#37
Change YoY: = My Rating: 9.1 / 10
Control is something of an out-of-nowhere favourite of mine, as I must confess that I was never massively interested in most of Remedy Entertainment's previous games. I've played several of them, but neither Max Payne nor Alan Wake ever stayed with me to the extent that they clearly have with many other people. Even with Control, I didn't actually play it until last year, and still only because it was offered as one of the free monthly titles on PS Plus. At that point I thought I might as well give the game a chance, but I was just expecting to get a decent enough game that I'd enjoy while playing and then forget soon after. I was somewhat mistaken on that, as you might have figured out.
Not only is Control the most fun game to simply play that Remedy has ever made, the combination of gunplay and magic powers works wonderfully, but it also features one of my favourite settings in all of video games to date. The Oldest House is wonderfully cryptic and strange place, and the wider world it begins to reveal during the story as well as the various side quests and optional collectibles. I also found the characters far more well-rounded than in previous Remedy games, Jesse Faden being a great main character driven by an excellent performance by Courtney Hope. The rest of the cast is great too, a particular highlight being Ahti the janitor, and the voice actors do a great job leaning into the slightly off feeling of the whole game. Finally, I'd be remiss not to mention the Ashtray Maze, one of the single best levels in any video game in recent memory. Combined with the track "Take Control", it's a genuine highlight in an already excellent game.
