Before diving into the world of Control, I tried to avoid reviews and comments on the game as much as possible. I knew Control had received a ton of accolades, and I was also aware of the broad strokes: a mash-up of Twin Peaks, Lost, and X-Files, wrapped around a third-person shooter/puzzler. My initial thought was, “sign me up.”
Sitting a couple hours deep, I began to feel my contrarian tendencies boiling up. The game felt sluggish to control, the visuals just felt a bit off, and I could really only describe my experience to that point as flat. Luckily, someone suggested that I switch my PS5 from the graphics mode to performance. Like a driver stepping out of an Audi A3 to get behind the wheel of an Audi RS3, I was reinvigorated. Changing to 60fps completely transformed the feel of the game. It’s the first time I’ve ever been aware of such a notable change in game-play and its effects on my enjoyment.
Refreshed and determined to see the mission through, I continued to push deeper into ‘The Oldest House’ to see whether there was actually a great game hidden hours in. By the time it was over, I could say that although it had grown on me, I was not left completely satisfied.
As you progress, you amass a wider range of powers. Each power unlocked makes the combat more varied and compelling, but unfortunately you won’t fully appreciate the mechanics of these battles until you are well into the final stretch of the game. Once the game resolves, you have finally seen the combat click into place in a satisfying way, but sadly at that point you are only left with whatever endgame and DLC you choose to explore.
As high as it may appear I am on the fighting by the end, I still wish there had been some more variety in how the various enemies were designed. After hours fighting the same 5 or 6 things, they started to blend together and feel indistinguishable. Some could fly, some could warp, but they all looked like one another. Additionally, the checkpoint system felt pretty archaic. There were a handful of times where I accomplished my main task, and accidentally died soon after. Oddly enough my death would be rewarded, the previous checkpoint so distant that I would accidentally leapfrog a portion of the challenge.
With regards to the story, there is an impressive level of ‘collectibles,’ paperwork, tapes, and the like--all contributing to the larger mood of the game. Unfortunately, if you’re like me and constantly fear that you’re missing vital story beats contained within an obscure invoice or note, you’ll get easily bogged down by the overwhelming level of detail here. Perhaps the game could have better flagged what was essential reading, or introduced some voice-over work to allow you to review the contents while continuing on with your mission. Maybe this criticism says more about me than the game itself.
The story also relies in part on various mixed media/video pieces that are both well executed and entertaining. They often lighten the mood of an otherwise dreary setting. When the game presents the story through it’s character models interacting with one another, the segments feel somewhat wooden and often pull away from any immersion the game otherwise succeeds in.
All this is to say, I suppose I was ultimately underwhelmed by Control. There were aspects that I really enjoyed, but it was clear that there was plenty of room for improvement. If you told me a sequel was on the horizon, I would be interested yet again, but I hope that they would build upon the frame of a good game they have here.
Sitting a couple hours deep, I began to feel my contrarian tendencies boiling up. The game felt sluggish to control, the visuals just felt a bit off, and I could really only describe my experience to that point as flat. Luckily, someone suggested that I switch my PS5 from the graphics mode to performance. Like a driver stepping out of an Audi A3 to get behind the wheel of an Audi RS3, I was reinvigorated. Changing to 60fps completely transformed the feel of the game. It’s the first time I’ve ever been aware of such a notable change in game-play and its effects on my enjoyment.
Refreshed and determined to see the mission through, I continued to push deeper into ‘The Oldest House’ to see whether there was actually a great game hidden hours in. By the time it was over, I could say that although it had grown on me, I was not left completely satisfied.
As you progress, you amass a wider range of powers. Each power unlocked makes the combat more varied and compelling, but unfortunately you won’t fully appreciate the mechanics of these battles until you are well into the final stretch of the game. Once the game resolves, you have finally seen the combat click into place in a satisfying way, but sadly at that point you are only left with whatever endgame and DLC you choose to explore.
As high as it may appear I am on the fighting by the end, I still wish there had been some more variety in how the various enemies were designed. After hours fighting the same 5 or 6 things, they started to blend together and feel indistinguishable. Some could fly, some could warp, but they all looked like one another. Additionally, the checkpoint system felt pretty archaic. There were a handful of times where I accomplished my main task, and accidentally died soon after. Oddly enough my death would be rewarded, the previous checkpoint so distant that I would accidentally leapfrog a portion of the challenge.
With regards to the story, there is an impressive level of ‘collectibles,’ paperwork, tapes, and the like--all contributing to the larger mood of the game. Unfortunately, if you’re like me and constantly fear that you’re missing vital story beats contained within an obscure invoice or note, you’ll get easily bogged down by the overwhelming level of detail here. Perhaps the game could have better flagged what was essential reading, or introduced some voice-over work to allow you to review the contents while continuing on with your mission. Maybe this criticism says more about me than the game itself.
The story also relies in part on various mixed media/video pieces that are both well executed and entertaining. They often lighten the mood of an otherwise dreary setting. When the game presents the story through it’s character models interacting with one another, the segments feel somewhat wooden and often pull away from any immersion the game otherwise succeeds in.
All this is to say, I suppose I was ultimately underwhelmed by Control. There were aspects that I really enjoyed, but it was clear that there was plenty of room for improvement. If you told me a sequel was on the horizon, I would be interested yet again, but I hope that they would build upon the frame of a good game they have here.