1:22:32 I like how the screen shimmer appears after Jesse says “I’m glad nobody was around to hear that,” as if Polaris is saying “we all heard it and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
My difficulty curve should look like a three hour run of risk of rain 2, where an hour in you have more enemies than your PC can handle doing more damage in one hit than your whole family has hp, but it still isn't done getting harder
Reminds me a lot of Joseph Anderson. Especially the part where it feels like you'd say "I don't know why everyone thinks I didn't like the game. I quite enjoyed it." Love it.
Here’s some more stuff if you like to read instead of listen: My favorite collectible is by far Dyna-mite. I don’t talk about it much at all in the video but I kind of wish I did because it probably is the best example of all of the reasons I give for the collectibles being good. It’s a silly music video parodying an eighties song but it exists because that’s how Darling chose to encourage Jesse as she goes into the final gauntlet. I believe it is Darling talking to Jesse in a more unique way than just through the hotline like Trench does, an idea supported by how uncomfortable he sounds when he does just that earlier. I love it. I don’t talk about this nearly enough in the video (because it’s something I find difficult to speak objectively about) but the presentation in this game is phenomenal. Cinematography, direction, color, the use of mixed media, it’s really really incredible. Sorry about my pronunciation of Polaris lol Correction: You actually don’t gain ability points from Expeditions
Dyna-mite isn't an 80's song. It's from 1973. The parody is undeniably 80's though, and Matthew Porretta is absolutely amazing. The fun question, though, is if it's all just in Jessie's head, or if it's a message from Casper himself.
CONTROL is like an action flick that is actually made with love, even when it has its downsides, and reminds you why you actually enjoy action flicks. The game is 100% a power trip for the player, and for that cause the ability placement (story&optionality-wise) was sacrifised a little to be more epic. Yeah you get Levitate about two, maybe three hours before finishing the game - from a gamedev standpoint that`s not exactly good, but story-wise it`s metal as hell and very fun so Take Control. Awesome analysis and critique, thank you for talking about this awesome game! p.p.p.s. Very dissappointed we didn't get any Faden siblings story, it's my only gripe with the game. p.s. favorite finding - My Dark Disquiet room
As someone who plays a lot of open world games, your point about stories in them either lacking any sort of urgency or too much is something I think about constantly. I think it's a problem that can be solved, but few devs have the skill or will to implement them, if they notice the issue at all. The problem is fundamental, that is, if you're going to fix (or really prevent) the problem, you need to build the game around the story more, which seems counter-intuitive. For example, if I was going to make a giant open-world game with a single narrative that pulls the character across the entirety of that world, I'd first break the world down into distinct zones, probably centered around a town/settlement. Failing that, at least use factions. Secondly, I'd use factions. Factions allows you to compartmentalize further, and keeps the story from feeling too messy by associating tasks and areas with set characters, and can let you make it all feel more unique. Then you use all these to tell a story about the world itself, while the compartmentalized nature still lets you tell stories with natural urgency and drama without making the whole game feel rushed. Each segment ends with some sort of revelation or item or something that helps drive the overall narrative. Rinse, repeat. Fallout New Vegas did this quite well, I feel. Where I feel that game struggled with its format though is truly off-the-beaten path content and post-release DLC that doesn't tie to the main conflict of the world. And honestly I think the solution there is to always have something sending the player to a location. Like maybe a faction will send me on a mission that ends at the start point of a DLC, and that mission also coincides with a momentary lul in that faction/settlement's story so I feel it's a perfect opportunity for a side diversion, rather than feeling like I'm abandoning those people in their hour of need. Idk I think this problem stems not from a lack of options for developers, but an almost overabundance of options, and that can be very overwhelming when you're already concerned with building a huge freakin game and a massive world.
@@Tetramorre Problem with RDR2's story was there was TOO much sprawl. It never took the time to explore its regions enough before it whisked you to the next region. But that also kinda makes sense for a story about a group constantly being hunted by half the world. Still, aside from a few points in the story, it usually felt ambivalent to you picking up the next mission immediately, and did a lot to make it feel like events were happening over the course of weeks and months as opposed to hours like a lot of other stories often feel like.
Really great video! I liked the distortion after "credits" too. I also did not play Alan Wake and my disappointment when instead of getting continuation to Foundation's half cliffhanger ending we got "Alan Wake Fan Service: The Game" was simply immeasurable. I still enjoyed the whole game, but they really soured it for me with that move.
I enjoyed Control, but really struggled with the combat. I found it really unengaging. But the story and lore, and just the sheer love that was poured into the design and characters kept me going through it all. I really love the world building Remedy accomplishes with each of their games, and was very happy they built concrete connections between them. Alan Wake is still my favorite, but as a Washingtonian I'm probably biased. But Control has a really great cast of engaging characters, too. I know it's doubtful, but I'd love more games in this series.
