mess. Mostly because it’s filled with fetch-questy side tasks that don’t really add much to the overall plot. It’s you running around turning on power, or clearing control points for information on your brother.
The entire plot of the game is entering the oldest house to find your brother, and save him. And that’s exactly what you go ahead and do. There’s not much that happens in between. Nothing substantial enough to take note of. You learn a bit about Jesse’s past… but not enough to justify the runtime. The whole experience feels overly drawn out with not enough gameplay variety to keep it compelling.
It’s conceptual ideas don’t always come together satisfyingly, it’s save points are infuriating, and the dialogue exchanges feel stiff to the point of being awkward. And all of these issues are repetitious. So why did I give it 3 and a half stars?
Because when it kicks ass, it kicks ass all over the place. When the concepts do work, you get some really awesome stuff. The motel was a fun way to change the pace of the game. I liked the puzzle solving, though on the easier side. It also added to the weirdness of the environment. The cinematography in the cutscenes is gorgeous, and best of all, the final act is so damn cool.
The last act of this game really brought it together for me. The Maze is a section I see brought up a lot. For good reason too. The level design is slick, and motivated. The song choice adds to the excitement, and the combat feels amazing in the moment.
Trying to save Polaris felt like the right combat balance for me. It was hard, but not hard to the point that I wanted to put head through the tv. It was a really cool section that added a lot of tension. Plus the transition from that set piece into the fake credit sequence, into the office section was just incredible. I wanted more of this content the whole game! Then there’s the final combat stretch that was a bit harder and more frustrating than the Polaris section, but just as fun.
The game ends a bit too abrupt for my liking, but I’m hoping to take away something from the DLC’s. I’m also hoping that the storytelling is tighter knit with the shorter runtimes. We’ll see. Overall, it’s a frustrating game with its underutilized potential. I know you have it in you Remedy! But I can’t deny that I still enjoyed my play-through. Though it’s just that alone. My one (and done) play-through.