When Control released last year it was plagued with glitches and technical issues that earned it quite a bit of ire from players. Fans that stuck with the game through this tumultuous launch, however, were rewarded with a truly thrilling experience with finely-honed combat and deeply satisfying supernatural powers. Control was praised not only for its superb gameplay but for its setting and story; the game throws players into the deeply menacing halls of the Oldest House, a powerful structure with eerie supernatural secrets lurking behind every corner. These elements all came together to make for a truly exceptional title that was well received by a number of critics, even earning Game of the Year nods.
Developer Remedy Entertainment was happy to give fans as much of Control's unique power trip as they wanted, as the game has received a steady stream of DLC content since launch. The first major expansion, Foundation, was released in June, and sent player character Jesse Faden into the mysterious caverns beneath the Oldest House to avert catastrophe and learn some of the mysterious origins of the eponymous Federal Bureau of Control. The second DLC, AWE, sends Jesse to a new location within the Bureau's ever-shifting walls, and reintroduces long-time Remedy fans to a very familiar face. It also adds some much-needed accessibility features.
AWE brings Jesse to a new location called the Investigations Department, a long-abandoned division of the Federal Bureau of Control tasked with investigating Altered World Events, occurrences where the strange, paranormal entities that are the FBC's purview directly interact with ordinary citizens and threaten their perception of reality. At the center of these investigations is the Bright Falls AWE, which is the name the FBC has given to the events of Remedy's 2010 thriller Alan Wake. While Control had many easter eggs referencing the ten year old game, AWE serves as the first official crossover between the two properties, and the debut of Remedy's new shared universe. AWE is still very much a Control expansion in terms of gameplay and tone, but Alan Wake fans will find a lot in the DLC to tie into the old property. Fortunately, an overabundance of collectibles will help clue unfamiliar Control fans in to the relevant info from the older game.
While the previous DLC took Control players to a new, cavernous region vastly different from the stark, brutalist hallways they were used to, AWE keeps things much more familiar, keeping players firmly inside the offices and warehouses they're used to from the base game. Of course, this isn't to say that there's nothing new in AWE - that couldn't be further from the truth. The main conceit in AWE is a new puzzle mechanic based around light, which should be familiar to Alan Wake fans. Players must use powerful light sources to destroy viscous, slimy piles of darkness that impede their progress. Many of these puzzles are as simple as finding a light source and bringing it to the darkness, but as the DLC progresses, Control introduces more and more complicated challenges that must be overcome before the darkness can be eliminated.
The light mechanic is best used with regards to AWE's other major addition: Dr. Hartman. The Alan Wake villain has been mutated into a grotesque monster that stalks the halls of the Investigations Department and attempts to kill Jesse multiple times over the course of the DLC. Hartman is arguably one of the most terrifying entities in the whole game. He is weak to light, and every time he rears his ugly head the goal becomes lighting up the room as quickly as possible to drive him away. Each Hartman skirmish builds on the one before it and becomes more challenging in a unique but intuitive way. Facing down the good doctor is guaranteed to get the blood pumping every time.
In addition to Jesse's main quest to bring down Dr. Hartman, AWE provides plenty of side quests that are just as surreal as one would expect. Remedy has had a full year to determine what makes an encounter with an altered item memorable, and that really shines in this DLC, which succeeds in making the player feel emotional about a train car. There's also an altered arcade cabinet that lets combat-hungry players take on challenges and replay bosses. Another major addition is Surge, a new form for the Service Weapon that gives Jesse access to stick grenades that she can detonate at will.
Perhaps the only disappointing thing about AWE is its story. Fans who were expecting a continuation of the mysterious story arc launched in the previous expansion will be let down, as AWE is entirely unrelated to Foundation. The new expansion builds on the story of Alan Wake quite skillfully, but it has little to do with the history of the Bureau. That said, and without giving away too much, the ending of the DLC is still worth experiencing for any Control fan.
AWE is absolutely a worthwhile continuation of the Control experience. It introduces delightful new gameplay conceits and iterates on them masterfully within such a brief time frame. The story might not appeal to everyone but everything else that's worth loving about Control can be found here. Anyone who enjoyed the base Control experience shouldn't hesitate to give AWE a whirl.
Control: AWE is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and Windows. A digital code was provided to Screen Rant for purposes of review.
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August 30, 2020 at 02:00AM
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