Control AWE DLC Review

Control released in 2019 on PS4, Xbox One and on PC as an Epic Games Store exclusive. Now a year later, and after having a couple of successful DLC updates, Control’s journey has seemingly come to an end with the final paid DLC expansion, AWE, being released. The game has also made its way to Steam.

The final expansion, AWE, has been the most anticipated one since it ties another Remedy game, Alan Wake, into the Control gameworld, or rather the Remedy shared universe. Does AWE deliver on its ridiculously high expectations? I’ll get into that shortly.

First, we need a short history lesson. Alan Wake launched a decade ago. It followed the tale of Mr Wake himself as he tried to unravel the mystery surrounding his wife’s disappearance in the sleepy vacation town of Bright Falls. Things escalated quite quickly and the presence of an evil force of darkness complicated matters. The base game ended on an intense cliffhanger with Wake trapped within the “dark place”. Fans of Alan Wake have got more of the franchise over the years but nothing that resembled a fully-fledged sequel.

Back to Control though, AWE brings the events that occurred at Bright Falls into its game world as an altered world event or AWE. Jesse Faden, after taking on the role of the Director receives a vision from Alan Wake himself to investigate a part of the Oldest House. Jesse ventures down an elevator into the previously sealed off Investigations Sector of the Bureau and this is where the game really kicks itself into high gear.

Players will explore the investigations sector and find collectible tidbits of information which bring them up to speed with the events of the Bright Falls incident and how the Federal Bureau of Control got involved. Fans of the original Alan Wake game will be glad to know that the story is well written throughout. Without spoiling too much, this DLC is definitely worth playing for its content.

Gameplay in the AWE DLC isn’t as radically different as it was with the Foundation DLC. Jesse can unlock a new weapon type for her service weapon but doesn’t get any new contextual powers this time around. You won’t be visiting the Astral Plane this time around and certainly won’t be bending or breaking any crystals to your will. There are a few altered items that are present in the AWE DLC but these are rather lacklustre compared to the major one that featured quite memorably in the Foundation DLC.

Interestingly though, the AWE DLC does introduce an arcade cabinet altered item which effectively brings a boss battle mode and challenge mode to the game. Players will be able to fight off hordes of Hiss or face the game’s bosses in one on one battles or in a row if they really want to challenge themselves. It adds some longevity to the game but unfortunately this isn’t exactly brand new content and feels like padding.

The major antagonist of the AWE DLC is a darkness twisted monster which brings with it globs of darkness that Jesse will have to deal with. Throughout the DLC players will have to use their telekinesis powers to use light sources to eliminate the darkness, much like how Alan Wake would have done in the game that revolved around him. Eliminating the darkness is a key part of the AWE DLC and players will have to solve some puzzles using the light to their advantage.

The environment of the AWE DLC features more of the Oldest House’s standard interior design and isn’t as open or cavernous as the Foundation DLC was. This assists with maintaining the creepy atmosphere though since there’s plenty of dark corners and lots of moody lighting to keep the theme of light versus dark going on throughout the DLC.

The best part of the AWE DLC is the darkness creature itself. It is immensely terrifying and coupled with the excellent use of sound effects and lighting throughout the DLC, players will be creeped out when facing off against this monster. Remedy has tied Alan Wake’s lore into this DLC quite well and fans of the original game will be quite pleased.

Overall, the AWE DLC for Control delivers a solid 5 to 6 hours of gameplay. It brings with it a tonne of in-game lore from Alan Wake itself and weaves it into its own complex story web. If you have Control and haven’t picked up the DLCs yet, the AWE DLC delivers a solid experience that adds quite a lot to Control even though it felt less impactful than the Foundation DLC was in terms of story.

Control is developed by Remedy Entertainment and is available today for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One from publisher 505 Games.

This review is based on the PC version of the game and can be purchased here for £8.74.

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