With the announcement of Alan Wake 2 at The Game Awards 2021, now is a good time to revisit the first game. However, there's only so much to explore, so for fans looking to play something else to tide them over until Alan Wake 2, Remedy Entertainment's most recent release is the best place to start. Control was released in 2019 to great reviews, and Xbox Game Pass subscribers have access to it right now. Control will leave the service later this month, so subscribers should check it out soon. Control's main story features many references to Alan Wake, and Control's expansion AWE is a crossover between the two games.
Those unfamiliar with Alan Wake need not be put off by these connections, as Control is very much its own experience. In fact, one of Control's biggest inspiration is the SCP Foundation, a viral collaborative piece of fiction that has inspired a number of games and other media. Rather than the SCP Foundation, Control revolves around the FBC (Federal Bureau of Control), a similarly secret and hidden organization responsible for handling the supernatural and paranormal. Upon its release, Control quickly became Remedy's fastest-selling IP since Max Payne.
Control's Influences and Development
Development of the game began with the conception of the FBC, and developers studied various documents and files associated with the SCP Foundation in order to design the structure of Control. Further inspiration was taken from late 19th/early 20th Century weird fiction, and developers wanted to utilize weirdness in order to create an ongoing sense of dread in the player rather than having adrenaline-boosting jump scares.
In having the strange events of the story focus around the bureaucratic FBC, this sense of foreboding is reinforced by the eerie, unsettling nature of exploring a banal, everyday setting that is familiar but also entirely unfamiliar due to supernatural events. Control was influenced by a variety of films, particularly using brutalist architecture to reinforce the foreboding nature of the FBC. The developers have cited A Clockwork Orange, The Shape of Water, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy as all helping the team design the world of Control.
Numerous real-world architects and buildings also informed the building of Control's environment, and in particular FBC's headquarters, the Oldest House. From a technological standpoint, Control marked one of the first AAA games released after real-time ray tracing became widely available. This allowed the developer to create a more impressive environment for players to explore while uncovering the strange mysteries of the narrative.
Control's Gameplay and Story
Unlike Remedy's previous games, Control features a non-linear style of exploration in the same vein as Metroid. The majority of the game takes place at the Oldest House, where the FBC studies Altered World Events (AWE). However, the Oldest House is a shifting, supernatural entity that defies traditional logic. The game begins with the Oldest House possessed by a being known as the Hiss, which can also possess human FBC agents that will serve as Control's main enemies. Players assume control of Jesse Faden on a quest to find her missing brother, which leads her to the Oldest House.
In general, Control's story and gameplay were well-received, with plenty of praise for its writing and world-building. With all its influences in mind, it is no surprise that Control's strengths lie in its use of weirdness and the environment. However, for players unfamiliar with things like the SCP Foundation, Control serves as a great introduction to the genre.
Since Control was nominated for numerous awards in 2019, it is worth playing to see what the hype was about. Control also shows how Remedy Entertainment has grown since releasing Alan Wake in 2010, and any curious Xbox Game Pass subscribers should take the opportunity to check it out before the game is gone.
Control is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
