Control

About Control

Remedy Entertainment released Control in August 2019 on PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and Series X|S consoles. You play as Jesse Faden, a new director taking over the Federal Bureau of Control after an alien object crashes into their New York headquarters. This supernatural third-person action-adventure tasks you with fighting through a shifting bureaucratic nightmare while uncovering secrets hidden in the building. The game features reactive environments and offers a deep narrative that unfolds alongside your combat encounters. It launched on multiple platforms including Google Stadia, giving players many ways to access this strange world without needing a specific console ecosystem.

Gameplay

You move around using standard third-person controls while shooting telekinetically at enemies or tossing objects as improvised weapons. The core loop involves scanning documents to unlock new abilities like Launch and Shield, which you then equip into your loadout before heading back into the facility. Combat feels frantic as you dodge incoming attacks and use the environment to gain cover. You explore large offices and labs that rearrange themselves when you are not looking, forcing you to pay attention to every hallway. Sessions typically last several hours as you hunt for collectibles and fight through waves of hostile entities known as Hiss soldiers. The game offers no multiplayer or cooperative modes, keeping the focus entirely on your solo progression through the story.

What Players Think

Critics gave Control a Metacritic score of 84 out of 100 while IGDB users rated it 83.3 based on 894 ratings. PlayPile data shows the community vibes lean heavily toward Intense with four votes and Atmospheric with three votes. Players spend an average amount of time mastering the game, though only 30.2% of players unlock achievements on average. There are 67 total achievements to find, but the rarest one is Vending Spree, which only 3.30% of players have unlocked so far. The cheapest price found was 5.19 dollars at Green Man Gaming, with a historical low of 5.99 dollars. Review snippets often mention the difficulty curve and the strange nature of the enemies as key discussion points among the player base.

PlayPile's Take

Control is worth your time if you enjoy slow-paced exploration mixed with intense combat encounters. The game currently costs just over five dollars, making it a great value for the content you get. You will spend roughly 30 hours to finish the main story and tackle those tricky achievements. Jesse Faden offers a compelling protagonist without needing any prior knowledge of Remedy games. The price point is low enough to justify a purchase even if you do not care about the rare Vending Spree trophy. Avoid this title only if you strictly prefer fast-paced shooters with no story elements. The environmental storytelling remains one of the strongest aspects of the experience.

Storyline

After a secretive agency in New York is invaded by an otherworldly threat, you become the new Director struggling to regain Control. Control is Jesse Faden’s story and her personal search for answers as she grows into the role of the Director. The world of Control has its own story, as do the allies Jesse meets along the way. Jesse works with other Bureau agents and discovers strange experiments and secrets.