Great work and awesome presentation, as always, although I still can't agree with all of your criticism after finishing the game twice myself. Particularly regarding the power progression, I see it linked directly to the narrative: Jesse starts in the Buro as a Janitor's Assistant as in not fully competent for the job (Janitor being something like a Keeper of the Buro), and the Board initially views her as a trainee, observing her progress and giving/activating the abilities as rewards for her professional achievements. The Board is hesitant to grant her full powers out of fear that she, being an inexperienced person with unclear motives, could easily hurt the Buro, the House, and the Board itself, especially in light of her contacts with Former. By cleansing the Buro and showing her increasing loyalty and dedication for its cause Jesse gains the Board's trust, and the Board in turn grants her maximum powers when the stakes are highest.
That’s a good point. I didn’t go into much (if any) discussion about the power progression in terms of story integration and that probably would have been a good point to make. It still makes the game weaker from a pure gameplay perspective in my eyes, though perhaps I could justify it for the purposes of the story had I taken that route.
The maximum powers do still get stripped away when the crisis is averted. The board sounded really desperate so Jesse might have been their only choice of survival. Still they wouldn't give it to a stranger so there has been some growth with Jesse and the boards relationship.
The board is often or most of the board members are very detached to the director when they come and go. Since they elect directors the Northmoor power source theory with him not having a choice could, besides being necessary to averting some sort of energy crisis, have been by the boards command, and he is ultimately under their control at least power wise.
Great fakeout at the fake credits. Finally played this and it probably has the best worldbuilding I've seen in a while, if not ever. Really potrayed a federal agency quite well.
I feel the ending was a little bit of a downturn, but honestly, the game is so frequently full of leaving you with more questions than answers that I don't think it really bothered me. Resolution isn't really something we get to see in the game, beyond the immediate problem. I found it a little weird we didn't get some kind of proper boss fight, but honestly the boss fights weren't the best part of the game to me, since many of the bosses, well, just feel like bullet sponges. It really stands out especially compared to how relatively quickly regular enemies die, especially with good aim, or careful use of launch or your other abilities. Some of the boss fights felt more like wars of attrition. Speaking of launch, though, I think it's very good that you CAN hit the elevated hiss with launch. There's actually two ways to do this: If they're not focusing on you, either because they're unaware or they're attacking something else, you can hit them with. Or, if you bait them into a dodge, you can hit them when they're recovering from the dodge. This is good for multiple things: baiting their dodge makes them abandon their launch attacks, and it will leave them vulnerable for attacks with the service weapon. I don't think it's really critical, besides for the ones with shields. Also go play Alan Wake, it's a great game, and you can see where parts of control came from in it. It also makes the AWE DLC a lot more enjoyable, and has some pretty interesting implications for the entirety of control AND the entire concept of a shared universe for all of Remedy's games. And it has more Old Gods Of Asgard songs, which are absolutely fantastic. And Night Springs.
1:18:17 the whole reason I played Control was because I heard of the connections to Alan Wake, but I forced myself to play The Foundation first and I had a blast with both lots of the DLC. I can definitely see how someone who hasn't played Alan Wake going through that DLC first would resent it.
100% valid conclusion. I think for me, the timing of when I played it, how I played it and the motivations I ahd for playing it lead to me having a different experience. I knew AW2 was on the way when I decided to play it, the thing that GOT me to play it was someone describing it as being vaguely Metroid Prime-like and I played it with folks who had already played it and were eager to experience it again through fresh eyes, so I was able to feed off their energy and speculate with them. I think if you remove any two of these factors (not knowing AW2 was coming, not being able to speculate with others, or going into it initially mostly for the gameplay) I could have come out feeling less fulfilled. But the end result for me was becoming even more hyped for AW2 and actually going back and playing Quantum Break too (which I also had a blast with, but probably could be said to have the same issues Control does).
The Ashtray Maze is still one of my favorite set pieces I've played in many recent years. I still listen to Take Control (the metal song playing during the section), as well as Sankarin Tango (Ahti's song), and Poets of the Fall (the band who made the song in the secret sound room). Great game with fantastic music.
Just started digging through your channel recently and started with your back catalog and I agree with many of your opinions on Control and think a lot of your analysis is engaging and interesting. Good stuff.
AAAAAH! After 7 years I have finally found a good youtuber with under 1000 subscribers. Time to binge all thier videos and beg them to make more high quality videos. Oh no, he's found a new channel. Leave a comment to boost the algorithm for him. *guitar noises* Go, Go, Algorithm! Go, Go, Algorithm! Go, Go, Algorithm! Mighty Morphin Algorithm!
Dead Letters aren't a thing from Control, Dead Letters are a real thing in the mail. They're letters which, for one reason or another, cannot be delivered. The Bureau's Dead Letter Archive is an archive of dead letters to look for anything paranatural.
This is a great video and I hope you make more. I found it after PatricianTV linked it on his discord. The only thing I would disagree on you with is the AWE DLC. I played Alan Wake first and I enjoyed it a lot, however it had an ambiguous ending and I always wanted to know more about his world. The DLC really benefited from the fact that the style and tone of both games are similar and compliment each other very well, and it expands both worlds that I wanted to know more about. AWE was two great tastes, that taste great together for me, though I understand why it would be dull for someone with understand of Alan Wake's narrative. Consider playing Alan Wake if you enjoyed Control, I think you will enjoy it.
