It’s no surprise that Remedy had a plan to introduce DLC for Control. So much of the best content in the game was the side stories you stumbled upon while exploring the strange world of the Oldest House. On top of that, almost any of the numerous lore notes could easily be expanded into a compelling new mission. It seems like the possibilities could be endless for expansions, so it’s great to see them kick off with a high-quality story like The Foundation.
Taking place after the main game, the new mission takes you to the titular Foundation itself, a series of caves beneath the Oldest House that contains untold mysteries. While caves may seem like a somewhat bland setting for such a visually striking game, Control immediately reminds you how it can make the mundane beautiful through its gorgeous lighting. One section of the caves features a strange block of an office building that’s somehow made its way down into the Foundation, so this new environment should quickly draw you right back in.
The Astral Plane is crashing into the Foundation, and as the new Director, you take on the task of trying to repair The Nail, a large obelisk that may be the key to holding it all together. The main quest gives you four separate sections to explore, allowing you to complete them in any order. In a move that emphasizes the Metroidvania-esque level design that made the base game shine, you are given the choice of two powers at the beginning, which narrows down which of the four areas you can access off the bat. The element of choice here doesn’t matter a ton, but it’s a good way to get you to focus on which areas you want to tackle first.
These two new abilities emphasize one of the most compelling parts of the Control: your effect on the environment. One power allows you to destroy strange crystals that are growing in the Foundation, while the other allows you to grow them from certain spots in the environment. Like all other powers, the combination of audio and visual makes it feel satisfying to perform, even if they are far more contextual than the abilities you get in the base game. Both powers add some form of environmental puzzle-solving as you figure out how to navigate the bizarre world of the Foundation.
To go along with these new abilities, there’s a new type of enemy to combat throughout this expansion. Hiss Sharpened are melee-focused enemies that rush you viciously with pickaxes. This forces you to always be on the move, making the already frantic combat even more fun. This enemy also gels well with the new crystal growing power, giving you the opportunity to bait the Sharpened into deadly traps. A free update to Control also made a new Shield Rush power available to all players, which works as a perfect counter to these new up-close-and-personal enemies.
Without getting into spoilers, the new content provides some interesting insight into some of the more mysterious elements of the Federal Bureau of Control. You get more information about the Board and Former, as well as Trench’s predecessor Director Northmoor. Audio logs and case files still are expertly written, creating a compelling reason for you to thoroughly explore the areas to find that sweet, sweet lore.
As I mentioned before, side quests are often the most interesting part of Control, and the Foundation features three of them for you to track down and complete. One of them, which has you hunting down a haunted film camera, is excellent, reminding me of the audio-visual thrill ride of the Ashtray Maze, but on a smaller scale. It’s beautiful and challenging, creating one of the most memorable experiences in the whole game. These quests give you some compelling ways to increase the four to five-hour runtime of the DLC.
What makes The Foundation succeed is the ways that it takes what works about the main game and emphasizes them in new ways. The caves find beauty and surrealism in monotony, just like the offices of the main game. The new enemies keep you moving in order to foreground the speed of the shootouts, forcing you into an even faster rhythm than before. It even manages to push forward the narrative of the game, changing the relationship of Jesse and the Board and leaving room for followup. From preview images Remedy has released, it seems the next DLC will be some sort of Alan Wake crossover, and while I’m looking forward to returning to that world, I would prefer to continue to expand the world of Control on its own, if we keep getting this level of quality.
The Foundation DLC for Control review code provided by the publisher.
The Foundation is available now for Control on PS4, and PC via the Epic Games Store. Also available on Xbox One and Steam PC in the Summer.