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Control: AWE
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Control's second expansion shines a spotlight on Alan Wake.
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Control: AWE
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What’s It About?
CONTROL: AWE is the second paid expansion to Control, continuing the saga of Jesse Fadden in her role as the newly minted director of the mysterious Federal Bureau of Control, the world's last line of defense against extra-dimensional threats. The latest saga brings Jesse in contact with long missing author Alan Wake. Wake was last seen 10 years ago, disappearing during the Bright Falls Altered World event. Wake's sudden reappearance to Jesse comes with a warning. The Dark Presence that caused the Bright Falls event has resurfaced once more, this time within the confines of a sealed section in the bureau's headquarters, the Oldest House. Now it falls to Jesse to confront the Dark Presence, uncover the cause of its resurgence, and, most important, keep it from rewriting all of reality. This expansion to the Control experience brings with it a brand-new narrative, multiple new side missions with new Objects of Power to discover and investigate, and new and enhanced abilities for Jesse to help take on the threat of the Dark Presence.
Is It Any Good?
Long before Control introduced gamers to Jesse Fadden and her battle against otherworldly threats, Remedy had another hero who was, literally, fighting back the darkness: Alan Wake. And though Alan Wake has been referenced in Control with the occasional Easter egg, Control: AWE fully integrates the two games into one cinematic universe. It's not just fan service either. The expansion does a phenomenal job of seamlessly bringing the events of the Alan Wake game into the events of Control in a way that feels natural from a story perspective. In fact, while fans of Alan Wake are sure to get the most out of the crossover, the plot progresses in a way that still makes sense to those who have no idea who or what Alan Wake is.
The story isn't the only way AWE expands on the Control experience. It also brings some gameplay twists that keep things feeling fresh. There are some slight changes to the mechanics when facing off against the Dark Presence. Fans of Alan Wake will remember that the entity's main weakness is light. But it seems to thrive in the long abandoned and shadowy corners of the Oldest House. Light sources are now of greater importance than just environmental ambiance. They're also key to Jesse's survival. The Service Weapon gets another upgrade as well with the Surge upgrade. It's essentially a sticky bomb that's fantastic for crowd control against the Hiss hordes. Jesse's telekinetic powers get a few tweaks too. For example, she can now stack and launch multiple objects. While the exploration feels a little more restricted than the previous expansion, it keeps the game from feeling repetitive. Finally, AWE adds a slew of new side missions based around the bureau's stash of Objects of Power. It's the combination of all of these elements that will keep players coming back for more.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Control: AWE affected by the fact that this is an adventure game with horror and supernatural elements? Is the violence of a horror game more or less impactful than that of, say, a military shooter or a sci-fi epic?
What can crossover events bring to a movie, TV, or game series? How can creating stories in a unified world help to expand on the longevity and interest of a series?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: 505 Games
- Release date: August 27, 2020
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: M for Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Last updated: August 31, 2020
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