This month (November) we looked Remedy Entertainment’s Control. A deeply conspiratorial (in its tone and X-Files like aesthetic) third-person action game, set in the deep recesses of the Federal Bureau of Control.

Check out the liner notes here.

We discussed the game’s accessibility, its gating of areas and fit to the Metroidvania genre, its RPG-like (or light) levelling systems for character and weapons, as well as incredible density of writing and so many tightly orchestrated delivery systems for narrative.

Control truly impresses with the sheer number of virtual media it narrativizes its world with. You can get story and in-game lore/history through audio logs, through letters, notes, and ephemera; with an in-game TV show, through visions and dreams; through psychic communication, of course through cutscenes. In this game, even the player is given a meta-layer of narrative to occupy. We are inter-diegetic folks! The most interesting part is that despite the density of content available, the pacing is spot on (to us). It never feels forced or like the game wants to do anything but respect your time.

There are parts that weren’t convincing to me at the time, or that I felt wouldn’t age well (or have me itching to return to Control right away). But in the couple months since playing I have definitely felt the urge to return to its claustrophobic and paranoid world.

Control Ultimate Edition which is available on PC, Xbox (Series S/X and One Platforms), and PS4/5, is well worth the trip.

Apologies for this one coming so late. We had to re-record and the months don’t get any longer when at the end of the year.

Catch up with Super Combo Tech, besides here, on YouTube, with streaming (far less often as of late) on Twitch.tv.

Donkey Kong Country (1, 2, and 3) are next to close out the year!

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