Developer: Remedy Entertainment | Platform: PS5 |
Playtime: 33:45 | Platinum: 42:30
Remedy is one of the most exciting developers out there at the minute and following on from the phenomenal Alan Wake II, we have another banger in the form of the sequel to 2019’s Control. It’s not perfect as I have a few legitimate criticisms but theThe Remedyverse continues strong.
Taking place (and releasing) 7 years after the original Control, Containment in the Oldest House has failed and now all of Manhattan is at stake - victim to a paranatural phenomenon known as The Patterning. Director of the FBC Jesse Faden has left to help combat the crisis, meaning we play as her twin brother, antagonist of the first title, Dylan Faden.
Immediately the dichotomy is apparent - the winding corridors of the Oldest House have been swapped out for multiple zones of Manhattan, Jesse and the Service Weapon pistol have been replaced by Dylan and his melee weapon, Aberrant (more on that later) and while Jesse was praised as the hero who came to save the day, many people remember the damage Dylan caused 7 years ago and nobody is too keen on trusting him, despite their very limited options.
I didn’t dislike Jesse but I don’t think I ever got a real feel for her personality. Dylan on the other hand might be one of my favourite characters of the year. Despite years of imprisonment and near enough torture, Dylan is mellow and well meaning - understanding of those who want nothing to do with him. Over the course of the game, little bits of his personality start to shine through - his curiosity over the things he never got to experience. He plays so well with his FBC handler, Zoe, who almost plays a sisterly role being more knowledgable and witty but very caring of Dylan. Just as she helps Dylan, Dlyan helps her drop the facade she has put up. I actively sought out the optional conversations between the two because I wanted to hear more of it. The rest of the cast - Pope, Arish, Langstrom all have their parts to play too but nobody even comes close to the main two.
As mentioned previously, Dylan is melee focused thanks to the Abberant - a shard of the Nail from the first game’s Foundation DLC. That’s not relevant as such but it is interesting lore. At the start of the game, you choose one of three primary forms - Glaive (More of a scythe), Strike (Dual Swords) or Cleave (an Axe) as well as one of three secondary forms - Crush (the hammer from the cover art), Drill and Extend (a Whip). A little later on you’ll unlock finishers which range from a fist uppercut to a saw blade. Personally I chose Glaive and Drill and was pretty happy with that. You can switch which you have but the swaps are limited which is a shame. I think it would have been nice to have free access to all of them.
While there is plenty of variation, the issue is that the combat is just passable, and never particularly exciting. I’m not after Devil May Cry combat but there isn’t even combos about using both weapons. I’m not loooking to air juggle but making use of both weapons would be interesting. Like I say, it’s fun enough but I see why some people would grow tired of it by the end - especially given the number of combat encounters in the game.
Your missions at the start are to find Jesse and to defeat the Resonants - strange creatures who have come about due to The Patterning. Finding Jesse unlocks new movement abilities like a grapple and gravity defying while the Resonants are the games boss fights, defeating which gives Dylan powers. These powers operate under the same parameters as the Aberrant - choose one of two per boss. Dylan has an upgradable power bar that governs his ability to use his powers - some are chunks and others are constant use. Power is regained by hitting enemies which promotes being very aggressive with combat.
Operating similarly to the Mind Palace from Alan Wake II, Dylan can access ‘The Gap’ - an alternate dimension/mind space where the player can try out their weapons, upgrade them, upgrade himself with the skill tree and create Artifacts - items granting boons and bonuses (Which admittedly I didn’t pay much attention to). It is also here that Dylan does his communicating with The Board, who return and are just as amusing and mysterious here.
As mentioned, the Resonants are the main threat but only 75% are mandatory (Which helps reward exploration when you find the others). The quality of these boss fights vary but I don’t think any of them are bad. From what I see online, the boss of the Central Zone is seen as the weakest but I quite enjoyed it. I will say the first boss is probably a little more challenging than it needs to be for a first encounter. As for regular enemies, the Hiss returns alongside an expanded roster of Mold enemies. There’s a third group introduced later on that I won’t spoil which helps make the roster of enemies feel diverse (even if some of them blend into one in the moment).
While the games side quests do verge on fetch-questy in nature, the writing definitely saves them. I won’t call them Witcher 3 quality but they’re still good. The Karaoke one sticks out as one of the better ones, as does the Fred quest. Throughout the world there also like sub activities that you can complete for XP and other rewards but I ignored these for the most part and got along with the game just fine.
The game lacks it’s own ‘Ashtray Maze’ moment (it’s equivalent doesn’t hit in the same way), near the end of the story has a very interesting section that again I won’t spoil it but it’s a very interesting way to handle what happens.
While some people aren’t going to be happy about any number of changes, I think giving a new protagonist a new direction is the perfect way to handle the series. While combat is simple, the story, atmosphere and design is second to none. While Max Payne is next, I eagerly await what I assume is Alan Wake 3 and the next Control as I really can’t get enough of this universe.
