Metroid Dread's developer is seemingly working on two unannounced games.

As first reported earlier this week by Twisted Voxel, Nordisk Games recently published its annual fiscal year report for its shareholders. Among the details unveiled in the report was that Mercury Steam, a studio owned by Nordisk Games, is working on two unannounced games.

We know that one of these games is an action-RPG set in a dark fantasy world. It was actually announced by publisher 505 Games, which revealed this detail back in late 2021 while announcing that it would be taking on publishing duties for the game, which sounds a far cry from the likes of Samus Aran's adventures.

Mercury Steam's last game was Metroid Dread, released near the end of 2021 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch, followed by some post-launch updates including a boss rush mode. In our Metroid Dread review at the time, we awarded Mercury Steam's game a 3.5 out of 5, praising its sense of dread and atmosphere, whilst being frustrated with its controls and boss battles.

Aside from Metroid Dread, Mercury Steam has previously worked on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Metroid: Samus Returns. Considering Mercury Steam has a pretty solid track record of picking up older franchises from other developers and breathing new life into them, could one of these unannounced titles be another return to the Metroid or Castlevania franchises?

Check out our new games 2023 guide for a look ahead at some of the games that will probably be here a fair bit before Mercury Steam's new games. 

Another year, another helping of The Game Awards – the Geoff Keighley-hosted video games showcase that's essentially a miniature version of E3. As the name suggests, there are of course a number of awards to be dished out at the event, but what stirs the most excitement is the promise of game reveals and new trailers from existing works-in-progress. 

Set to take place later today, December 8, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, things are expected to kick-off at 4.30pm PST / 7.30pm EST / 12.30am on December 9 GMT, and while the show is expected to run a little shorter than last year's, Mr Keighley reckons it'll still clock in at around two and-a-half hours total. 

Which is plenty of time to show off some cool stuff. Unlike previous years, and other shows elsewhere, there haven't been any high-profile leaks ahead of time (yet), but we do already have some sense of what's expected to grace the stage in Los Angeles. For everything else, we've taken a crack at what we expect to see, and what we'd love to see, below.

Final Fantasy 16

Let's kick things off with something that seems certain: a shiny new Final Fantasy 16 trailer. After all, producer Naoki Yoshida – aka Yoshi-P – is set to hold a "special live presentation" at The Game Awards, an announcement that's left fans and would-be players keen for more. Square Enix has shared loads of information about the incoming and much-anticipated JRPG over the last several months, but, as yet, a Final Fantasy 16 release date remains unconfirmed beyond a tenuous 2023 window. Will this change at The Game Awards 2022? Time will surely tell.

The Last of Us multiplayer

This one's more of a gamble. But with some of the cast of the forthcoming The Last of Us Netflix series making an appearance at The Game Awards – Pedro Pascal who plays Joel and Bella Ramsey who plays Ellie, set to be accompanied on stage by the game's voice actors, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson – it would make sense if we saw something from The Last of Us' much-anticipated multiplayer component. We're uncertain if Sony will reveal anything game-wise at the show, but the survival horror's standalone online offshoot that's said to have been pulled from The Last of Us Part 2 would be more than welcome.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

This one we do know for certain. As told by EA's dedicated Star Wars Twitter account earlier this week, we should expect to "experience the action-packed gameplay of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" at The Game Awards. A now-deleted Steam page update cited a release date of March 16, 2023 for this one, so it's probably safe to say that'll be officially set in stone at the event, alongside some new information, and, probably, a new trailer – be that in-game footage or a snazzy cinematic. Exactly how Star Wars Jedi: Survivor reveals itself at The Game Awards remains to be seen, but we do know fans are divided over grizzled Cal.

Project 007

This might be wishful thinking on our part, but we'd love to see something from Hitman developer IO Interactive's James Bond game, Project 007. We'd have held the same wishes ahead of this year's Summer Games Fest, or just about any of the other showcases that filled 2022, but there might be something to be gleaned from the fact Daniel Craig is going to be in attendance in LA. The Hollywood actor, of course, no longer fills the patent leather shoes of the double agent, but wouldn't it be great if he used The Game Awards as a means of passing the torch?

Tekken 8

Back to confirmed games – Tekken 8 will definitely appear at this year's Game Awards. We know this because the long-serving fighter series' official Twitter account told us to "Save the D8" last week, with an emphasis with the letter D and the number 8, or, if you'd rather, December 8. This nudge falls on its face a wee bit if you're watching in the UK or anywhere else where the show starts after midnight, but, to be fair, it will be D8 in Los Angeles when the latest Tekken takes to the stage.

