Control follows Jesse Faden, the newly initiated director of The Oldest House, and her journey through the mysterious, interdimensional facility. The award-winning 2019 game by Remedy Entertainment features dream-like environments and supernatural combat. Faden gains abilities throughout her journey, which are necessary for defeating The Hiss. These beings attack anyone in sight and can turn people into one of their own.
Powers are necessary for surviving and navigating The Oldest House. They can all be obtained by following the story, but require some type of challenge, and most powers are acquired through objects of power or altered items. The story will lead you to them, but defeating the objects can be difficult. Here are all the powers ranked, and some tips for acquiring them.
7 Seize
Seize allows Faden to lure her enemies into fighting for her. It is helpful during boss fights because it distracts all the minions so you can focus on the real enemy. After you get an enemy to low enough health, an option to seize becomes available. Hold down the prompted button and the enemy will start shooting their comrades. Seize might be your least used power in a playthrough simply because it takes so long to do. It's much easier to finish off an enemy instead of standing in the open to seize them. The ability leaves you vulnerable during its execution, and the mind-controlled enemy doesn't last too long anyway.
Seize can be found during the Old Boys Club main mission when you get the Find Marshall objective. In the room right under Parapsychology on your map, a collectible can be picked up. This collectible starts a new mission called A Captive Audience. This mission will lead you to the Hypnosis lab, which can be entered through Parapsychology. Within the Hypnosis Lab you'll find a computer with a small puzzle on it. The answer is actually on a picture to the right of the computer. All you have to do is make the symbol look the same as the picture. That unlocks the door, which will lead you to the seize object of power.
6 Ground Slam
The ground slam is a powerful attack, but it has its downfalls. Executing it will expend all of your energy, making your other powers useless for a little while. It's also a recipe for certain death if it's not aimed accurately. Ground slamming right off a ledge isn't the best for health. It is helpful, though, in taking out shielded enemies.
The ground slam isn't acquired through an object of power, but an upgrade for Levitate. The Levitate ability will be in a later entry. Once you can levitate, garner enough skills to upgrade it. The option for ground slam will soon be available for you to buy.
5 Melee
Melee in Control is just a glorified force push. If an enemy's health is low enough, then it will send them flying to their death. Be careful, enemies love to shoot you in the middle of a melee execution. It also doesn't do much damage until its gone through some excessive upgrades.
Melee is helpful when you find yourself close to an enemy and don't have the shatter equipped, a shotgun-like gun upgrade. Melee is the first ability in Control and it's simply given to you at the beginning of the game.
4 Shield
The shield allows Faden to create a barrier of boulders in front of her. It can save your life when getting bombarded by enemy attacks. The ability is even more helpful when it's upgraded into an attack. The shield can be discharged sending a slurry of boulders at an enemy. The only downside is that health is so lenient that sometimes the shield isn't even necessary.
While doing the main mission, Directorial Override, look for a collectible in the section between the NSC Control Room and the NSC Energy Converters. This collectible will start the mission: A Good Defense. Finish the main mission then proceed to the training course within the maintenance section. There Faden will complete a timed training course. It may take a few tries, but it becomes easier after learning the layout. After this, use the launch ability to break the object of power's shield.
3 Evade
Evade is simply a quick dash towards a chosen direction. Control excels when the combat gets a little crazy, which means tons of enemies will attack at the same time. Evade is an excellent way to get out of hairy situations and achieve better positioning. It also allows Faden to make some longer jumps and reach previously inaccessible locations.
The object of power for evade is one of the more simple ones in the game. The main story will lead you to the Janitor's room where you'll meet Ahti. The break room is pretty obvious because there is a source of power emitting from it, and Faden says something about checking it out. Once you explore the break room, you will enter the evade tutorial.
2 Launch
Launch is one of the best abilities in the game and it comes with some cool sound effects. Faden can pick up any object, even dead bodies if upgraded, and throw them at enemies. The impact results in a mini-explosion and massive damage. It will probably be the most used ability in the game.
Launch can be found in the Preumatics section on the executive floor. It's part of the Unknown Caller main mission and impossible to miss. An object of power will be shooting projectiles across the room. Navigate the area while avoiding these projectiles until you reach the object of power.
1 Levitate
Levitate is by far the most fun power in Control. It gives you new vantage points in combat and makes it easier to avoid enemy attacks. It's especially helpful to combine levitate with evade. Levitate also makes navigation a lot easier. Now instead of taking elevators, you can fly to the next level. It's also easier to fully explore the map and find secret areas. Anything that makes navigating Control's map easier is a big win.
Levitate is unlocked through the story mission: My Brother's Keeper. It's the fifth mission in the story so it takes a little while to get to it. The only thing standing in the way of the ability is a boss named Salvador. Some tips for this fight come from Polygon. The pierce weapon is a good option as well as the siege ability. The many pillars and blocks in the room can also be used for cover when Salvador is throwing objects at you.