Despite being very much the opposite when I was younger, I'm not really much of a lore nerd for anything anymore. I'm generally much more interested in approaching things critically and so diving into that kind of stuff isn't really to my taste: if anything, I'm a bit annoyed by how much we tend to focus on canonicity and extended lore nowadays. For me personally, it often feels like a shallower kind of appreciation than thinking about art in relation to other things. That isn't to put down people who love that kind of thing or to say that the way they're into art is less sophisticated than the way I am...that'd be shitty. I just mean that in my experience, that's not the best way for me to interact with games anymore. But god damn it, I want to immerse myself in Control lore and its delightfully animated cast, and this DLC scratches that itch perfectly.

Here we get an opportunity to see Jesse grow more confident and willing to throw her weight around instead of blindly following the instructions of those around her, and her defiance of The Board is so goddamn satisfying. Plus, diving into the history of the FBC in the Oldest House is exactly what I wanted and I could gladly dive into hours of it. I want to know everything and I want knowing everything to open up more that I cannot know. I love the feeling of diving further and further into the unknown and understanding less the more I know, and Control captures that better than nearly anything I can think of

Oh and I love that the Half-Life/Portal influence that was already very present in the base game gets turned up even higher in The Foundation. While spaces are still somewhat open, there's a more Valveian tinge to the environmental design and approach to player psychology that keeps things moving without making you feel too railroaded and as a bonus giving your surroundings even more character. I hope that this more careful approach is built upon in the sequel, as those moments of "where the fuck do I go??" are easily the worst thing about this game.