We’re delighted to announce that Control is out now on Xbox One. For those unaware (where have you been?) Control is a 3rd person action-adventure supernatural developed by our friends at Remedy Entertainment and published here at 505 Games. You know these devs… This is the immensely talented team responsible for award-winning titles such as Quantum Break, Alan Wake, and Max Payne, just to name a few.
In Control, you play as Jesse Faden, director of a secretive government agency in New York, which has been taken over by a supernatural threat known as the Hiss. It’s up to you as a new director to regain control and obtain answers, using your supernatural abilities and trusty Service Weapon. Get ready to be challenged in this unstable, unfamiliar world.
Before you head off and explore the world of Control, we’ve gathered the thoughts of some of our team and put together some top tips for you guys. They will help, trust us…
- I encourage players to explore as much as they can. They will discover all kinds of exciting narrative lore including more about characters, the FBC (Federal Bureau of Control) and the Oldest House. We love hiding some of the best things in tricky places. Not all the abilities are in main missions. Venture out into the Oldest House to uncover Objects of Power that have gone astray because of the Hiss invasion. If you’re up to the task, you can bind them and grow more powerful. Brooke Maggs, Narrative Designer, Remedy
- Pay attention to the sound. Besides the eerie tracks, the sound in Control is your ally and can help with identifying corrupted FBC agents, even when you can’t see them. In fact, it can be a deciding factor as to whether you survive a battle or not. Got a good sound-system or rocking a pair of immersive headphones? Crank up the volume and experience the amazing sound design work. It shines through gameplay. Lucas Liaskos, Brand Community Manager, 505 Games
- Try new combinations of weapons and abilities against enemies as you gain them. Melee, for example, is extremely powerful in close-range combat against most enemy types and pairs very well with the base Grip weapon form. Each weapon form in Control has a unique role in the game. Try each form against different enemies to see how they react. You might be surprised at how much fun and powerful some of these weapon forms are in certain situations, especially when combined with abilities. Paul Ehreth, Lead Designer, Remedy
- You’re going to have to get to grips with the balance of swiftly switching between Jesse’s abilities and the power of the Service Weapon. The combinations are endless! Saying that, Control is not all about floating and raining down a firestorm of bullets. Jesse has some trusty allies awaiting throughout the Bureau, to help you navigate out the complex environments and to aid you in discovering the secrets behind her journey. JayJ High, Multimedia Designer, 505 Games
- The environment is Jesse’s greatest ally in combat. Always look to see what opportunities are available. When you see an enemy ready a powerful attack, position yourself behind something sturdy. You can even use Levitate to quickly rise from behind high cover, fire a quick barrage of bullets before tapping the jump input to drop back down to safety. Always keep your eyes peeled for strategically placed Launch objects, such as loud-speakers and fire extinguishers, which can be torn from their wall mounts. If you position an enemy between you and the Launch object, it’ll hit the enemy in the back as it travels to your position. This may stagger them, giving you a valuable window to deal damage. Thomas Hudson, Senior Game Designer, Remedy
- Every side quest is a potential wonder! Some of the most breath taking, nerve-wracking and downright frightening things in game have come as a result of tackling what I thought was a relatively minor quest. Additionally, some of the lore found in these quests add whole new layers of depth to the world of Control. Patrick Hargreaves, Associate Producer, 505 Games
- Ahti is one of the weirdest employees of the Federal Bureau of Control. He seems to think Jesse is there as his assistant, so he’ll be giving you little odd jobs to do now and again. Like incinerating a whole bunch of toxic waste. It’s worth going back to see him at his office occasionally, to check if he has some new tasks for you. And once you’ve done them all, there’s a special reward in it for Jesse. Vida Starcevic, Community Manager, Remedy
- The key to winning fights in Control is to use the abilities to your advantage. Launch is a great way to deal heavy damage (especially if the item explodes), combined with a few shots from the service weapon, is a super effective way early on to gain an upper hand. Once you unlock seize, this helps you take control of enemies, which later in the game is a huge benefit. It takes some of the heat off you, plus if you seize the orb it’ll buff your health while you fight. Marcus Toon, UK Marketing Manager, 505 Games
- Control doesn’t have a location marker/GPS system, only a (largely symbolic and intentionally vague) map. But if you read the quest descriptions, listen to characters and look for signs in the environment, you can always find a way to navigate the Oldest House. Occasionally, a side mission can be triggered from a seemingly innocuous collectible hidden in a side room somewhere, or from a sequence of random actions that form a pattern. In Control, not everything is as straightforward as defeating an enemy or talking to an NPC. These secrets will often reveal an amazing Easter egg, piece of lore or lead you to some epic loot. If you can access an area with tougher enemies, however, it doesn’t always mean that you should go fight them right away. You can certainly try to get some higher-level loot, but if you notice that some encounter is too challenging, you can always gear up, unlock some new abilities and come back to it later. Sergey Mohov, Senior Game Designer, Remedy
- Levitate! As much as possible. Honestly, you will thank me later – when you’re levitating you can dodge and manoeuvre with less obstacles in the way and can see attacks coming with less obstruction in combat. Master this, and you will start tying abilities together much more effectively! Ben Godwin, Export Sales Manager, 505 Games
There you have it! Ten top tips that will help you in the world of Control.
To wrap things up, we’ve been working with the team over at Remedy on Control for several years now, and it’s been an incredible journey. To see Control launch is a brilliant achievement by everyone involved and we really hope you can see the love and energy that’s gone into making it happen.
Let me also take this opportunity to say thank you to our community. Since announce, we’ve been truly overwhelmed by your support. It really does mean the world to everyone.
Control is available now for Xbox One on the Microsoft Store. Click here for purchase details.
