Control - The Foundation - Review

Story based DLC has always been a little iffy for me, like more story is always welcome, I do prefer story over map packs, but usually I end up feeling like there was a reason it was not included in the main release. This is the first expansion for Control, with one more to come, the question remains, is this a good inclusion or has it lost all sense of control?

Returning to the Executive Branch, once you have completed the main story, The Foundation mission becomes available and after taking a call from The Board, you are on your way. The Foundation is just that, the very foundation of the Bureau, it is at the lowest level in the place and one of those places that most people are not aware even exists, which for a place about secrets is saying something. Once you make your way down there, you will quickly discover what is going on, the Astral plane is bleeding into the real world, you know those placed where you learnt new powers in the main story, that place. If left unchecked the bleed could spread out, taking out the literal foundations of the building and taking the Bureau and everyone in it, out. In order to stop it, multiple points must be cleansed and a new object, known as the nail, must be restored, but as it is currently in a lot of pieces, that is easier said than done.

The story is honestly not that intriguing until you get to the final few story beats, then it becomes something of interest, which is not to say it is bad overall, but the first few updates just feel like going through the motions. Once the story does pick up, there are some big changes that will impact any future games, but because it takes a while to get to that point, by the time it did, I was not that concerned. The problem that I have with the story is how it just decides to make a big turn, with little to no prompting. It is one I can’t explain without spoiling it and while I could see how it comes about, over the course of a 12 to 15 hour game, in a few hours, it just doesn’t make sense.

As for the gameplay, there are very few changes to what you played in the main game, the same powers and gun options are still here, but you do get to choose from two new powers. What was a little funny was that due to the game updating, a lot, between my review and now, when I started up, I had no gun equipped and for some reason, I could not remember that I had an inventory, so I went into a bunch of fights with only my powers. While it was funny how long it took me to remember that I could manage my gun and equip it, it did give me time to re-adjust to the powers, which, given that one of options turns you into an earth bender, that was a good thing. The two powers, the aforementioned earth bending and the ability to shoot through rocks, opens up new paths, depending on which one you take, and while shooting through rock sounded cool, I went for rock bending.

The problem is, both upgrades are only available to use, while down in the foundation, there is no use for them in the rest of the Bureau and even with that, there are only finite locations down below, where you can use them. While I can understand, adding in these elements into the main game would be a little weird, limiting them to the Foundation just means that once you are done down there, you won’t get to use them again, which is a shame.

As far as the presentation goes, the visuals are the same as the base game, the character animations are still solid, with Jesse still looking amazing, though the uncanny valley issue still appears, especially with Emily, her mouth looks a little weird. The new enemies are fun and the way they can sort of vanish and appear around you, is a great look, even if they are harder to kill because of it. There are cool little effects when they do it as well, which is a nice touch, kind of like smoky water trails, it is hard to explain, but makes sense when you see it. The new powers, at least the earth bending one, mean that you can terraform the world around you, more than just taking a chunk of concrete from a wall and they too, look very cool. Most of the foundation takes place in large rooms with a lot of red sand, which looks like it might have been taken from the Australian Outback, and white, almost chalk like walls, giving it a distinctive feel; though I am sure more than a few people might think it is Crait from The Last Jedi. The sound design is solid across the board, the music still has an eerie twinge to it, and when mixed with the sounds of the world, can make even the brightest room feel creepy.

The Foundation DLC adds to the Control experience, but not in any real way, the story, which does little until you are near the end, before taking a major shift, is honestly nothing special. The fact that it sets up more expansions or entries into the world of Control is a big takeaway, but the impacts it uses feel very forced, given that they happen so quickly. As for the gameplay, it is still solid, if you liked the main game, then you will like this, plus the addition of new powers changes things up. If you are someone who does not worry about DLC’s for games, you won’t miss much if you skip this, but if you do take the time to head below the basement, you will have a good time, just not a long one.

The Score

8.0

Review code provided by 505 Games

The Pros

+New powers provide new combat and platforming options, which is fun

+The Foundation is a fun place to explore and with some cool new enemies to fight

The Cons

+Story goes from 0 to 100 out of nowhere and feels very rushed because of it

+New powers are fun, but are restricted to the lowest levels of the Bureau