Crowd Control

Crowd Control is a strategy and tactics game released in September 2019 for Windows, featuring a diagonal-down perspective. Players engage in free-to-play gameplay by employing strategic planning and tactical maneuvers to manage crowds in various scenarios, leveraging the game’s top-down viewpoint to navigate challenges and achieve objectives through crowd dynamics.

Control: Review

Introduction

In the pantheon of modern action-adventure games, Control stands as a haunting, disorienting masterpiece—a supernatural thriller that turns the mundane into the monstrous and the bureaucratic into the battleground for cosmic horror. Released in August 2019, Remedy Entertainment’s third-person shooter plunges players into the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), a clandestine government agency housed within the shifting, Brutalist architecture of the Oldest House. As Jesse Faden, a woman with a fractured past and burgeoning psychic powers, players confront an otherworldly invasion known as the Hiss, a force that corrupts both reality and the agency’s personnel. This review argues that Control is a triumph of atmospheric storytelling and innovative gameplay, weaving a labyrinthine narrative about control, chaos, and the unseen forces governing our world. Despite occasional technical hiccups and a steep learning curve, its blend of Metroidvania exploration, dynamic combat, and rich world-building cements it as one of Remedy’s most ambitious and resonant works—a cornerstone of the “Remedy Connected Universe” alongside Max Payne and Alan Wake.

Development History & Context

Remedy Entertainment crafted Control as a pivotal statement post-Quantum Break, leveraging their new independence following a split from Microsoft. Director Mikael Kasurinen and writer Sam Lake envisioned a departure from Remedy’s traditionally linear narratives, aiming for a player-driven experience where exploration and emergent storytelling took precedence. The studio drew heavy inspiration from the SCP Foundation, a collaborative wiki fiction project centered on cataloging paranormal anomalies. This bled into Control‘s core conceit: the FBC’s bureaucratic containment of “Objects of Power” and “Altered Items,” mundane items imbued with supernatural abilities (e.g., a floppy disk, a slide projector). This “new weird” aesthetic, blending sci-fi, fantasy, and governmental unease, was amplified by the Oldest House’s Brutalist architecture—a deliberate choice to contrast sterile, imposing structures with the chaos of paranormal events.

Technically, Control pushed boundaries as one of the first games to feature real-time ray tracing (via Nvidia’s RTX cards), enhancing reflections, lighting, and environmental destruction on a scale previously unseen. Built on Remedy’s proprietary Northlight Engine, the game employed a €30 million budget—modest for AAA standards—developed in just three years. This efficiency allowed for rapid iteration, though it also led to performance issues on launch, particularly on consoles. The gaming landscape of 2019 was fiercely competitive, with titles like Death Stranding and Gears 5 dominating attention. Remedy’s partnership with 505 Games for publishing and Epic Games Store for PC exclusivity (a €10.5 million deal) ensured Control reached a broad audience, while its port to cloud-based platforms like Nintendo Switch and Amazon Luna expanded accessibility.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Control‘s narrative is a symphony of ambiguity, centered on Jesse Faden’s quest to find her brother Dylan while navigating the FBC’s unraveling. Seventeen years prior, the siblings were involved in the Ordinary AWE (Altered World Event) in their Maine hometown, where a slide projector unleashed paranatural forces that vanished the adult population. Jesse escaped, but Dylan was captured by the FBC and groomed as “Prime Candidate 6” to become Director. In the present, Jesse arrives at the Oldest House as the Hiss—a resonance-based entity—corrupts the agency. She is appointed Director by The Board, an extradimensional pyramid entity, and wields the Service Weapon, an Object of Power.

The story unfolds through documents, audio logs, and live-action FMV (notably Dr. Casper Darling’s monologues), creating a fragmented, piecemeal revelation. Key characters include:
– Zachariah Trench: The deceased Director, revealed to have accidentally unleashed the Hiss via a corrupted slide projector.
– Polaris: Jesse’s psychic guide, an entity from the Astral Plane who protects her from the Hiss.
– Dylan: Jesse’s brother, now Hiss-corrupted and resentful of the FBC, symbolizing the perversion of control.
– Ahti: A eccentric Finnish janitor, implied to be an extradimensional entity aiding Jesse in surreal ways (e.g., guiding her through the “Ashtray Maze”).

Themes of control permeate every layer. Jesse resents her involuntary role as Director, while Trench’s obsession with institutional control led to his corruption. The FBC itself represents the futility of bureaucracy in the face of chaos—a sentiment echoed in Darling’s videos, where he grapples with the agency’s ethical compromises. The narrative’s brilliance lies in its open-endedness: questions about the Hiss’s origin, Polaris’s true nature, and the Board’s motives remain unanswered, mirroring the “new weird” ethos. This ambiguity fuels discussion, with the AWE DLC later confirming Control‘s place in the Remedy Connected Universe through a crossover with Alan Wake, tying Jesse’s fate to writer Alan Wake’s battle against the Dark Presence.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Control blends third-person shooter combat with Metroidvania exploration and psychic abilities, creating a fluid, reactive loop. The core gameplay revolves around:
– The Service Weapon: A multipurpose gun that morphs into five forms (e.g., the close-range “Launch” and long-range “Charge”). Upgrading it with mods (crafted from materials like “Undefined Readings”) adds perks such as increased damage or ammo regeneration.
– Psychic Powers: Granted by binding Objects of Power, Jesse’s abilities include:
– Launch: Throw debris or enemies.
– Levitate: Float for traversal and combat.
– Seize: Mind-control foes temporarily.
– Evade: High-speed dashes.
– Shield: Create barriers from debris.
– Encounter Director: A dynamic AI system that scales enemy spawns based on player location and level, ensuring unpredictable combat scenarios.

