Control in the Test
The Finnish development Studio Remedy, it seems to have herein, Stanley Kubrick is not entirely dissimilar to that taken on the task to cope with each of their Releases, a new Genre, or to cross at least previously opened paths to new genre elements. The Neo-noir Third Person Shooter Max Payne (2001) was followed by 2010 and 2016, with Alan Wake and Quantum Break are two – more or less – straight Action-Adventure with a significantly greater weighting in the direction of a Third Person shooter, in the case of the latter project. With Control , the developers of Remedy their focus on the Genre of Third Person Shooters, but as a Lich to continue and try with the Oldest House, the Central location of the event within the game, again on a new Genre: the Metroidvania; a challenge for any level designer but also the Narration.
Since 1996, one of the party, at the time, especially for the development of the history of the Top-down racer Death Rally (1996) – remedy’s first major game done, is Sam Lake, the gifted storyteller of the Remedy and the original, in the Skin Editor to be unrecognizable distorted and as shortly before the constipation standing, looking, face of Max Payne. The Story Controls it has, thanks to the narrative skill of the Lead author, Lake, in, and invites you to a hearty craziness in this journey of discovery, in not only space and time belonging to each other diced be.
The Federal Bureau of Control in the Oldest House
With Jesse thread, we control for the first time, a protagonist with a Remedy staged adventure. In the same we are pushed quite rudely and without much exposure to the world and the ongoing story. Jesse, the Oldest House, the seat of the mysterious Federal Bureau of Control of the United States of America is entering, to the search, you had already been for years, as she tells us in one of her many inner monologues, since it makes the FBC for the Disappearance of her brother, Dylan, is responsible. Contrary to its not only the Name but also the imposing and yet strangely sterile-looking interior architecture because, Kafkaesque bureaucratic ends style grace is orphaned at the entrance hall of the Oldest House. No one prevents us from the alarmist and yet in vain beeping, to walk metal detector. A Beeline to the right, the stairs gone up to three paintings, in a dark corridor with offices arrived, our first impression is condensed: here is something very Strange going on. The building looks deserted, not a soul to see; well almost. A few bends later, we encounter, ominous, and with stereotypem the Finnish accent in front ends, a janitor in a blue jumpsuit, the clean up with a broom to the floor and, as it were, as the first quest giver acts; Ahti holds us for the new candidate for the Post of caretaker assistant and sends us to his superiors. The caretaker, with a little more safety distance as may be necessary, over flitted we will find us just in front of those paintings, which we passed at the beginning of the game, to enter the dark corridor with offices. The only difference is that the medium has disappeared and has released a lift. A 180 degree rotation confirmed the impossible: among us, the orphaned, with cold reflective marble-clad entrance hall. We are the first to witness a Central feature of the Oldest House: the same thing has to change the habit of its architectural structure according to unknown rules.
Control on the trail of a Metroidvania
This can, as we are one of the countless in-game distributed Memos telling, sometimes – to the great chagrin of many employees of the Federal state control offices, also cause sanitary facilities do not disappear rooms of a Department or entire office, which makes the working everyday life is irrelevant. The Control uses this characteristic of the imposing office building to help us through the game and its history to lead. Again and again we encounter seem to be in doors with cement blocks bricked. Or we stumble over obstacles such as an inaccessible note passage at the upper end of a wall, the we, despite all the acrobatic finesse and Platforming to reach assets. Elsewhere, we adjusted the way by red swirling blocks, the damage to us cause once we come the same to close. Again and again we stand in front of closed doors, we can only open once we have received the appropriate level of security office of access card. In this way, the game does not set us limits, to guide us in other directions and sends us back to familiar places, sometimes – as soon as we receive the appropriate key card or to eliminate a particular barrier skill required have learned. This Mechanics of world-building is the basic building block of the Metroidvania genre, a Gameplay combination of Nintendo’s Metroidseries, and the 1997 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Konami’s. So that is, in the nature of a Metroidvania lying, also a good Dose of Backtracking connected. Again and again we need to go, using the somewhat confusing fancy card – because by many Overlays of the various levels and floors of the Oldest House in the already visited places, back to us now, opening a new path. In General, the works, thanks to the quick travel system to different points of control quite quickly, however, to degenerate, especially if the mission description Sparta is slightly even, and a somewhat crippling fumble.