I probably would enjoy it, seems like my cup of tea. I can fully understand why you would like the AWE dlc though, as far as raw gameplay is concerned it still holds up with the rest of the game. More power to yah, believe me lol
just because jesses health bar isnt explained to you doesnt mean its somehow a framing fumble. it would not be much of a jump to assume something similar to the hiss healing mechanics also happens to jesse because of polaris, after all they are comparible interdimensional entities. we get very little information on polaris from research notes etc because nobody knows much about it. also since polaris is literally the player influencing her from beyond it would make sense that jesse is given a healthbar-esque mechanic similar to the way shield is recieved from a safe or how the serviceweapon happens to be a gun and not a as it would be if control were say, a soulslike.
Ah, but it does. I can speculate all day and night about how Jesse’s health bar represents the sugar iv drip the bureau implanted in her back when she was P7 but until the game actually states it, it’s not framed in the context, it’s just speculation. I like your explanation but it’s just speculation. Speculation based off in game evidence, but speculation none the less. Though I do have an issue with it: the hiss resonance healing the hiss works because the bodies they inhabit don’t actually function anymore, the hiss is basically piloting them, and the healing orb thing is restoring the hiss’s will to fight moreso than any physical ailment. That wouldn’t really make sense for Jesse because she’s alive and is taking literal gunshot wounds and extreme blunt force trauma, her body can only take so much (until she picks up random health orbs). Perhaps you could speculate that Polaris is using some sort of resonance therapy to message her bullet wounds away, but again, that’s just speculation Even if that were the case though, I would still have at least two questions: 1, why does Jesse need to kill hiss for this to happen, and 2, why does it manifest as glowing health pods with a literal + sign on them? The only mechanical relation the health pods have to Polaris is that they are they same blue that represents them throughout the game, otherwise they come popping out of the hiss like candy out of a piñata and that just kind of weird, right? I’m sure Remedy could come up with an answer as to why that is, but they didn’t. And speculation does not mean it’s framed because we could do that for literally any game. Framing the mechanic means we don’t need to speculate on its in-universe ramifications because the developers told us what those are.
@@Tetramorre yea, i just feel like not everything needs to be stated outright to count and the game does enough work in this area for me. the difference between this idea and the iv sugar drip is that there is some precedent for the former. polaris is the "good" counterpart to the hiss which has its own healing ability as well as flying and throwing, so its not too much of a reach to assume. i believe the meta interpretation that we are polaris so i think the answer to 1 is: of course they drop health because thats what happens when you kill bad guys in videogames. and 2: why is the service weapon a gun? because it is a manifestation of the "will" of the board suited for the one who wields it. of course its a gun because the wielder is a government agency in the modern day. it would literally change with the zeitgeist image of "weapon". so of course health would be a cross, because when you see that you think healing. 1 is of course predicated on polaris giving you "game mechanics" in the way safe gives you "shield".
I like the way you think. Speaking to the meta interpretation though, I can’t agree, because Jesse has Polaris with her before we start playing the game. And we control her during parts in which Polaris is not with her (immediately after the fake out ending, this is debatable but the former point is not). As to your answer to point one, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. “It happens because of course it does, it’s a video game” is the kind of thing remedy avoided by framing all the other stuff, control points, enemies healing themselves, enemies with guns, you name it. I like your answer to point two, I just think it’s predicated on a conclusion that the game doesn’t really support, especially since there’s no specific way to support the actual “how” of Polaris healing Jesse, i.e. the hiss infusing resonance in their soldiers in order to keep them moving even though the body they inhabit is dead. It also relates Polaris to the Board, a relationship I don’t think works because they are very different entities. That’s a small niggle for me though, I would like that answer if the game gave it. The whole point though is that the game gives answers to basically any question I would have in this regard, minus Jesse’s health for some baffling reason. While I agree that Polaris is supposed to be a being that isn’t understood, that’s also assuming that Polaris healing Jesse is the only way they could have framed this mechanic.
1:04:39 i love how her response is so curt it's almost as if this isn't the first time he tried asking her out, probably not even the first time he wrote it out to her either
Man, holy fucking shit. This is my favorite video on this game. Looks like PatricianTV came through in spades with this recommendation! (Subbing to your channel, that is) I've watched quite a few videos going over this game, a few on channels who I like a great deal. Yet, in all of them I found the most interesting discussion about the game happened in the comments. The big sticking point over was the lack of answers for many of the mysteries and lore, which is definitely fair. The first video mentioning this actually blew my mind, because I had almost forgotten entirely. I was so wrapped up in the characters and the tragic downfalls that I forgot much about the game went left unexplained. I watched Lost back in the day, a show which left a bitter resentment in me for like 15 fucking years up until last year. So I get that reaction even if it isn't one I've shared toward Control. I felt so goddamn bad for Dylan, especially after his "accidental outburst" explained through some text and a Darling Presentation. He and Jesse needed parents, something the FBC weren't equipped to provide {although Trench, during a hotline call, claimed Dylan would be 'taken care of' and 'have everything I didn't' as if justifying the Bureau's actions to himself} I could go on and on about the game but I'll spare whoever else and myself from doing so. I loved this game, although I do agree that the DLC didn't reach those soaring heights. I'm a huge Alan Wake fan and felt his DLC was an absolute tease that I hope will be fleshed out eventually in a whole game. Anyway, a point I meant to mention up above was how many other videos I watched tackling this game seem to do so as if on the usual time constraints of their upload schedules. And fair enough, but that approach seems like it would strip down the experience in an enormous way. I really appreciate how you go so in-depth and present a degree of respect for a given game by being so thorough. Thanks! This must be take a lot of discipline to see a video like this through to completion, but despite the lengthy analysis your tone gives off a genuine enthusiasm. It's a refreshing change from all the rampant cynicism that pulse through much of the video game scene these days. Anyway, jesus fuck man sorry lol. This video got me one a roll, and also put me in the mood to play a game my damn self!