Baldur's Gate 3

Another game that's already RSVP'd to The Game Awards 2022. Larian Studios – they of previous Baldur's Gate games, and the inimitable Divinity series – confirmed their attendance via TGA's official Twitter account earlier this week, with the message: "We’re on our way to Baldur’s Gate — join us for the reveal live @TheGameAwards this Thursday." And so, expect a world premiere of Baldur's Gate 3 proper, with a closer look at what to expect from its full release. The game, of course, has been living in Early Access since 2020, with a full release planned for some point in 2023.

Something Capcom-shaped 

Speculative, we know, but Capcom sent a call to action of sorts earlier this week that essentially cemented its presence at The Game Awards 2022. "We're excited to watch #TheGameAwards this Thursday for all the incredible announcements and awards!" read a post on the company's official Twitter page. "Make sure to tune in!" With that, a number of games and esteemed series could potentially pop their heads above the parapet. Which one would we love to see most? With the Resident Evil 4 remake not too far away, and Street Fighter 6 steadily rolling out its roster, we wouldn't bet against those showing face. But it otherwise has to be Dino Crisis, right?

Elden Ring DLC

This week, Elden Ring developer FromSoftware rolled out an unexpected update that finally opened the doors to the game's colosseums. As the focus of its originally-named Colosseum Update, arena-based PvP landed with a thud, with players now able to engage in organised rounds of ritual combat in teams or against one another in bouts of bloodshed. This feature was expected to be part of the action RPG's surely inevitable first slice of DLC – with some folk, including GR's Joe Donnelly, speculating the shock update might pave the way for an Elden Ring DLC reveal at The Game Awards. Watch this space, we guess.

505 Games and Epic's 'Rockay City' game

As revealed via an unusual Michael Madsen-starring social media teaser last week, 505 Games and Fortnite creator Epic Games are working together on a game that might be called 'Rockay City'. In the short, Madsen is seen returning Geoff Keighley's lost wallet, before a receptionist slides out a black and gold card with a QR code on it. The code leads to a website whose URL features 'Rockay City'. We don't know either, to be honest. We're as confused as you, but expect something that hopefully clears some of this up on stage at The Game Awards 2022.

It Takes 2 part two?

Maybe? Possibly. Probably not. But who knows. It Takes Two was crowned as your Best Multiplayer Game at the Golden Joysticks 2021, and Josef Fares, the head of developer Hazelight, will be at The Game Awards 2022. Which probably means Fares will be on hand to present or announce something – but whether that's related to someone else's or his own project remains to be seen. Fares has teased that he's working on another co-op title in the past, but maybe he'll just have another rant about the Oscars on stage this year.   

Here's how to watch The Game Awards 2022 live

Remedy has finally confirmed Control 2 is in development after months of information drips.

Earlier today, Remedy posted a brand new blog post to announce development on Control 2 was going ahead. This is the first time the developer has actually named Control 2 as such, as all previous references to the project have simply called it a "Control sequel."

Additionally, Remedy revealed that it'd signed an agreement to co-develop and co-publish Control 2 with 505 Games. You might be familiar with 505 Games as the publisher who recently put out Death Stranding into the world for the PC audience.

"With Control 2, we’ll take another leap into the unknown," writes Mikael Kasurinen, game director of the Control franchise. "It’ll be an unexpected journey. It’ll take a while, but to put it mildly, this is the most exciting project I’ve ever worked on. It’s still early days, but it will be worth the wait."

It's clear then that although work on Control 2 is proceeding, it's still relatively early on in the lifecycle of the project. With the co-development announcement of the sequel with 505 Games, those eager for news of the Control sequel will likely have to wait a fair while yet before we see or hear anything more concrete from the anticipated game.

Most recently, Remedy stated that development on both the Control sequel and spin-off was "ramping up," as recently as last month in October. 

Check out our full new games 2022 guide for a complete look at all the games still to launch throughout the remainder of the year. 

Draw Distance and 505 games arrived at the Future Games Show Powered by Mana with some fantastic news: The Serial Cleaners release date is September 22, 2022. 