Progression is tied to Clearance Levels, unlocking new areas like the Foundation or Panopticon. Side missions (e.g., tracking Altered Items) and Expeditions (standalone challenge modes) offer replayability. However, systems have flaws:
– UI Clarity: The minimalist design lacks a traditional HUD, relying on environmental cues that can confuse players.
– Boss Fights: Some (e.g., the Anchor in the Pit) feel punishingly difficult, with punishing checkpoints.
– Resource Management: Crafting mods requires hoarding materials, leading to inventory bloat.

Despite these, Control‘s combat shines in its destructibility—launching filing cabinets through Hiss soldiers or levitating foes into explosive barrels is viscerally satisfying. The Ashtray Maze, a song-driven sequence set to Poets of the Fall’s “Take Control,” exemplifies the game’s inventive design, merging narrative, music, and gameplay.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The Oldest House is a character unto itself—a Place of Power with architecture that defies physics. Its design, inspired by real Brutalist landmarks like 33 Thomas Street in NYC, features monolithic concrete walls, skylights that emit false sunlight, and rooms that reconfigure themselves. This shifts from sterile offices to Hiss-corrupted zones, where walls bleed red and environments fracture into impossible geometries. The Foundation DLC delves deeper into its origins, revealing a subterranean realm with the “Nail,” a conduit to the Astral Plane.

Art direction prioritizes contrast: blues for Polaris’s calming influence, reds for Hiss corruption, and greys for institutional sterility. Environmental storytelling abounds—FBC documents with blacked-out sections, eerie puppet shows (“The Threshold Kids”), and cryptic graffiti hint at the bureau’s darker secrets.

Sound design is equally immersive. Composer Petri Alanko‘s score blends industrial percussion with ethereal melodies, heightening tension during Hiss encounters. Martin Stig Andersen‘s audio work for the Astral Plane uses distortion and whispers to evoke dread. Voice acting is standout: Courtney Hope conveys Jesse’s vulnerability and resolve, while James McCaffrey‘s Trench radiates paranoia. The Finnish folk song “Sankarin Tango,” sung by Martti Suosalo (Ahti), serves as a haunting lullaby, connecting Jesse to her past. This audio-visual synergy makes the Oldest House feel alive, oppressive, and inescapable.

Reception & Legacy

Control launched to critical acclaim, with Metacritic scores ranging from 82 (PS4) to 87 (Xbox Series X/S). Praise centered on its “giddy action” (Eurogamer), “astonishing art design,” and “well-written” script (IGN). However, critics noted technical issues on consoles and a “thin” protagonist (PC Gamer). Commercially, it sold over 5 million units by 2025, boosted by Xbox Game Pass, and became Remedy’s fastest-growing IP since Max Payne.

The game swept awards, including Best Art Direction at The Game Awards and BAFTA, and was named Game of the Year by outlets like Game Informer and Polygon. Its legacy extends beyond sales:
– Influence: Control popularized “new weird” narratives in games, inspiring titles like Scorn and Lobotomy Corporation. Its ray tracing implementation set a benchmark for future tech.
– Remedy Connected Universe: The AWE DLC confirmed crossovers with Alan Wake, with Jesse potentially being a “protagonist” created by Wake to fight the Dark Presence.
– Sequels and Spin-offs: Control 2 (announced 2021) and the co-op shooter FBC: Firebreak (2025) expand the lore.

Hideo Kojima’s public praise further cemented its cult status. Over time, Control is increasingly seen as a landmark in interactive storytelling, where atmosphere and player agency converge to create unparalleled immersion.

Conclusion

Control is a rare achievement—a game that balances cerebral storytelling with kinetic gameplay, all wrapped in an unforgettable world. Remedy’s commitment to the “new weird” genre results in a narrative that is as unsettling as it is profound, challenging players to confront the fragility of control in a chaotic universe. While its technical rough edges and obtuse design may frustrate, these flaws are overshadowed by its ambition. The Oldest House stands as a testament to Remedy’s vision: a place where the line between bureaucracy and horror blurs, and where every document, power, and wall tells a story.

Final Verdict: Control is essential for fans of psychological horror and innovative design. Its place in video game history is assured—not merely as a great game, but as a bold reimagining of what interactive narratives can achieve. As Jesse Faden learns, true control isn’t about wielding power, but about confronting the unknown. In Control, that confrontation is nothing short of transcendent.