When a game looks like its developer had an absolute blast doing it, that's always a good sign. That's how Control, the latest action-adventure game from Finnish company Remedy (from Max Payne, Alan Wake and Quantum Break fame) feels. It's certainly the weirdest game you'll come across this year, based on the most absurd – albeit highly imaginative – locations you could ask for, and executed with real visual panache.


We've all heard of the FBI, but for control, Remedy invented a US government agency called the Federal Bureau of Control, or FBC. Based in a giant, brutalist building in Manhattan, his mission is the paranormal (although he prefers the word "paranatural"—Control has its own vocabulary), and his primary mission is dealing with Altered World Events (AWE)— outbreaks of paranormal activity often caused by Objects of Power, which are usually hilarious prosaic objects but are dangerously powerful.


Our quick review

If you like third-person shooters, Control offers one that will feel quite unlike anything you've ever played, thanks to its stratospheric paranormal plot.


Both in terms of gameplay and vibe, Control is utterly original, highly distinctive, and deeply satisfying, thanks to a decent list of side missions and challenges beyond the main story.


Control feels like the game Remedy has been building towards for decades and provides a decent amount of memorable rewarding action.