The sequel to the 2017 indie hit Serial Cleaner is set to drag the 2D stealth-action out of the '70s and into the '90s – specifically, New York City, New Year's Eve 1999. Designed as a homage to '90s cinema – spanning cult crime thrillers through to b-movie action flicks – Serial Cleaners sees four professional cleaners for the mob gather to reminisce about their careers at the turn of the millennium, before it tragically, inevitably goes horribly wrong. 

• Wishlist Serial Cleaners on Steam

With a non-linear narrative that lets you explore four perspectives (not to mention four different play styles), Serial Cleaners looks like a real step beyond its predecessor. Whether you choose to invest in stealth, speed, or brute force is up to you – just so long as it helps you dispose of any bodies and damning evidence you find at the crime scenes you're called into clean. 

With its gorgeous art style, quirky storytelling, clever isometric level design, and tight movement mechanics, Serial Cleaners is a stealth-action game you won't want to miss out on. Thankfully, Draw Distance and 505 Games has made it so that Serial Cleaners is coming to just about every modern platform out there – so you've got no excuse!

Serial Cleaners will launch on September 22 on PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. 

For more awesome games featured during today's Future Games Show, check out our official Steam page.

So that's it! 505 Games first live showcase is over, and we got a good look at four new games from the publisher - one of which you can even play right now. 

You can recap everything that happened below, including the tease of the brand new game from the team behind Muntant: Year Zero - Miasma Chronicles.

The show is about to begin for 505Games' showcase!

There are only 5 minutes left to go until 505's first ever digital showcase. What do you hope to see?

Among the Trolls is the first game to be announced at the 505 Showcase. You find yourself in a world where trolls are as native to the landscape as the rocks, trees, and grass. 

Developed by a brand new Finnish developer, Forbidden Studios, Among the Trolls will be a journey through Finnish lore. 

You play as a character who wants to connect with their grandparents in Finland after the death of their parents. But, as you return to your childhood home for the first time in some time, and nothing's quite as it seems. 

Your little boat is hit by a sea monster, and then the game begins with you in a world that isn't as it seems.

Among the Trolls is a survival game, but with a twist. You can't just take from the forest without giving back. 

Cupstones are the sacrificial places where you'll need to leave offerings to keep the creatures and dark forces of the forest at bay. So it's a constant balance between what you need and what the forest needs. 

Crafting, of course, is a huge part of the game, as you'll be able to create your own home. There's multiplayer support too. 

Leaning in more to the folklore is the ability to create mythical creatures too, which can act as your familiars.

The team want to take inspiration from Studio Ghibli movies, in the way that the game blends folklore and the more spiritual elements with reality. 

It's being made in Unity, rather than Unreal Engine, and the team are saying they want to push the engine in the same way as Ori and the Blind Forest. 

They are also aiming not to have any loading screens too. 

It's launching in Early Access on Steam later this year. So look out for Among the Trolls!

The second game is called Stray Blade. 

You play as a character that looks like a knight, but is actually an anthropologist, who's accompanied by a little wolf. You've accidentally triggered an explosive event that's cursed you, and trapped you in this place.

Developed by Point Blank Games, Stray Blade will have you exploring this land to find some answers. But human factions have followed you in, and set up their own formidable forces here. 

In battle, you'll be able to utilise a set of skill trees - one for you, and one for your companion - which should make the little wolf a key part of combat.

Weapons can be discovered, but also upgraded, and then mastered. You don't have to lock your character down to a certain class type or way of attacking, but rather than switch between mastery options whenever you want. 

There are also abilities to unlock, which not only work in battle, but also link to how you can explore the world. A little like a Metroidvania, certain areas of the map will be unreachable without a certain skill.

Arriving in 2023, you can wishlist Strayblade on Steam, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Epic Store now.

Next up is Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, which is the companion game to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. It's a prequel, so offers plenty of backstory to the characters you'll meet in Hundred Heroes. 

Strangely enough, this game actually came out on May 10, so you may well have already dived into this one yourself. 

It's on Game Pass too, if you want to check it out.

It's available on Switch, PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One too, of course.

Rabbit and Bear Studios is up next to show off more of Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising and to explain how the characters carry over into Hundred Heroes.

505 Games has one more thing in the bag, and it's from the team behind Mutant: Year Zero. It's called Miasma Chronicles. 

It seemingly stars a character who's been given a special glove by his mother. It allows him to interact with strange portals, behind which his mother is trapped. 