At times, the lively grace, the end is the architecture of the house – and here the level designer play all of your creativity, but it is also simply a part of a specific level section. Particularly impressive about an underground quarry with black Rock, and the open ceiling, which gives the views of one of the stars covered the sky free seems. Also impressive is it, if a game corridors section, suddenly in front of our eyes by the Nothing to the materialization of the end walls is closing and the other walls in turn, dissolve into thin air, in order thus to admit new gears free. As a result, a Labyrinth knossischen extent of the self-the Ariadne’s thread would fail, and always a pleasant surprise, and for a change from the grey, everyday office life provides.
Sizzling Blank
Belongs to the latter category, which unfortunately is to be found much rarer in the game than the beginning of it, it can be expected that suddenly, at the point of a painting, that lift us in the office of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control, Zacharia Trench. Once there, the adventure’s just so right and Jesse is transported a short Hand of the opponent of the FBC to the freshly minted Director, by the Service Weapon, a their running out of small Cubes is a strange-looking gun and the same allows different forms to assume, to take. With the same armed, we go from one task to the next, to bit by bit uncover what Jesse makes the control office for the Disappearance of her brother, with whom you are constantly in the Form of inner monologues, conversion-focused and cover almost all the secrets of the Oldest House and the established Federal-state inspection offices to go.
Belongs to one of these secrets, why the building at first seems so lifeless. Again and again we encounter spaces in which in the middle of the air, or on the ceiling of the same hanging – like a Helium-filled balloon after a Prater or festival visit its original novelty and the associated former child interest will be deprived of the force of gravity is slowly but surely on the ground of physical facts is brought to individual employees of the office, to float and in a monotonous tone of voice, synchronous messages of give. This disturbing cacophony accompanied us through the entire game and announces, in General, militant clashes with the armed forces of the house, accompanied by a sudden red light cones, to not know the law seem to you that you should actually work for and not against the FBC.
Action-Adventure with role-playing elements, Third Person Shooter or Metroidvania?
This is the Jesse Hiss baptized the main antagonists of the game, the objects to us in the form of manifold – with guns, missiles, or telekinetically with the device according to us throwing, running, or zipping around on the leather jacket want. The Hiss is a former employee of the Federal government, state control office, the, make, as it were, of a auditory Virus, now the hunt is on for the not to Hiss mutated part of the workforce. The main part of the game, we defend ourselves accordingly by force of arms, and other capabilities available to a countless number of waves in a breaking-and out of Nothing spawn of Hiss, to rid the Oldest House scattered control points of the Sizzling-Virus. The same will serve us now – dark souls salute – as travel options, as well as small Hubs where we strengthen our weapons, or new weapons to construct, as well as side missions to accept.
The liberation of these control points, the above-mentioned Service Weapon, a so-called Object of Power serves as a fire weapon. In the further course of the game, we can repurpose this gun, the only available weapon of the game, a shotgun or a machine gun, where we can switch during game action, only between two weapon modes by pressing a button. The Service Weapon is equipped in all its forms, is unlimited ammo, but a limited magazine that is quickly emptied, and only automatically charging. And this load process first takes a lot of time. To power just the beginning of the battles quite challenging. Again and again we have to go in cover or the enemy’s hail of bullets to Dodge skillfully, in order to gain time, until the magazine is loaded and we re ready to fire fight with fire. In addition, this is complicated by the fact that there’s no real cover system and no auto healing, as it is currently almost a matter of course to the Shooter Standard. Eliminated enemies leave blue crystals by means can of those fill up, we are Jesse’s life bar to damage new. To do this we must venture, however, from our cover, and the crystals across the run. Here Control almost like a classic Shooter of the 90s and early 2000s. As the game progresses, we switch to however, Weapon mods free the speed up the charging process, the damage of the weapon increase, or other types of improvements, which will help us to combat the fire. In addition to the Weapon mods, there are also personal modifications which will allow us to increase Jesse’s life energy, respectively, the crystals recovered life energy increase, or the supernatural abilities of the protagonist relate to.