I try to stay away from cynicism whenever possible, and always give the games I review a fair shake. Thanks for this comment and your others, I’m really glad you’re enjoying the content!
It's funny, HP is one of those things which has almost never been framed well due to the divorcement from the context in which it arose. Hit Points were originally derived from the systems used in naval wargames to model the fact that ships tend to stay fairly operational until they sink, which is a viable result from taking too many hits in different locations. It makes sense for a ship to sink after being hit in 5 random places. It doesn't make sense for a human being to die from 5 gunshots to the toe, at least not immediately. Luckily, HP has become so ubiquitous these days that people rarely question it, but it's still a bit of a glaring hole in the landscape of gaming.
This is quite possibly the best video about a game that I have ever watched. This was incredibly engrossing from start to finish. Amazing job! I came here from Patrician and I am not disappointed in the slightest. I really look forward to seeing your content in the future. I really like the concept of this game and I agree with you about so much of what you said. It was a bit crazy that I was just thinking about how much this game reminded me of Alan Wake just seconds before you name-dropped it and started to discuss the connection. I absolutely loved the base game of Alan Wake and I feel like you should give it a fair shake, to be honest. Fantastic job man!
55:08 Someone pointed this out to me on my first playthrough and honestly it was quite the conversation starter. After a bit of deliberation, I took it as they didn't want to risk iconography that is deeply embedded in people's subconscious being present in the oldest house like snack branding. It's wild how the smallest piece of set dressing can really make you think about the whole setting.
Take detailed notes on your recordings to make editing faster and easier. Don’t assume your video will be a certain length, you don’t want to pad for time just to hit the two hour mark. Spend a lot of time making sure the audio quality is good. Other than that, make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing. That’s the most important thing for me, I try not to chase trends because I don’t necessarily want to talk about the games that are “getting the views” at any time. Good luck on your endeavors, feel free to send me a link and I’ll check it out when it’s done.
Excellent video which sums up pretty all I think a bout this game. It's an awesome universe lost into a mess of a game with an invasive main character that I couldn't care less about. At least it is not as bad as Alan Wake which was boring from beginning to end both scenartically and gameplaywise. Darling is awesome though. I think what I hated the most was the many, many, many, too many times we get a close up of Jesse's face so she can force her thoughts into the player. Come on game, Venom Snake barely had any lines and yet each one of his unheard thoughts was more meeningful than Jesse's whole script.
It's ironic to call Polaris "the voice" despite the fact that she can't speak and just shimmers. And I'm saying it as a host of a plural system where it is common to communicate with mindimpulses. Plus great video, Control + review / philosophy are my cups of tea. ...Well, and I also have Jesse as a systemmate. If you want to know what it is like or speak to her, tell me.
I have to say I am really disappointed in this video. I wanted to hear more about your thoughts on pizza. How would you rank the options you listed? What are your thoughts on more gimmicky pizza forms, like cheesy crust? How much does the atmosphere of the restaurant/arcade/unfinished basement enhance or diminish the pizza experience? Is it acceptable to eat pizza with a knife and fork? And that is just the crust of the kind of topics you could have dived into!! You started to peer into a veritable maze of deep and fascinating questions only to completely sideline the whole subject and just talk about some game. You could have dug into the deepest of deep dishes and instead you left it as a thin crust. Disappointed hardly begins to describe my feelings.
1:22:32 I like how the screen shimmer appears after Jesse says “I’m glad nobody was around to hear that,” as if Polaris is saying “we all heard it and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
One of my favorite little details in a game full of little details
My difficulty curve should look like a three hour run of risk of rain 2, where an hour in you have more enemies than your PC can handle doing more damage in one hit than your whole family has hp, but it still isn't done getting harder
Reminds me a lot of Joseph Anderson. Especially the part where it feels like you'd say "I don't know why everyone thinks I didn't like the game. I quite enjoyed it." Love it.
Here’s some more stuff if you like to read instead of listen:
My favorite collectible is by far Dyna-mite. I don’t talk about it much at all in the video but I kind of wish I did because it probably is the best example of all of the reasons I give for the collectibles being good. It’s a silly music video parodying an eighties song but it exists because that’s how Darling chose to encourage Jesse as she goes into the final gauntlet. I believe it is Darling talking to Jesse in a more unique way than just through the hotline like Trench does, an idea supported by how uncomfortable he sounds when he does just that earlier. I love it.
I don’t talk about this nearly enough in the video (because it’s something I find difficult to speak objectively about) but the presentation in this game is phenomenal. Cinematography, direction, color, the use of mixed media, it’s really really incredible.
