Remedy's mind-bending Control might throw you through a few loops. It's a departure from Quantum Break but somehow ends up being just as crazy, maybe even more so. If you you're struggling in the early game, we've got some tips to keep you prepared for whatever the Oldest House throws at you.
- Objects of Power and Altered Items are similar, but different
- Don't bother crafting mods
- How to solve Oceanview Hotel puzzles
- Upgrade your Launch and Health skills
- Use Grip and Charge weapons frequently
Delve inside the Oldest House
Become the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control and fight an otherworldly entity known as the Hiss as it takes control of the sprawling complex and corrupts those in its path. The Hiss may not be your only problem.
Objects of Power and Altered Items are similar, but different
Objects of Power (OoP) are considered Altered Items, seemingly normal items that have been altered by paranormal forces. You'll come across several in the game during the main story which grant new abilities. When you interact with an OoP you'll be brought to the Astral Plane to complete sets of challenges with your newly acquired ability.
Sometimes, you'll just encounter an Altered Item, which do not grant new abilities and are less powerful objects that defy the laws of science. These are usually found through side missions, and instead of completing an Astral Plane challenge, you'll be treated to a gargantuan boss battle. What makes OoPs differ from Altered Items is that an OoP is much more powerful.
Every Object of Power is an Altered Item, but not every Altered item is an Object of Power. Just like how every square is a rectangle, but not every rectangle is a square.
Don't bother crafting mods
Control has the privilege of having the most unnecessary mod crafting I've ever seen in a game. Mods offer buffs to your weapons or character, from everything like getting increased damage, more health, or just boosting the amount of time you can use levitation. If you to go craft mods at a control point, you'll see that not only do you need to waste valuable resources to craft them, but all of the mods you craft are completely randomized. You can't pick and choose with mod you are crafting.
Over the course of the game, enemies will drop plenty of mods for the low, low cost of simply defeating them. There's no point in wasting materials to craft any when you will quite literally feel like you're swimming in mods after a few hours in. Seriously, I routinely had to scrap mods because my inventory was getting full.
Solve Oceanview Hotel puzzles with the doorbell
You'll run across the Oceanview Hotel a few times over the course of Control. It may seem like you are unable to interact with anything, but the trick is to keep ringing the bell on the counter. Each time you ring it, one of three doors in the next hallway will open up. Usually, items will be a strew in a couple of the rooms. What you'll want to do if match how the items are presenting in the first room. If a picture frame is level in the first room but crooked in the next, interact with it to level it.
The puzzles get trickier the further you progress. There will be times you need to match the hands on a clock in each room to the hands on a clock next to the bell after you ring it. Each time it is rung, the hands on the clock will change, so you'll always need to pay attention and see what the time is before going into the room the bell opened.
Upgrade your Launch and Health skill trees first
Upgrading your Health and Launch skill trees as much as possible should be your first order of business. It probably goes without saying why you'd want to upgrade your health. More health = tougher to kill. As for Launch, this ties into a specific ability that you get fairly early in Control. Launch allows you to use telekinetic powers à la the Force in Star Wars to lift objects and throw them around the environment, either at enemies or to solve puzzles. Enemies with shields are vulnerable to thrown objects, and Launch can almost instantly crack through their barriers completely if you boost its strength enough. This is especially useful if an enemy's shield regenerates quickly.
Combine this with mods that preserve energy, and you can use Launch more frequently while in combat, making you nearly unstoppable. Launch can decimate multiple enemies in just a few seconds.
Grip and Charge are by far the best weapons
Grip is the initial service weapon you start off with and acts as a powerful pistol. It's the most versatile weapon that does well in nearly any scenario against any type of enemy. You can have two weapons equipped at once, and Grip should almost always be one of them.
Charge is the last weapon you can unlock, and also arguably most powerful. Like its name suggests, this weapon can be charged to send out extremely powerful blasts that's great for taking out multiple enemies at once because of the large explosion it causes.
Delve inside the Oldest House
Become the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control and fight an otherworldly entity known as the Hiss as it takes control of the sprawling complex and corrupts those in its path. The Hiss may not be your only problem.