Known only as 'Little Brother', the boy is accompanied by a robot friend. 

Mysterious, and intriguing! More to come on that one soon we hope!

Video game publisher 505 Games has announced it is hosting its first-ever public digital showcase early next week. 

According to a press release announcing the event, the showcase will last for an hour and will give fans a glimpse into the upcoming games currently in the works with the company. It is set to take place on May 17, 2022 at 14:00 BST / 15:00 CET / 06:00 PT and can be streamed via the official 505 Games YouTube channel.

If this wasn’t exciting enough, the event is also set to include appearances from key developers, who will give an insight into their projects, as well as "a brand new reveal from a cult developer." That’s not all though because according to the company’s website, the showcase will contain: "Updates on previously announced titles, as well as a surprise or two along the way."

If you weren’t aware, 505 Games has helped to publish a number of high-profile games such as Control, Death Stranding (PC version), Dead by Daylight, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, No Man’s Sky, and more. Of course, there’s no way of knowing what will appear during the showcase at the moment but if you’re a fan of any of the games listed above, it may be worth tuning in for the presentation next Tuesday. 

With "E3 season" quickly approaching, it seems like several video game developers and publishers are still hosting some kind of digital event, despite the fact E3 2022 was officially canceled back in March. Already announced as taking place in June we still have Geoff Keighley’s Summer Games Fest 2022 on the 9th, the Xbox and Bethesda Game Showcase 2022 on the 12th, and our personal favorite The Future Game Show on the 12th as well. 

Wondering what else you can look forward to this June? Take a look at our regularly updated E3 2022 schedule. 

Update: The Death Stranding Director's Cut PC port has been confirmed via a press release from publisher 505 Games, and it's launching in Spring 2022.

Since the original game eventually made its way to PC, we'd been expecting the expanded Director's Cut to get a PC port at some point, and earlier today we caught wind of exactly that via a leaked press release. But now, we've received said press release in our inbox, confirming the port and the Spring 2022 release window.

Original story follows...

Death Stranding Director's Cut is apparently set for a PC launch.

This is according to Videocardz.com, which has published what is claimed to be a press release for Intel's Arc GPU devices. The press release, which is apparently scheduled to go live during Intel's CES 2022 briefing, makes specific mention of Death Stranding Director's Cut arriving on PC.

Additionally, the press release even boasts a statement from Death Stranding publisher 505 Games. "We’re delighted to announce our partnership with Intel for the Death Stranding Director’s Cut edition on PC," says 505 president Neil Rally, according to the outlet.

"Death Stranding has been a hugely popular game with PC players and we’re excited to see how Intel’s new XeSS technology will enhance player experience for Director’s Cut," the president of the publisher goes on to add. That's some pretty clear-cut evidence that Death Stranding Director's Cut is indeed bound for PC, if the press release is genuine.

This actually isn't the first mention of Kojima Productions' re-release coming to PC. Last year in October, the Steam database entry for the base version of Death Stranding received numerous hidden updates in the backend, pointing toward the developer working on new content. The last update was carried out on October, so if the Director's Cut is headed to PC, an announcement would seemingly be imminent.

How to start the new Death Stranding Director's Cut missions | Death Stranding PS4 to PS5 upgrade guide | How to transfer a Death Stranding PS4 save to PS5 | Death stranding tips | Death Stranding cameos | How to get more likes in Death Stranding | Death Stranding EX grenades | Death Stranding birthday | Death Stranding aphenphosmphobia | Death Stranding fast travel | Death Stranding weapons | Death Stranding holograms | Death Standing preppers, gear and upgrades | How long to beat Death Stranding? | Death Stranding ending | Death Stranding DLC 

Metroid Dread's developer is working on a new third-person action-RPG set in a "dark fantasy world."

The new information comes from a press release from Digital Bros., an entertainment company that owns games publishing arm 505 Games. The parent company announced yesterday on November 30 that 505 Games would be publishing the next game from Metroid Dread developer Mercury Steam, and that it'd be a "third-person action RPG set in a dark fantasy world."

This new venture is currently going by the name "Project Iron." That name certainly does bring to mind the sorts of weapons you'd come across in a "dark fantasy world" like swords and spears, and perhaps it'll end up being indicative of the direction of Mercury Steam's new game.

Other than that, though, we have zero information about Mercury Steam's Project Iron. Considering the fact that Metroid Dread only just launched for the Nintendo Switch last month in October, it's a pretty safe bet to say that we probably won't be seeing this new project for at least a few years yet.