Sorry about my pronunciation of Polaris lol
Correction: You actually don’t gain ability points from Expeditions
I wholeheartedly agree with everything, both the Dyna-mite collectible and the presentation, which is by far this game's best quality.
Dyna-mite isn't an 80's song. It's from 1973. The parody is undeniably 80's though, and Matthew Porretta is absolutely amazing.
The fun question, though, is if it's all just in Jessie's head, or if it's a message from Casper himself.
CONTROL is like an action flick that is actually made with love, even when it has its downsides, and reminds you why you actually enjoy action flicks.
The game is 100% a power trip for the player, and for that cause the ability placement (story&optionality-wise) was sacrifised a little to be more epic. Yeah you get Levitate about two, maybe three hours before finishing the game - from a gamedev standpoint that`s not exactly good, but story-wise it`s metal as hell and very fun so Take Control.
Awesome analysis and critique, thank you for talking about this awesome game!
p.p.p.s. Very dissappointed we didn't get any Faden siblings story, it's my only gripe with the game.
p.s. favorite finding - My Dark Disquiet room
As someone who plays a lot of open world games, your point about stories in them either lacking any sort of urgency or too much is something I think about constantly. I think it's a problem that can be solved, but few devs have the skill or will to implement them, if they notice the issue at all. The problem is fundamental, that is, if you're going to fix (or really prevent) the problem, you need to build the game around the story more, which seems counter-intuitive.
For example, if I was going to make a giant open-world game with a single narrative that pulls the character across the entirety of that world, I'd first break the world down into distinct zones, probably centered around a town/settlement. Failing that, at least use factions. Secondly, I'd use factions. Factions allows you to compartmentalize further, and keeps the story from feeling too messy by associating tasks and areas with set characters, and can let you make it all feel more unique. Then you use all these to tell a story about the world itself, while the compartmentalized nature still lets you tell stories with natural urgency and drama without making the whole game feel rushed. Each segment ends with some sort of revelation or item or something that helps drive the overall narrative. Rinse, repeat.
Fallout New Vegas did this quite well, I feel. Where I feel that game struggled with its format though is truly off-the-beaten path content and post-release DLC that doesn't tie to the main conflict of the world. And honestly I think the solution there is to always have something sending the player to a location. Like maybe a faction will send me on a mission that ends at the start point of a DLC, and that mission also coincides with a momentary lul in that faction/settlement's story so I feel it's a perfect opportunity for a side diversion, rather than feeling like I'm abandoning those people in their hour of need.
Idk I think this problem stems not from a lack of options for developers, but an almost overabundance of options, and that can be very overwhelming when you're already concerned with building a huge freakin game and a massive world.
Very interesting. Your ideal open world story sort of sounds like what people say Red Dead 2 did, I haven’t played it but it sounds similar.
@@Tetramorre Problem with RDR2's story was there was TOO much sprawl. It never took the time to explore its regions enough before it whisked you to the next region. But that also kinda makes sense for a story about a group constantly being hunted by half the world. Still, aside from a few points in the story, it usually felt ambivalent to you picking up the next mission immediately, and did a lot to make it feel like events were happening over the course of weeks and months as opposed to hours like a lot of other stories often feel like.
That sounds relatively similar to what the first Witcher game did.
Thanks Patrician TV for this awesome channel find
Also great vid bud love analysis of games hope tho see more of your work in the future
Nice video. Thanks for using my music! Here, take my Like, too!
Always happy to hear some Ratchet and Clank music! Also, loved the synchronized music battle.
"There's even a subreddit for it" to be fair, there's a subreddit for almost anything you can think of
I cannot unhear the Spyro music playing during the first chapter wowowow
Also, how come you only have 47 subscribers ? The quality is through the roof here. Tetramorre to the moon !
Really great video! I liked the distortion after "credits" too.
I also did not play Alan Wake and my disappointment when instead of getting continuation to Foundation's half cliffhanger ending we got "Alan Wake Fan Service: The Game" was simply immeasurable.
I still enjoyed the whole game, but they really soured it for me with that move.
I enjoyed Control, but really struggled with the combat. I found it really unengaging. But the story and lore, and just the sheer love that was poured into the design and characters kept me going through it all. I really love the world building Remedy accomplishes with each of their games, and was very happy they built concrete connections between them. Alan Wake is still my favorite, but as a Washingtonian I'm probably biased. But Control has a really great cast of engaging characters, too. I know it's doubtful, but I'd love more games in this series.
Great work and awesome presentation, as always, although I still can't agree with all of your criticism after finishing the game twice myself. Particularly regarding the power progression, I see it linked directly to the narrative: Jesse starts in the Buro as a Janitor's Assistant as in not fully competent for the job (Janitor being something like a Keeper of the Buro), and the Board initially views her as a trainee, observing her progress and giving/activating the abilities as rewards for her professional achievements. The Board is hesitant to grant her full powers out of fear that she, being an inexperienced person with unclear motives, could easily hurt the Buro, the House, and the Board itself, especially in light of her contacts with Former. By cleansing the Buro and showing her increasing loyalty and dedication for its cause Jesse gains the Board's trust, and the Board in turn grants her maximum powers when the stakes are highest.
