Control: The Foundation

If you played Control, the action game from Remedy Entertainment, chances are: you like it! It’s a pretty winning formula. A well written, X-Files kind of a story. A confident protagonist. Awesome psychic powers. Extra-dimensional weirdness. It had just enough novel gameplay ideas and fun story beats but all of that was wrapped up in a masterful sense of tone. So more Control: definitely a good thing right? If The Foundation is any evidence, oh yeah.

Control - The Foundation is just more Control. That's not a bad thing at all if you liked Control, and it's not worth coming back for if you didn't.

By The Foundation’s end, I didn’t come away with a seismic shift in my feelings on Control. It continues to nail what worked in the base campaign, adding more of what first captivated my attention. In trusting Remedy to take me down corridors I didn’t expect to walk, I received a few new, fun powers, some wacky side challenges, and world-building that offers satisfying answers and intriguing questions that have me eager to return yet again to its world.

If you found yourself turning over every stone in Control, The Foundation DLC will reward you with answers and new questions alike.

Of course, The Foundation‘s narrative is just as much of a draw here as the action, but to say too much about it would spoil it. You can rest assured that it adds yet more meat to Control‘s world though. And so with that, The Foundation becomes a worthwhile expansion. Maybe even one of the best in recent times. It actually feels like it has purpose, that it achieves something. It’s not just an afterthought made to cash in. So, if you love Control, definitely consider picking it up.

Spoiler Warning for Control’s Main Campaign: The Foundation DLC requires players to have completed the main campaign of Control. In discussing The Foundation’s story, certain elements from Control’s main game will come up. If you haven’t played Control itself, I recommend you go do that first before reading this review. If you want the short spoiler-free version, The Foundation is a great add-on that is “more Control” at its core, even if it’s missing some of the driving personality and mystery that propped up the main game.

But it isn’t the combat that kept me playing Control in the first place. Throwing forklifts at people can only remain fun for so long. Ultimately, it’s the worldbuilding that keeps me playing, and that’s also why I’ll continue to play the expansions. I just wish there were more gameplay moments comparable to what I experienced in that subway.

The Foundation also includes the return of Objects of Power. For reference, Objects of Power are everyday items, like a refrigerator, that house spectral forces causing a variety of out-of-this-world scenarios. While in short supply, these are the shining moments in The Foundation, transporting you to unique areas and forcing you to use your abilities in unexpected ways. One is a unique spin on the claustrophobia-inducing horror cliche; you’ll know when you see it. I’d take an entire game based on Objects of Power, and seeing what Remedy can come up with is astounding. Verdict: I find the nam...