Mercury Steam has a pretty action-packed history outside of Metroid Dread. The Spanish developer launched Spacelords as an online action-adventure game as a launch title for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S back in November 2020, and worked on the three Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games, once of which they collaborated with Kojima Productions on. Considering Mercury Steam's history, and the excellence of the new Metroid Dread, Project Iron is certainly one to keep an eye on.

You can head over to our new games 2021 guide for a full list of all the games launching over the next year.

The Control next-gen upgrade confusion was a dark spot for an otherwise beloved game, and developer 505 Games doesn't plan to repeat it.

505 Games president Neil Ralley discussed his company's controversial move to only offer next-gen upgrades for people who bought Control Ultimate Edition, a version which bundled in all of Control's story DLC and was released a year after the base game, in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. Ralley said certain decisions made earlier in development restricted how it could offer new-gen versions of the game to existing customers.

Though Ralley said they were the right decisions at the time, they ultimately created "blockers" that prevented the publisher from going back and reorganizing the way it could distribute the game.

"We learnt a lot from that. Did we as a publisher handle it in the best way and communicate it in the best way to the audience? Maybe not," Ralley said. "But we did our best to satisfy consumers... Moving forwards, we will be able to do this in a much better way and you'll see that in the next examples that we've got with Ghostrunner at the end of September and Assetto Corsa in early 2022. I'm very confident that we'll handle that in a much better way."

Thankfully, the upgrade issues don't seem to have darkened the overall prospects for Control. Developer Remedy is partnering with 505 Games on a co-op spinoff codenamed Condor, and a "bigger-budget Control-game" is also in the works, though still quite a ways off.

Control tips | Control walkthrough | Control Objects of Power | Control Easter eggs | Control DLC | Control punch card puzzle 

Dark Souls-inspired action-RPG Stray Blade has debuted a brand new gameplay trailer alongside a 2022 release window for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Stray Blade was first announced back at Gamescom 2019, but we haven't seen or heard much from developer Point Blank Games or publisher 505 Games since then. Today, we saw a few minutes of new pre-alpha gameplay footage that was followed by some developer commentary from game director Leonad Kausch.

Though this technically isn't the first time we've seen Stray Blade, 505 Games is billing today's trailer as the game's official reveal, so it's possible there's been some creative restructuring behind the scenes since we last saw it. Regardless, Stray Blade is an action RPG where you play as a rogue adventurer alongside an adorable mask-wearing wolf-thing named Boji. Exploring the ancient, forgotten Valley of Acrea, you and Boji are tasked with unraveling the secrets and mastering the use of three key metals to restore balance to the war-torn area.

As 505 Games said in an Xbox blog post, the game mixes deliberate "Souls-like combat" with Metroidvania-style exploration, but with its colorful environments and quick-witted wolf companion, there's a decidedly more lighthearted, almost jovial tone to Stray Blade that belies both of those comparisons. But don't let that fool you into a false sense of security - Kausch says gameplay is the "high noon of skill-based melee weapon combat," merging "strategic anticipation of enemy attacks with split-second blade-to-blade reactions."

For everything else to keep on your radar, check out our guide to new games of 2021.

Ghostrunner 2 is officially in the works just a few months after the first game launched, publisher 505 Games has announced. The sequel doesn't have a release window yet, but it sounds like a true-blue next-gen exclusive, with the publisher confirming it'll launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

"We are particularly excited about the future release of Ghostrunner 2," reads a statement shared to the official Ghostrunners Twitter account (we've lightly edited the statement for brevity). "Together with One More Level, we have created a thrilling and engaging video game. This new collaboration deepens 505 Games' presence within the Polish video game market, a reality now among the firsts in Europe for the development of video games, new projects and talents."

We liked the original Ghostrunner, calling it "fascinating, punishing," and ultimately "worth your time." But the Ghostrunner sequel is being backed by a doubled-up investment from 505 Games, which also published Control and the PC port of Death Stranding. What I'm saying is that if you enjoyed the first Ghostrunner, there's every reason to be excited about the sequel.

Noting the financial success of the first game, which has sold 600,000 copies since launch, 505 called Ghostrunner a "brand with great potential, capable of contributing for a long time" to its portfolio, which suggests more sequels are likely to follow.

