Control was on my wish list for quite some time. During the Summer Sale 2025 I purchased the Ultimate Edition for only 6 euros. Considering the rich storyline, the amount of lore, exploration and overall content, this feels like a robbery 😉. We play as Jesse Faden, who after years of investigations, was finally able to track her brother held by the Federal Bureau of Control in New York. We are immediately immersed in an eerie environment with empty offices and floating bodies all over the place. During our adventure we will slowly unveil the several dark secrets that the FBC is involved with over the course of several decades. The dialogues and cutscenes maintain a layer of mystery, making me genuinely curious for the sort of certain characters. The game will also deepen certain plot elements through collectibles that can be found across different areas. Remedy Entertainment is known for its quality storytelling and with this game they confirm once again their good reputation in this department.


The level design is excellent: the player sees locations shifting that will make us feel a bit disoriented, creating visually appealing instances. This matches perfectly with the overall mood of the story. The encounters with the enemies are challenging and it will be necessary to repeat some sections quite a few times. However, the game is pretty rewarding and for each cleared stage will give a generous amount of ability points that can be spent purchasing new personal and weapons mods. It seems a pretty standard thing for a videogame, but trust me, in this case the offensive and defensive mechanisms are particularly well integrated and choosing the proper upgrades, depending on the situation, will make all the difference. The game also incorporates a few environmental puzzles, but nothing too complicated and once you understand the logic, these can be completed fairly quickly.

If you really want to put your skills to the test, the Ultimate Edition contains extra game modes that are mostly based on enemy waves. It is a nice addition that lets detach from the main plot, prolonging the playtime, even when you are done with all the main missions and side quests, adding value to the product.

Control is set in the same narrative universe of Alan Wake and there are clear mentions of the 2010 game. The references are vague hence you will be able to follow the plot with no prior knowledge of the fictional writer's adventure. I would suggest buying at least The Foundation DLC, as it gives a proper closure, while the ending of the base game keeps things a bit too open, not providing a proper resolution in my perspective. Both expansions are seamlessly integrated in the main game and are well made. This is one of the few exceptions where I really recommend the purchase of all the extra content because it is really worth it, especially if you find a good deal.