Stuff UK – September 2019

Control is full ‘new weird’. It’s a

game that revels in its Lynchian

roots but pushes the limits

of what video-game thrillers

can achieve. It’s a game that

celebrates brutalist architecture

in tense scenes before sending

you spiralling into space/time-

defying volumes as you search

for supernatural entities.

It’s a bit like Annihilation via

Kingdom Hospital, or maybe

Twin Peaks via Max Payne. The

studio behind the title, Remedy

Entertainment, felt a bit short-

changed when players barrelled

through the intricately crafted

world of its last major release,

Quantum Break, so this time

they’re making sure the player

has the world, the story, the

characters and the action held

out right in front of them.

You’re Jesse, who finds herself

heading up the enigmatic Federal

Bureau of Control in New York

after its previous leader was

found dead. A hostile entity

known as The Hiss has infiltrated

the Bureau, and it’s up to you to

figure out what’s going on.

It’s all about as clear as you’d

expect from a Lynch-inspired

narrative, but therein lies the

charm. The gameplay is as open

to interpretation as the narrative

is – you’ve got the freedom to

tackle The Hiss as you see fit.

Are you going to use your one

gun (and its five forms), or your

budding telekinetic powers?

Your uneasy journey to the

middle of this mystery isn’t

going to be easy. Remedy has

nailed the feeling of psychic

powers – and that’s for the best,

because you’re going to need

to use all your problem-solving,

fire-extinguisher-flinging,

headshot-popping prowess

to figure out what’s really up.

FIRST PLAY CONTROL PS4, Xbox One, PC

OUT

27 AUG

G A M E S

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