Finally, it was announced that Ghostrunner is coming to next-gen consoles before the end of 2021. The publisher says we'll learn more about the sequel "soon."

For everything else on the horizon, here are all the upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games we can't wait to play.

505 Games has confirmed it has stopped production on Indivisible.

Beyond one further Nintendo Switch update to "bring all platforms to the same level of development", the publisher said the 2D RPG will not receive any additional content "in light of the recent restructuring and dissolution of Lab Zero", the game's development studio.

"We understand that longtime players have been waiting for Guest Characters as well as some Backer-created characters", the statement continued, before confirming that "regretfully", nothing more will be added to the game besides content already in submission.

"Indivisible is a game of diversity, inclusion, friendship, and evolution," 505 Games wrote in its statement (thanks, GI.biz). "505 Games worked with the talented and creative people at Lab Zero for many years to bring Indivisible to life.

"We are proud of the game that was created and happy that it has received the positive response that it deserves. We are sorry the journey has ended this way."

Given the lack of further updates – which includes no physical release in North America – some backers may be eligible for a refund, although the statue of Anja is reportedly in production and will be sent to backers, 505 confirmed. 

When Indivisible surprise-released on Switch earlier this year it surprised a lot of people – including those who made the game. 

There's still a lot to get excited about in gaming this year. Here are the upcoming games of 2020 (and beyond) we really just can't wait for.

505 Games has written a statement explaining why only Control Ultimate Edition owners will get next-gen upgrades. You can read the statement in full here, or scroll below for a summary.

"We spent several months exploring all of our launch options for Control Ultimate Edition and no decision was taken lightly," the community post reads. "While it is challenging bringing any game to next gen platforms, we quickly realised it was even more difficult to upgrade our current user base to next gen with full parity across platforms with our year-old game."

Control Ultimate Edition comes with the base game, content updates, and all the DLC, including the latest Alan Wake tie-in expansion, Control: AWE. Only those who purchase the Ultimate Edition (launching first on current consoles and then PC before heading to next-gen) will get free upgrades for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The reaction to this reveal was less than stellar from players who already own the base game and the season pass, but according to 505 Games, offering a free upgrade to all owners "meant that at least one group of players ended up being left out of the upgrade for various reasons." 

It seems Remedy Games and 505 Games are working hard to develop Control Ultimate Edition for next-gen platforms and for new Control players. Considering the game is nearly a year old, the assumption that a free next-gen upgrade would come to all Control owners was a bit of wishful thinking. Fortunately, Control is backwards compatible with PS5 and Xbox Series X, so you will be able to play the game on new consoles and enjoy their processing power (my Xbox One is on the verge of exploding every time I play Control, so I need more power).

TL;DR: "To bring Control to next generation consoles in any form, we had to make some difficult decisions and those came in the form of creating the simplified Control Ultimate Edition product plan we have today." 

PS5 developers make the DualSense controller sound like magic in new breakdown. 

Control feels like a misnomer. You might be the newly appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC, for short), but Remedy's latest game isn't about feeling like you're on top of things. In fact, the whole reason you've found yourself at The Oldest House, the FBC headquarters, is that everything has gone – to put it bluntly – to shit. 

With Control, it feels like you've been dropped straight in the middle of a thrilling TV show. You know that things have happened, and there is more drama yet to come, but you're somewhere in the centre of it all, the pieces of the story floating around you like the eerily suspended corpses that haunt the hallways of the Oldest House. It's just a case of figuring out how best to bring them all together. 

Control walkthrough | Control tips | Control Objects of Power

You play as Jesse Faden, a woman who's clearly not had the easiest life so far, but has managed to stumble across the FBC with a little help. She walks into the FBC's lobby off the streets of New York as you would with any other building. As the automated glass doors slide shut behind her, you can see the people of New York living their daily lives; a yellow taxi drives by as a couple of pedestrians wait for a bus, huddled together under the stop to take shelter from the rain. That's pretty much the last time you see anything normal in Control. Yes, there are still some unaffected members of staff that can be found hiding in rooms across The Oldest House but, as Jesse says as she walks into the mouth of the FBC, "the room is not the world. The world is much bigger, and much stranger."

