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Master Control with these expert tips from the game's designer
Master the BAFTA-winning action-adventure game with help from The Foundation expansion's lead designer, Sergey Mohov.
Control is not a game that holds your hand.
The fact that you have to use logic and your environment to figure out what to do in the action-adventure game, set in a secret U.S. government agency studying paranormal phenomena, is all part of why it’s a BAFTA-winning game. It's also why it now holds the joint record for the highest number of nominations ever received for one game in a year, thanks to last week’s annual BAFTA Game Awards ceremony.
Now could be the perfect time to get into Control. The 2019 hit's first major expansion, The Foundation, was released just last month, and more DLC is on the way with AWE releasing in the middle of 2020.
But in a game with so much intricate detail and lore to discover around every (changing) corner, it’s easy to miss some of its off-the-beaten track secrets and ultimate tricks for best battle practice.
So, here are some insider tips from someone who knows better than anyone: Sergey Mohov, the lead game designer for The Foundation DLC at Remedy Entertainment. In true Control style, it’s time to uncover some behind-the-scenes secrets from inside the establishment…
Keep moving to stay alive in Control
© Remedy Entertainment
1. Keep on moving to stay safe
Sergey Mohov: It’s all about movement and mobility. Moving around a lot and putting distance between yourself and the enemies is what will increase your survival. A lot of modern third-person action games are all about crouching behind things and hoping that they will keep you safe, but in Control, that is actually most likely going to kill you. So don't do that.
Control's aesthetic is one of Remedy's finest
© Remedy Entertainment
2. Move towards your enemies, not away
Health drops from enemies while your health is not regenerating, so even if you are in danger and you're about to die, your best bet is to move towards the enemies, not away from them. For that same reason, the shield ability is actually very valuable in combat. We don’t want people to forget about it, so we’ve actually been adding some new, more aggressive upgrades for it. Using that will let you safely close the distance between yourself and the enemy and get those shiny health pickups.
3. Unlock all abilities as soon as you can, and leave a challenge if you’re not ready to take it on just yet
Try to unlock all of the abilities as soon as you can. Every little tool you get helps. Combat can get pretty tough, so anything that you add to your arsenal is helpful. If you are stuck on a tough challenge, you don't have to keep being stuck on it. Go and do something else, upgrade your character, and come back later. It's that kind of game: you don't need to fight all of the optional bosses you encounter immediately. If you feel like it’s not the time to beat it, then don't. That's okay! No one will judge you. It's fine.
Make sure to keep your mind-Karate fully upgraded
© Remedy Entertainment
4. Make use of Expeditions mode, because it’s going to make crafting weapons a lot easier
Expeditions are a great place to farm for materials, because every time you complete an island in the expedition, you get a bunch of materials. Also, enemies in the expeditions themselves drop a lot of materials. With those materials you can craft weapons and mods, which will increase your survival in combat as well.
5. Root around for hidden documents to get the most out of the game’s brilliant lore
A lot of the world-building in Control, and the most interesting story beats, are actually hidden in the documents and collectables around the environment. I would encourage people to go and seek them out if they actually care about the story because that's where they will find most of it. And it's actually great to read. I really enjoy reading people's little stories, and the letters that people in the game have sent their government – they're all crazy.
6. Speaking of which, investigate all the TVs for easter eggs
The show on the TVs around The Oldest House, ‘The Threshold Kids’, is great, in the most creepy possible way. Whenever you see a TV, you should go and watch whatever is on it because chances are that it's a Threshold Kids episode. I also really love ‘America Overnight’. It's a radio show produced by the Federal Bureau of Control. There are audio recordings hidden around the levels that you can find. Those are a lot like the real-life podcast, ‘Welcome to Night Vale’.
Control key art
© Remedy Entertainment
7. Read signs to navigate your environment, like in real life
Look at the signs in the environment. A lot of people are used to relying on a game to guide them, like a GPS, to the specific location that they need to go to – Control doesn't do that. We want players to actually take in the environment and learn how the world is constructed, and understand how things connect to each other. To encourage you to do that, we put all of the information that you need about how to get to places in the environment. The signs in the Bureau of Control work the same way as in an actual federal building, or an airport, or the subway. If you apply the same logic as you would apply to the real world, you can get around pretty easily.
8. Don’t keep pushing forward in the story, take advantage of all the freedom the game allows
I think new players might not realise how many options they have, and the amount of things that they can do. We introduce new mechanics pretty slowly in the game, and by around the middle of base-game Control, you can go to a lot of different places and do a lot of different things. If you don't realise that, you might just continue on one linear quest, but you don't have to. I would actually encourage you to go sideways, more than forward, and you'll have more fun.
9. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on the top floor of The Old House
If you want to have your mind blown, go to the top floor of the panopticon, and try to go into every little window. You'll find something very cool there!
