It has garnered high praise for its combat, narrative, and live action segments, while also taking some criticism for its performance on consoles. However, choppy frame rates do little to detract from Control’s brilliance. To further deepen your appreciation for this unique title, the following list will point out ten things you didn’t know you could find, do or mess with in Control.
10 Talk To Dylan
At about the halfway point, Jesse finds her brother. Unfortunately, he is an altered state of existence, seemingly under control by the Hiss, the invading force that has taken over the Oldest House. He is immediately quarantined and players are tasked with investigating a different area of the environment.
However, one can strike up a dialogue with the character before moving on. Jesse tries to get through to him for some answers, but everything he says is either nonsense or leads to even more questions. Even by the end of Control, not all mysteries are made clear.
9 Poets Of The Fall
Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall have contributed to most Remedy games, either as themselves or as the fictional metal band Old Gods of Asgard. The latter comes into play during the story, but a song from the real band is hidden within the Oldest House.
On the first level of the Central Research room behind some stairs, a door leads to a room where the bureau was performing some experiments dealing with sound. Activating the experiment will start up a song by the band.
8 Candidate P7 Outfit
Jesse has a small wardrobe she can collect during the game, with the Candidate P7 outfit being the earliest one players usually come across. Jesse will eventually make her way to the Prime Candidate Program area in the Oldest House, which is where the P6 and P7 rooms are.
Scrounge around a bit in these rooms and the Candidate P7 costume will turn up. It’s not valuable just for the outfit, though: both rooms contain important, lore-building tidbits vital to gaining a deeper understanding of the narrative.
7 Skip Powers
It’s hard to see why anyone would want to do this, but the option exists. Many of the power-ups Jesse comes across are optional. Only a couple, like Levitate, are necessary to progress through the story.
Each power-up adds a new dynamic to the combat, and by the end, most players are rarely using the gun, instead opting to take out enemies with their unique abilities. Still, some people like a self-imposed challenge, and beating the game with minimal powers will certainly make the game harder.
6 Alleviate Fall Damage With Levitate
Enemies eat up Jesse’s health fast, making the life bar a valuable commodity at certain points. Every enemy drops health upon defeat, but an upgrade unlocked about two-thirds of the way through helps alleviate fall damage if one knows how to use it.
Players can activate Levitate –the ability to float in the air, unsurprisingly– just before landing from a great height, in order to stop Jesse’s momentum and avoid any fall damage. By using this technique, you can leap from edges that would otherwise give you a game over, saving time and adding another layer to the already fun traversal.
5 Beating Tommasi
The optional boss fight with Tommasi is one of the game’s hardest challenges. He isn’t formidable on his own, but other Hiss come to rain on Jesse’s parade. Fortunately, one can separate the two forces and take them on one at a time.
Use Levitate to make it up to the top of the room, and one will find a small bridge on which to land. From here, Tommasi can be dealt with one-on-one, and the Hiss below are helpless to reach Jesse. Maybe it feels like cheating, but perhaps Tommasi is the cheater for summoning backup in the first place?
4 Knock Down The Projections
In the game, live action segments are projected onto the world. Jesse can knock these over, revealing one of the game’s most impressive technological marvels. The projector doesn’t stop going, and the film will keep playing onto the surface at which it is now pointing!
The picture is appropriately distorted if it is an uneven area. The level of interaction on display in Control is simply breathtaking, and the simulation of projected live action film on any surface adds to the world’s realism.
3 Talk To NPCs After Beating The Game
All too often, gamers switch off the game after the credits roll and move on to something else. Doing this immediately after finishing Control is a mistake. Hang around the world for a little while and see how the environment changed after beating the game, you’ll be surprised by the secrets you find!
The supporting characters have new dialogue explaining the problems the bureau still faces and what the future holds. A couple of missions are also available. One has to imagine any future DLC will take place after the ending.
2 Get The Janitor Outfit
Ahti is one of the most mysterious characters in Control for sure, but he helps out during the confusing and dangerous story. Especially appreciative players can return the favor by unlocking and donning the janitor’s clothing.
To unlock his uniform, one simply has to complete the missions posted on the bulletin board in his office. After finishing five, a sixth one opens up, which awards the blue costume upon completion.
1 Hear Alan Wake
What starts out as a subtle reference turns into a full confirmation of Alan Wake’s connection to Control. In the Panopticon’s fifth floor, accessible through Levitate, sits a room where one hears the titular protagonist’s voice.
The 2010 game slowly became a cult hit, and fans are clamoring for a sequel. This reference confirms Remedy’s commitment to the beloved character. A sequel hasn’t been confirmed, but the developer recently regained the rights to the character and several signs are pointing to a potential crossover in a DLC expansion for Control.
Next: 10 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Control