Losing control

You rarely get a game setting so intriguing as The Oldest House. The lobby may look straightforward enough, akin to so many official buildings with its imposing front desk and stately lettering, but beyond that lies a twisting, turning beast that moves of its own accord. It's fighting against the invasion of a corruptive entity known as The Hiss, which is taking over the Oldest House's inhabitants and slowly infecting its concrete, Brutalist architecture and blocky, yet beautiful Bachelardian corridors. The Hiss’ presence is marked by swathes of red hues that colour both the regularly levitating, always glowing human enemies and the pulsating blocks that emerge through doorways. It's a space that's moving, changing and constantly surprising you, not to mention one that would never look out of place in an M.C Escher painting. It has a way of always drawing you back in for those ever compelling 'what's around the next corner' moments. 

That doesn't make it the easiest place to navigate, though, meaning you'll have to rely heavily on Control’s unhelpful in-game map - which merely shows you the general locale of your destination - or the physical signs plastered on the walls inside the building itself. There's not a waypoint in sight in Control, which only serves to add to the sense of delirious unpredictability that threads through the entire experience. Of course, that means it does come with a healthy dose of frustration, as just getting from A to B may have you retreading ground over and over again to find that one door you've missed. 

Regardless of its accessibility issues, The Old House makes for a truly captivating setting, acting as much as the main character of Control as Jesse is. She's your navigator, your connection to this place, but you only go where the Oldest House allows you to - you only see what it thinks you're ready to see. And even now, some 20 hours spent submerged in Control's world, I am still surprised by what I find lurking in tiny offices and behind previously locked doors – even if I am being driven slowly insane by the portion of the containment sector that I've yet to find a way into. Maybe that's exactly what The Oldest House wants. 

Regaining control

But navigating the house is only part of Control's appeal. This is a Remedy game after all, and you wouldn't be here if you weren't utterly intrigued by Control's story. And, oh boy, you're going to want to strap yourself in. It'll sound like a cliché by now, but Control is best experienced going in blind. Just know that my emotions while playing it ranged from ‘well this is weird and cool’ through to 'what the heck is happening', until a point where I literally had to stop, put down the controller and text my boyfriend to tell him this game is utterly bonkers. Beautiful, but bonkers. Remedy really wasn't messing about when it said Control was allowing it to get strange. 

Building mystery and intrigue is just part of Remedy's DNA, and Control feels like the studio operating at its very best. It manages to create a surreal narrative that's capable of making even the ordinary feel extraordinary, turning your standard handgun into a shapeshifting omnitool, and managing to inject life into an everyday office block. It does all that, and casually gives you one of the best gameplay experiences at the same time. Losing control is part of it, but as Jesse gains more abilities drawn from the Objects of Power, you begin to gain superhero-like status, levitating your way through The Oldest House and pulling slabs of concrete from the walls only to launch them straight into Hiss agents with the force of a freight train. Mastering all of the various abilities is an exhilarating power trip, adding to the already sky-high appeal of Control. 

Whether it's the tension that's expertly drawn taught across the entire length of the game, or the constant surprises you're thrown as you navigate The Oldest House, it's clear that Control is going to leave a lasting legacy on video game history. Like Alan Wake, its ability to evoke the best trippy TV shows - flowing seamlessly between combat exploration, and story - is a sight to behold, making every minute a fraught joy. It's exceptionally polished (playing on PC with an Nvidia RTX graphics card and ray-tracing is out of this world), packed with suspense, and never stops feeding you clues and hints to the bigger picture. 

And that's even without touching on the characters that Jesse meets throughout her gauntlet, those who have managed to survive the events occurring in The Oldest House, From the insanely hyper-intelligent Emily Pope of the research department, or the 'janitor' who clearly knows more than he's letting on, the heights of the production value will have you inspecting every line on Jesse's face as she talks, and marvelling at Pope's seriously long eyelashes. Control’s narratives, and its characters, are complex, morally ambiguous, and sometimes downright odd, and I'm on board with every one of them. 

The only criticism I have is that Control feels unfinished, like a sentence left dangling with a missing clause. There are some questions I still have after finishing that I love are left unanswered, but the ending came more quickly and abruptly than I would have liked. Remedy has always struggled to finish its stories, and Control is yet another victim in this regard. 

But, make up your own mind, because no matter what you think of the ending, a game like this is a glorious rarity. Don't do yourself a disservice by reading any more into Control. Go in unaware, revel in its madness, and never take a corridor at face value. That's the best way to serve up - and regaining - Control.

Reviewed on PC, using an RTX 2070 Super provided by Nvidia.