That’s a good point. I didn’t go into much (if any) discussion about the power progression in terms of story integration and that probably would have been a good point to make. It still makes the game weaker from a pure gameplay perspective in my eyes, though perhaps I could justify it for the purposes of the story had I taken that route.
The maximum powers do still get stripped away when the crisis is averted. The board sounded really desperate so Jesse might have been their only choice of survival. Still they wouldn't give it to a stranger so there has been some growth with Jesse and the boards relationship.
The board is often or most of the board members are very detached to the director when they come and go. Since they elect directors the Northmoor power source theory with him not having a choice could, besides being necessary to averting some sort of energy crisis, have been by the boards command, and he is ultimately under their control at least power wise.
Great fakeout at the fake credits. Finally played this and it probably has the best worldbuilding I've seen in a while, if not ever. Really potrayed a federal agency quite well.
I feel the ending was a little bit of a downturn, but honestly, the game is so frequently full of leaving you with more questions than answers that I don't think it really bothered me. Resolution isn't really something we get to see in the game, beyond the immediate problem. I found it a little weird we didn't get some kind of proper boss fight, but honestly the boss fights weren't the best part of the game to me, since many of the bosses, well, just feel like bullet sponges. It really stands out especially compared to how relatively quickly regular enemies die, especially with good aim, or careful use of launch or your other abilities. Some of the boss fights felt more like wars of attrition.
Speaking of launch, though, I think it's very good that you CAN hit the elevated hiss with launch. There's actually two ways to do this: If they're not focusing on you, either because they're unaware or they're attacking something else, you can hit them with. Or, if you bait them into a dodge, you can hit them when they're recovering from the dodge. This is good for multiple things: baiting their dodge makes them abandon their launch attacks, and it will leave them vulnerable for attacks with the service weapon. I don't think it's really critical, besides for the ones with shields.
Also go play Alan Wake, it's a great game, and you can see where parts of control came from in it. It also makes the AWE DLC a lot more enjoyable, and has some pretty interesting implications for the entirety of control AND the entire concept of a shared universe for all of Remedy's games. And it has more Old Gods Of Asgard songs, which are absolutely fantastic. And Night Springs.
Patrician TV sent me here, and I definitely appreciate it! Love this.
1:18:17 the whole reason I played Control was because I heard of the connections to Alan Wake, but I forced myself to play The Foundation first and I had a blast with both lots of the DLC. I can definitely see how someone who hasn't played Alan Wake going through that DLC first would resent it.
(yes I watched this in chunks lol)
100% valid conclusion. I think for me, the timing of when I played it, how I played it and the motivations I ahd for playing it lead to me having a different experience.
I knew AW2 was on the way when I decided to play it, the thing that GOT me to play it was someone describing it as being vaguely Metroid Prime-like and I played it with folks who had already played it and were eager to experience it again through fresh eyes, so I was able to feed off their energy and speculate with them.
I think if you remove any two of these factors (not knowing AW2 was coming, not being able to speculate with others, or going into it initially mostly for the gameplay) I could have come out feeling less fulfilled. But the end result for me was becoming even more hyped for AW2 and actually going back and playing Quantum Break too (which I also had a blast with, but probably could be said to have the same issues Control does).
The Ashtray Maze is still one of my favorite set pieces I've played in many recent years. I still listen to Take Control (the metal song playing during the section), as well as Sankarin Tango (Ahti's song), and Poets of the Fall (the band who made the song in the secret sound room). Great game with fantastic music.
Just started digging through your channel recently and started with your back catalog and I agree with many of your opinions on Control and think a lot of your analysis is engaging and interesting. Good stuff.
Trench seriously reminds me of Max Payne, the inflection, the tone of voice, and the cryptic, almost poem-like dialogue.
With quality like this you are only going to grow. Great video, more please.
AAAAAH! After 7 years I have finally found a good youtuber with under 1000 subscribers. Time to binge all thier videos and beg them to make more high quality videos.
Oh no, he's found a new channel. Leave a comment to boost the algorithm for him.
*guitar noises*
Go, Go, Algorithm!
Go, Go, Algorithm!
Go, Go, Algorithm!
Mighty Morphin Algorithm!
Dead Letters aren't a thing from Control, Dead Letters are a real thing in the mail. They're letters which, for one reason or another, cannot be delivered. The Bureau's Dead Letter Archive is an archive of dead letters to look for anything paranatural.
Appreciate the quality of your work.
Another great analysis. Knocking these out of the park
This is a great video and I hope you make more. I found it after PatricianTV linked it on his discord.
The only thing I would disagree on you with is the AWE DLC. I played Alan Wake first and I enjoyed it a lot, however it had an ambiguous ending and I always wanted to know more about his world. The DLC really benefited from the fact that the style and tone of both games are similar and compliment each other very well, and it expands both worlds that I wanted to know more about. AWE was two great tastes, that taste great together for me, though I understand why it would be dull for someone with understand of Alan Wake's narrative.
Consider playing Alan Wake if you enjoyed Control, I think you will enjoy it.
I probably would enjoy it, seems like my cup of tea. I can fully understand why you would like the AWE dlc though, as far as raw gameplay is concerned it still holds up with the rest of the game. More power to yah, believe me lol
Another good videos with nuanced insights. Thanks!
