Control
A paranormal action-adventure set in a shifting brutalist headquarters.
Control is an action-adventure game from 2019, developed by Remedy Entertainment. Its story centers on Jesse Faden, who becomes the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control—a secret U.S. agency tasked with investigating and containing phenomena that break the normal rules of reality. Players guide Jesse through the Oldest House, the FBC’s headquarters, using paranormal abilities and a shapeshifting firearm called the Service Weapon to fight the Hiss, a hostile otherworldly force that has invaded and corrupted the bureau. The game is known for its nonlinear, Metroidvania-style exploration, its brutalist architecture, and its early adoption of real-time ray tracing built into modern graphics hardware.
The Oldest House is a featureless brutalist skyscraper in New York City, but its interior is far larger than its exterior—a constantly shifting supernatural realm that defies physics. It contains four sectors that players can explore at their own pace, unlocking new areas as Jesse’s security clearance increases and she gains new skills. Jesse can also complete side quests, find hidden documents, audio recordings, and full-motion video, and take on timed challenges called Bureau Alerts. The game’s Encounter Director AI adjusts enemy interactions based on the player’s level and location.
Jesse’s main weapon, the Service Weapon, can shift into five forms: Grip, Spin, Shatter, Pierce, Charge, and Surge, each with unique properties like a shotgun blast or a sniper-like shot. Players can equip and swap between two forms at any time. By locating Objects of Power—mundane items charged with energy from another dimension—Jesse gains psychokinetic abilities such as Launch (telekinetically hurling objects), Evade (a quick dash), Shield (blocking attacks with rubble), Seize (temporarily turning enemies into allies), and Levitate (flight). Three of these five base powers are optional, obtainable only through exploration or side quests. The Service Weapon and these powers are governed by separate cooldown systems, encouraging players to alternate between them. The game lacks a traditional cover system; players must stay mobile because defeated enemies drop health needed for survival.
Control was completed in three years on a €30 million budget. Its gameplay is more open than Remedy’s earlier titles, drawing inspiration from role-playing and Metroidvania games.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Control
- Developer
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher
- 505 Games (2019–2025) · Remedy Entertainment (2025–)
- Director
- Mikael Kasurinen
- Producer
- Juha Vainio
- Designer
- Paul Ehreth
- Programmer
- Sean Donnelly
- Artist
- Janne Pulkkinen
- Writer
- Sam Lake
- Composer
- Petri Alanko · Martin Stig Andersen
- Engine
- Northlight Engine
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4 · Windows · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 5 · Xbox Series X/S · Stadia · macOS · iOS · iPadOS · visionOS
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Control is set within the Oldest House, a Brutalist skyscraper in New York City that houses the Federal Bureau of Control. The building's interior is far larger than its exterior and constantly shifts, defying physics. The FBC investigates Altered World Events (AWEs) and contains Objects of Power—mundane items imbued with energies from another dimension. The protagonist, Jesse Faden, is chosen by the Board, a black pyramid-shaped entity from the Astral Plane, to wield the Service Weapon and become the FBC's director. She seeks her missing brother Dylan, who was captured by the FBC after an AWE in their hometown of Ordinary, Maine. The Hiss, an otherworldly force, has invaded the Oldest House, possessing FBC agents. Jesse gains psychokinetic abilities by locating Objects of Power, including Launch, Evade, Shield, Seize, and Levitate. The game's story was written by Sam Lake and inspired by paranormal stories about the SCP Foundation and the new weird genre.
Reader's Guide
Control was completed within three years with a €30 million budget. Its gameplay is significantly more open than Remedy's past games, drawing inspiration from role-playing and Metroidvania games. The Oldest House has four sectors that can be explored at a nonlinear pace, with players free to complete side quests and explore hidden areas. The game uses an Encounter Director AI system that controls enemy interactions based on the player's level and location. Control was among the first games to use real-time ray tracing built into modern video card hardware. It received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its setting, art direction, gameplay, and characters, though the main story received mixed responses. The game was nominated for several end-of-year accolades, including Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019 and the 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. Two expansion packs were released, the second of which, AWE, is a crossover with Alan Wake, forming part of the Remedy Connected Universe. A sequel, Control Resonant, is set for 2026, and a multiplayer spin-off, FBC: Firebreak, was released in 2025.
Did You Know?
- The Oldest House is designed in the brutalist style common in Cold-War-era government buildings.
- The game's voice cast includes Courtney Hope as Jesse Faden and James McCaffrey as Zachariah Trench.
- Control uses Remedy's in-house Northlight Engine and was among the first games to use real-time ray tracing.
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