The reviews for Control have begun to go up and the reception to the game has been incredibly positive, even if there are a few flaws that hold it back from being a modern classic. Control is the latest game by Remedy Entertainment and it has been praised for refining the gameplay style used in earlier Remedy titles, such as Quantum Break, without losing its focus on interesting characters and an engaging story.

Control follows Jesse Faden, who seeks out an organization known as the Federal Bureau of Control in order to find her brother. Jesse arrives at the FBC’s headquarters, which is a mysterious building known as the Oldest House that doesn’t follow the rules of reality. It doesn’t take long for Jesse to be declared the new director of the FBC, as the original is swiftly killed off. Jesse inherits a powerful handgun known as the Service Weapon, which will become one of her most trusted tools as she explores the mysteries of the Oldest House.

Control was announced at E3 2018 and Screen Rant has been following the development of the game since its debut, to the point where it was one of the most anticipated games of summer 2019 and one of the most impressive games at E3 2019. There has been a lot of hype leading up to the release of Control and the positive response from the critics is proving that it was worth all of the excitement.

Destructoid: 9/10 - Brett Makedonski

Gamespot: 8/10 - Peter Brown

Control is a weird, enigmatic, perplexing masterpiece. It’s also Remedy’s most well-rounded work yet. Like Jesse levitating far off the ground, Control signifies Remedy is capable of ascending to great new heights.

IGN: 8.8/10 - Jonathon Dornbush

It’s not often that a game invades my thoughts the way Control has. I’m at the point where I want to consume every last thing it has to offer. And if I’m honest, it also makes me want to go back and replay Remedy’s past games, too. Sure, it’s a faulty metroidvania in some respects, but there are so many exceptional qualities afoot that Control handily deflects any momentary ire. I can’t wait to take part in discussions about the game, to see what others have figured out, and to better understand where it all fits into Jesse’s story.

Polygon - Dave Tach

Control is set in an engrossingly weird paranormal world that I couldn’t help but explore. Jesse’s versatile psychic skills and main weapon make for thrilling ranged combat. And thanks to a strong supporting cast, a well-written script, and plenty of intriguing breadcrumb trails, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my adventure through the shifting rooms of Oldest House. Jesse’s personal story feels like an afterthought next to that, but there’s enough to Control’s world that I remain invested in uncovering every secret, even though the story’s over.

Screen Rant: 4.5/5 - Zak Wojnar

I can’t separate Control’s deliberate oddities from its beauty or from its characters, and that’s what makes it so easy to recommend. This is one of the best games of the year.

Vice Games - Rob Zacny

Control is both a departure for Remedy Games and a familiar warm blanket for fans of their previous work. It beautifully combines the developer’s trademark pillars – deep storytelling and high-adrenaline gun combat – within a whole new shell of exploration-based gameplay and a whole universe of deeply fascinating lore. There are many stories to be told within the realm of the Federal Bureau of Control; Jesse Faden’s adventure in The Oldest House is just one of them.

From the sounds of it, Control is a fun shooter that keeps the action exciting with a mixture of superpowers that mix up the combat encounters and a weapon which can change its capabilities to match the situation. The level design of Control has especially been praised due to the inventive ways in which a government building is reworked into a supernatural location. One surprising aspect of Control that has been praised is the collectibles that are strewn around the game, as they offer intriguing looks into the backstory of the setting. Sam Lake from Remedy told Screen Rant that the focus with Control was gameplay first, but the reviewers have enjoyed the cryptic tale of the Oldest House, even if it’s told in an unconventional way.

It betrays a lot of stylistic tics and obsessions that sometimes make me worry that Remedy are too quick to settle for the winking metatextual flourish instead of sticking the landing on a story beat. But Control still makes them work because at this point, Remedy has a recognizable house style that it unapologetically owns in every one of its games. Control is instantly memorable, and its best moments will stick in the imagination long after its flaws, commonplace in the scheme of things, have been forgotten like so many of commoditized shooters that Remedy still refuses to make.

The reviews have not been totally positive to Control, as a few issues have been pointed out. The Service Weapon can be enhanced using mods, but the limited amount of inventory space means that there is a lot of messing about when it comes to collecting items from enemies. The PlayStation 4 version of the game is noted to have technical issues when lots of creatures are on the screen, including when played on the PS4 Pro, though the PC and Xbox One versions are said to be fine. With all of that being said, the response to Control has still been very positive and it seems that the minor flaws don’t detract from one of the most interesting and unique games of the year.

Next: Wolfenstein: Youngblood Review Roundup

Control releases August 27, 2019, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.