This is an amazing video essay, incredibly well thought-out and scripted. Really inspiring!
That ending caught me by surprise.
just because jesses health bar isnt explained to you doesnt mean its somehow a framing fumble. it would not be much of a jump to assume something similar to the hiss healing mechanics also happens to jesse because of polaris, after all they are comparible interdimensional entities. we get very little information on polaris from research notes etc because nobody knows much about it. also since polaris is literally the player influencing her from beyond it would make sense that jesse is given a healthbar-esque mechanic similar to the way shield is recieved from a safe or how the serviceweapon happens to be a gun and not a as it would be if control were say, a soulslike.
Ah, but it does. I can speculate all day and night about how Jesse’s health bar represents the sugar iv drip the bureau implanted in her back when she was P7 but until the game actually states it, it’s not framed in the context, it’s just speculation.
I like your explanation but it’s just speculation. Speculation based off in game evidence, but speculation none the less. Though I do have an issue with it: the hiss resonance healing the hiss works because the bodies they inhabit don’t actually function anymore, the hiss is basically piloting them, and the healing orb thing is restoring the hiss’s will to fight moreso than any physical ailment. That wouldn’t really make sense for Jesse because she’s alive and is taking literal gunshot wounds and extreme blunt force trauma, her body can only take so much (until she picks up random health orbs). Perhaps you could speculate that Polaris is using some sort of resonance therapy to message her bullet wounds away, but again, that’s just speculation
Even if that were the case though, I would still have at least two questions: 1, why does Jesse need to kill hiss for this to happen, and 2, why does it manifest as glowing health pods with a literal + sign on them? The only mechanical relation the health pods have to Polaris is that they are they same blue that represents them throughout the game, otherwise they come popping out of the hiss like candy out of a piñata and that just kind of weird, right? I’m sure Remedy could come up with an answer as to why that is, but they didn’t. And speculation does not mean it’s framed because we could do that for literally any game. Framing the mechanic means we don’t need to speculate on its in-universe ramifications because the developers told us what those are.
@@Tetramorre yea, i just feel like not everything needs to be stated outright to count and the game does enough work in this area for me. the difference between this idea and the iv sugar drip is that there is some precedent for the former. polaris is the "good" counterpart to the hiss which has its own healing ability as well as flying and throwing, so its not too much of a reach to assume. i believe the meta interpretation that we are polaris so i think the answer to 1 is: of course they drop health because thats what happens when you kill bad guys in videogames. and 2: why is the service weapon a gun? because it is a manifestation of the "will" of the board suited for the one who wields it. of course its a gun because the wielder is a government agency in the modern day. it would literally change with the zeitgeist image of "weapon". so of course health would be a cross, because when you see that you think healing. 1 is of course predicated on polaris giving you "game mechanics" in the way safe gives you "shield".
I like the way you think. Speaking to the meta interpretation though, I can’t agree, because Jesse has Polaris with her before we start playing the game. And we control her during parts in which Polaris is not with her (immediately after the fake out ending, this is debatable but the former point is not).
As to your answer to point one, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. “It happens because of course it does, it’s a video game” is the kind of thing remedy avoided by framing all the other stuff, control points, enemies healing themselves, enemies with guns, you name it.
I like your answer to point two, I just think it’s predicated on a conclusion that the game doesn’t really support, especially since there’s no specific way to support the actual “how” of Polaris healing Jesse, i.e. the hiss infusing resonance in their soldiers in order to keep them moving even though the body they inhabit is dead. It also relates Polaris to the Board, a relationship I don’t think works because they are very different entities. That’s a small niggle for me though, I would like that answer if the game gave it.
The whole point though is that the game gives answers to basically any question I would have in this regard, minus Jesse’s health for some baffling reason. While I agree that Polaris is supposed to be a being that isn’t understood, that’s also assuming that Polaris healing Jesse is the only way they could have framed this mechanic.
Damn how don’t you have more subs
1:04:39 i love how her response is so curt it's almost as if this isn't the first time he tried asking her out, probably not even the first time he wrote it out to her either
Man, holy fucking shit. This is my favorite video on this game. Looks like PatricianTV came through in spades with this recommendation! (Subbing to your channel, that is) I've watched quite a few videos going over this game, a few on channels who I like a great deal. Yet, in all of them I found the most interesting discussion about the game happened in the comments. The big sticking point over was the lack of answers for many of the mysteries and lore, which is definitely fair. The first video mentioning this actually blew my mind, because I had almost forgotten entirely. I was so wrapped up in the characters and the tragic downfalls that I forgot much about the game went left unexplained. I watched Lost back in the day, a show which left a bitter resentment in me for like 15 fucking years up until last year. So I get that reaction even if it isn't one I've shared toward Control. I felt so goddamn bad for Dylan, especially after his "accidental outburst" explained through some text and a Darling Presentation. He and Jesse needed parents, something the FBC weren't equipped to provide {although Trench, during a hotline call, claimed Dylan would be 'taken care of' and 'have everything I didn't' as if justifying the Bureau's actions to himself}
I could go on and on about the game but I'll spare whoever else and myself from doing so. I loved this game, although I do agree that the DLC didn't reach those soaring heights. I'm a huge Alan Wake fan and felt his DLC was an absolute tease that I hope will be fleshed out eventually in a whole game. Anyway, a point I meant to mention up above was how many other videos I watched tackling this game seem to do so as if on the usual time constraints of their upload schedules. And fair enough, but that approach seems like it would strip down the experience in an enormous way. I really appreciate how you go so in-depth and present a degree of respect for a given game by being so thorough. Thanks! This must be take a lot of discipline to see a video like this through to completion, but despite the lengthy analysis your tone gives off a genuine enthusiasm. It's a refreshing change from all the rampant cynicism that pulse through much of the video game scene these days.
