side – Game Voyagers

Control is an absolutely wonderful and delightfully weird experience from developer Remedy and although its main story is a bit shorter than most Triple A titles out there, it actually has a wide range of compelling and diverting side quests for you to complete on your way through the Oldest House. Many players may wonder how necessary these optional activities are or at the very least when they should stop and take the time to check them out. As with most experiences, I highly recommend taking on each optional task as soon as you are able to and continuing on with the main story when it is the last option available. Doing this in any game may seem tedious at times, but it far outweighs the idea of going back and cleaning them all up when you are far too over-leveled for them to be any kind of a challenge or enjoyment. Control in particular is best played this way because each side mission seems to be tailored to the level you will be when you receive it. There were only a handful of times that I started a side quest and then felt under-leveled for it and even in those situations I was able to come out on top. As a matter of a fact, those situations forced me to get better at the combat of the game which I was extremely grateful for in the final two or three sections. Doing every side quest as they become available also grants you powerful resources such as mods and materials to put into your weapons. (See my in-depth weapon guide for more information on how to spend those materials.) I couldn't possibly imagine how difficult the final section of the game was in particular for those who did not do this. This is a game in which collecting everything that you can find is more than worth it. Tips For Particularly Hard Side Quests Some missions gave me a bit more trouble than others even when my stats were balanced to face them. Here are a few helpful things that I learned the hard way. Fridge Duty- Make sure that you do this mission as soon as you are able to or there is a chance you might miss it entirely. As soon as you finish your main business in the Panopticon, head to the man watching a mysterious fridge and follow the quest from there. Without spoiling anything, you will face an unusual enemy at the end that requires your Launch skill to be as upgraded as possible for a somewhat easy victory. Self Reflection- After solving the mirror puzzle in the Synchronicity Lab, head inside the mirror to eventually face another powerful, yet familiar, enemy. Stay away from her! Use cover and dodge often as only a few of her projectiles will bring the "game over" screen. Don't get greedy in her final form and you should be able to defeat her without too much trouble. Mr. Tomassi- This might be the only side quest that I would recommend doing after the story is over simply out of pure necessity. He is hard hitting and has a ton of health for an enemy his size. He also spawns some of the toughest enemies of the game continually. Having the ability to turn enemies to your side is paramount in this fight as well as using the room's center cover to separate you from the rest of the crowd.