Psi-phenomena, and the astral plane
Because in addition to the Service Weapon we defend ourselves, the Hiss is mainly due to certain skills, Jesse, in the course of your adventure at the Oldest House, by the Objects of Power, acquires. These Objects of Power to which about a Jukebox, a floppy disk or the Service Weapon of the Director to count, to locate, to pull out of the traffic, so they can’t cause damage in the civilian population, as well as these peculiar objects is to draw in-depth studies to one of the Central tasks of the Federal Bureau of Control. This is the game tells us again and again in numerous Full-Motion Live Acting Videos with real actors, which fit wonderfully in the game experience, and a great strength of the same pose.
If we take a Object in Power to us, we get by the same a new Psi-power. The same we can try out immediately in connection in the manner of a classical Tutorials – in the astral plane to teleport us to the Objects of Power on initial contact – tele. First of all, only a melee attack to us after receiving the Service Weapon at the beginning of the game in the Form of a devastating energy burst that knocks enemies to the ground, and you the damage. Later acquires Jesse in addition to different skills, such as telekinesis, which allows us to objects, or to fling out of the walls and floors out broken boulders on opponents, respectively, in the case of increase of this skill by means of experience points, to promote the Hiss itself through the air and make thus unable to fight. Where appropriate, broken debris from the walls and floors and also use as a shield in order to escape a particularly concentrated hail of bullets, while keeping straight the next-best coverage look for. Even fly, the game can be us in the future.
Individual skills will not be as significantly useful, not to say overpowering, than others. In most cases, the telekinesis is the first choice, if we see an excess of Hiss compared to. By increasing this Psi-power by means of experience points, a telephoto ranges later in the game already kinetically to the basement, converted the object to make the enemy Hiss unable to fight. In addition, there is the Fighting Controls, in comparison to the shot switch Max Paynes, often on tactical calculations. In 2001 published the first Third Person Shooter remedy’s not convinced the least by a certain degree of tactical Finesse from players, opponents positioning, demanded carefully to inculcate, to set in order to efficiently and accurately as many opponents as possible within a slow-motion jump out of action. The battles in Control traps, in contrast, mostly very hectic, as it is also in the absence of a proper cover system hardly any possibilities of slowing down of the game action are. Taking the scenario of tactical depth and the other hand on the quick reaction and action of a thunderstorm. We are dying resets the game to the last visited checkpoint, and we must begin the struggle anew. For a little variety a couple of puzzles in deposits, the puzzles, especially from a Desk after all, and puzzles with symbols. Once in a while we need to move by telekinesis power dice in the designated sockets in the wall or in the Terminals in the correct order to activate and once the Image of a Symbol to a Terminal replicate. Really challenging these puzzles deposits are not, at any time, loosen the action-Packed to Happen, but welcome.
Director gone astray
Off of the main path has us Control , with numerous optional side quests that mostly consist of a specific number of Hiss, in a specific area of the Oldest House, in a certain way (with a certain weapon or skill) or, under certain conditions (such as no harm to take) to eliminate it. It is always three can be adopted, such ancillary tasks at the same time in the case of adjusted control points, and upon successful completion there against pre – determined weapon modifications, personal modifications, or construction materials – the production of new or improvement of already constructed weapons exchanged. Especially this genus of secondary tasks, however, acts extremely out of place, since they are not in the world of Control and bound to be. With ease would legitimize the same as tasks for the purposes of research and of such dimensions, at least, tentative in the main include letting it happen. This does not take place, however, which a good part of the atmosphere for the mindless Execution of challenges is sacrificed. Sometimes, the menu even dive in the Mission, even side missions on the at any time can be, but only for a certain time. In this case, we have to wait for us at a particular place, go to the particularly strong opponents on to us and, accordingly, in the event of your death, higher quality modifications, leave.