Anyway, jesus fuck man sorry lol. This video got me one a roll, and also put me in the mood to play a game my damn self!
I try to stay away from cynicism whenever possible, and always give the games I review a fair shake. Thanks for this comment and your others, I’m really glad you’re enjoying the content!
@@Tetramorre It's great! Appreciate you humoring my long-ass comment lol.
It's funny, HP is one of those things which has almost never been framed well due to the divorcement from the context in which it arose. Hit Points were originally derived from the systems used in naval wargames to model the fact that ships tend to stay fairly operational until they sink, which is a viable result from taking too many hits in different locations. It makes sense for a ship to sink after being hit in 5 random places. It doesn't make sense for a human being to die from 5 gunshots to the toe, at least not immediately. Luckily, HP has become so ubiquitous these days that people rarely question it, but it's still a bit of a glaring hole in the landscape of gaming.
“So that’s what a hit point is. How many 14-inch shells it would take to kill you. Every living creature is 1 hit point. The end.”
Brian David Gilbert
This is quite possibly the best video about a game that I have ever watched. This was incredibly engrossing from start to finish. Amazing job! I came here from Patrician and I am not disappointed in the slightest. I really look forward to seeing your content in the future. I really like the concept of this game and I agree with you about so much of what you said. It was a bit crazy that I was just thinking about how much this game reminded me of Alan Wake just seconds before you name-dropped it and started to discuss the connection. I absolutely loved the base game of Alan Wake and I feel like you should give it a fair shake, to be honest. Fantastic job man!
Wow, that's pretty big praise. Thanks!
25:45 I played on PC but yea... crashing became a familiar sight lmfao
55:08 Someone pointed this out to me on my first playthrough and honestly it was quite the conversation starter. After a bit of deliberation, I took it as they didn't want to risk iconography that is deeply embedded in people's subconscious being present in the oldest house like snack branding.
It's wild how the smallest piece of set dressing can really make you think about the whole setting.
Really enjoyed this one! Any tips for people looking to create a video project similar in length? Like workflow/methodology etc?
Take detailed notes on your recordings to make editing faster and easier. Don’t assume your video will be a certain length, you don’t want to pad for time just to hit the two hour mark. Spend a lot of time making sure the audio quality is good. Other than that, make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing. That’s the most important thing for me, I try not to chase trends because I don’t necessarily want to talk about the games that are “getting the views” at any time.
Good luck on your endeavors, feel free to send me a link and I’ll check it out when it’s done.
@@Tetramorre Thanks mate. Got a lot of researching and redrafting still to do, but if it ever comes out I'll let you know =D
I can't tell if its a good or bad thing but its pretty nuts max payne was able to change his name to trench and run this shit show of a company.
Comment for algorithm gods
I love how this video has a disappointingly abrupt ending. 💪🤡
Excellent video which sums up pretty all I think a bout this game. It's an awesome universe lost into a mess of a game with an invasive main character that I couldn't care less about. At least it is not as bad as Alan Wake which was boring from beginning to end both scenartically and gameplaywise. Darling is awesome though.
I think what I hated the most was the many, many, many, too many times we get a close up of Jesse's face so she can force her thoughts into the player. Come on game, Venom Snake barely had any lines and yet each one of his unheard thoughts was more meeningful than Jesse's whole script.
I do agree with that to some degree, although it apparently didn’t bother me enough to talk about it lol
It's ironic to call Polaris "the voice" despite the fact that she can't speak and just shimmers.
And I'm saying it as a host of a plural system where it is common to communicate with mindimpulses. Plus great video, Control + review / philosophy are my cups of tea.
...Well, and I also have Jesse as a systemmate. If you want to know what it is like or speak to her, tell me.
None of the things in the game seems interesting to me, what's up :/
Not everything is for everyone?
I have to say I am really disappointed in this video. I wanted to hear more about your thoughts on pizza.
How would you rank the options you listed? What are your thoughts on more gimmicky pizza forms, like cheesy crust? How much does the atmosphere of the restaurant/arcade/unfinished basement enhance or diminish the pizza experience? Is it acceptable to eat pizza with a knife and fork? And that is just the crust of the kind of topics you could have dived into!!
You started to peer into a veritable maze of deep and fascinating questions only to completely sideline the whole subject and just talk about some game.
You could have dug into the deepest of deep dishes and instead you left it as a thin crust.
Disappointed hardly begins to describe my feelings.
Pizza hut sucks everyone can out pizza them