Control
WhenControlreleased last year it was plagued with glitches and technical issues that realize it quite a chip of ire from player . devotee that stuck with the plot through this tumultuous launch , however , were repay with a sincerely thrilling experience with delicately - hone fighting and deeply satisfying supernatural major power . Controlwas praised not only for its superb gameplay but for its setting and tale ; the biz throws players into the deeply baleful halls of the Oldest House , a powerful body structure with eery supernatural secrets lurking behind every corner . These elements all came together to make for a truly exceptional championship that waswell receive by a number of critic , even earning Game of the Year nods .
Developer Remedy Entertainment was happy to give fans as much ofControl ’s unique power trip as they wanted , as the game has received a unwavering stream of DLC content since launching . The first major expansion , Foundation , was released in June , and sent player character Jesse Faden into the mysterious caverns beneath the Oldest House to head off tragedy and learn some of the mystic origins of the eponymous Federal Bureau of Control . The second DLC , AWE , sends Jesse to a new location within the Bureau ’s ever - shifting rampart , and reintroduces farseeing - time Remedy fan to a very familiar face . It also addssome much - want handiness feature .
Related : CrossfireX , Control Developer Remedy Says Next Game Might Also Be FPS
AWEbrings Jesse to a new location shout out the Investigations Department , a long - abandoned division of the Federal Bureau of Control task with investigating Altered World Events , occurrence where the strange , extrasensory entity that are the FBC ’s purview directly interact with average citizens and threaten their perception of realism . At the center of these investigating is the Bright Falls AWE , which is the name the FBC has pass on to the events of Remedy ’s 2010 thrillerAlan Wake . WhileControlhad many easter eggs referencing the ten class old secret plan , AWEserves as the first prescribed crossing between the two properties , and the debut ofRemedy ’s new shared universe . AWEis still very much aControlexpansion in terms of gameplay and note , butAlan Wakefans will find a lot in the DLC to tie into the older prop . Fortunately , an overabundance of collectibles will aid clue unfamiliarControlfans in to the relevant information from the old plot .
While the premature DLC tookControlplayers to a new , cavernous realm vastly unlike from the stark , brutalist hallways they were used to , AWEkeeps things much more familiar , keep histrion hard inside the offices and storage warehouse they ’re used to from the base game . Of course , this is n’t to say that there ’s nothing new inAWE- that could n’t be further from the verity . The main conceitedness inAWEis a raw puzzle auto-mechanic based around illumination , which should be familiar toAlan Wakefans . Players must use powerful light sources to destroy viscous , ugly piles of dark that impede their advance . Many of these puzzler are as mere as regain a light source and bringing it to the darkness , but as the DLC progresses , Controlintroduces more and more complicated challenge that must be overcome before the iniquity can be eliminated .
The light mechanic is well used with regards toAWE ’s other major addition : Dr. Hartman . TheAlan Wakevillain has been mutated into a grotesque monster that stalk the halls of the Investigations Department and attempts to kill Jesse multiple time over the course of the DLC . Hartman is arguably one of the most terrific entities in the whole plot . He is weakly to Christ Within , and every time he rears his ugly pass the end becomes lighting up the way as quickly as possible to drive him away . Each Hartman skirmish builds on the one before it and becomes more challenging in a singular but intuitive agency . face down the respectable doctor is guaranteed to get the blood pumping every time .
In addition to Jesse ’s chief pursuit to convey down Dr. Hartman , AWEprovides plenty of side quest that are just as phantasmagorical as one would carry . curative has had a full year to determine what make an encounter with an altered particular memorable , and that really beam in this DLC , which succeeds in making the player feel emotional about a train cable car . There ’s also an neutered arcade cabinet that lets fighting - hungry player take on challenge and action replay bosses . Another major addition is Surge , a new form for the Service Weapon that gives Jesse access to stay grenades that she can explode at will .
Perhaps the only unsatisfying affair aboutAWEis its news report . fan who were expecting a continuation ofthe secret account electric discharge launchedin the previous expansion will be lease down , asAWEis entirely unrelated toFoundation . The newfangled expansion builds on the storey ofAlan Wakequite skilfully , but it has slight to do with the history of the Bureau . That said , and without giving away too much , the conclusion of the DLC is still worth experiencing for anyControlfan .
AWEis absolutely a worthwhile continuation of theControlexperience . It introduces delightful young gameplay self-love and iterates on them masterfully within such a brief time framing . The story might not appeal to everyone but everything else that ’s deserving loving aboutControlcan be establish here . Anyone whoenjoyed the baseControlexperienceshouldn’t hesitate to giveAWEa whirl .
Next : Control come To Steam Later This Month With Ultimate Edition
ascendence : AWEis available now for PS4 , Xbox One , and Windows . A digital code was provided to Screen Rant for purposes of review .