Followed Rays
A special technical feature of Control is that the game is the graphics cards supported by means of a ray tracing render. Ray tracing (ray tracing), however, is by no means a new technology. Quite the contrary: cinephiles will occur, this rendering technique for realistic pixel coloring only too well known. In the movie industry ray tracing is already used for quite some time-used to – something simplistic terms, a, in pixels, of the translated light beam is particularly realistic, virtual objects, and thereby a photo-realistic effect pre-rendered (Moving)to generate images. In the Video – and computer game, however, this rendering technique was able to summarize so far, can hardly walk, must of the images are calculated in real time, since the camera is controlled from the player itself and thus is not calculated section of the screen can be displayed. For real-time ray tracing computing power required could not be raised from the current PC Hardware, however. Nvidia has made ray tracing in recent years, is now a main task and a Generation of graphics cards presented this rendering method to the shoulders in the position – even if the story is still clearly on the Performance. Who has the necessary video card and sufficiently potent Hardware that is rewarded with the activation of ray tracing with beautiful reflections, lighting effects and reflections, looking for your Same. But even without activated Raytracing is Control a graphically more than just a good game.
The shadow sides of technology
A very disturbing Bug that my game was looking for me especially in the later course of the passage at regular intervals, the home was not reloaded, or a lot of low resolution textures. A Bug of the not the least of those puzzles in the game makes it impossible to require the solution of we are in the Level of distributed graphics. So we need to activate at a certain point in the game a machine. To accomplish this, the Terminals to be enabled in a specific order. The sequence of activation results from a specific order of symbols, the accurate arrangement, we can see three separate capped Whiteboards. The corresponding graphic will not load, however, or to low dissolved only a reboot helps, sometimes, to the coarse-grained pixels and bustle to put an end to (subsequent repetition, until then, completion of the roads and the elimination of enemies included). Often it was sufficient, however, simply in the graphics menu to a lower detail resolution, and to switch back then to the higher resolution. As always: Annoying!
CONCLUSION
For all the Unconventionality of the setting, Story, and the characters Control Essentially a fairly conventional, if the same solid and fun, Third Person Shooter, the in addition, through the supernatural abilities of its protagonist and, as a result, interwoven game world varied beefed up is. However, this can not conceal that are also in Control of the Ubisoft formula has crept. In Essence, we are to take during the game, primarily so that different control busy points in the the Oldest House, the architectural order in the space to restore and maintain such access to further areas of the single Boss battles included. The usually means inside a room with a control point all down or to hurl through the air, what is not gone in three to volunteer from the same to the driving combat music soothes new, what is equivalent, that no enemies spawn. Then, the control point must be enabled by the press of a button. That sounds not only to Ubisoft, but is different gamplay technology in fact, not fundamentally different from, e.g., the liberation of the Camps in Far Cry and uses accordingly as the game mechanics too quickly; not least because-in addition to direct confrontation, no alternative solution options out there, the Hiss of the control points to eliminate. Also missing the Fight, whether its hustle and bustle, those tactical finesse of the shot as the battles with the Max Paynes were. In this way, the extremely interesting Setting of the game is – the alive grace is irritating to the end of the Oldest House and the harboring mystical Objects of Power – very rarely, in all of its possibilities. To this end, a small literature recommendation for all those with an affinity for well-kept Horror in the area of post-modern literature: Mark Z. Danielewski ‘s House of leaves (2000).
However, Control is more than just a good Third Person Shooter with Adventure, RPG and Metroidvania-bonds. Accordingly, I had with the game is great fun! The combat system allows after a short settling-in period of rapidly choreographed battles with the background effects and driving atmosphere. At all is Control, even without Raytracing, a graphically successful and very handsome title will become. The Oldest House and the level design, despite the assigned potential, in places, downright amazing. The real strength, however, is already new Lakes history, as well as the production of the same by means of numerous entertaining documents, Radio and television broadcasts, as well as Full-Motion Live Acting Videos, not only from the great acting of its protagonists, witnesses (a Highlight are the Videos of Dr. Caspar Darling, the from Alan Wake’s spokesman Matthew Porretta played), but at the same time wonderful in the world of Control paste. Nevertheless, the characters Controls are rarely so life-like and sympathetic, like those Alan Wake. For this reason, I would like to Express at this point, one of my long-cherished desire: Let Sam’s Lake design, finally, on the narrative level, concentrated Adventure!
What Control is? A Third Person Shooter with role-playing, Adventure and especially Metroidvania elements.Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Tested: Version 01.03.00 on PC Intel Core i5-6600K, 4x 3.5 GHz, 16 GB RAM, AMD Radeon R9 Fury
Developer / Publisher: Remedy Entertainment/ 505 Games
Release: 27. August 2019
Link: Official Website
