Welcome to the Bureau, FBC agents! This page is designed to provide a simple and in-depth understanding of the lore of Control for those who may feel a little bit lost in the wiki, or want a good springboard into our other pages. The language used in this page will be a bit simpler than that of the wiki, to aid in understanding and comprehension. Enjoy!
What is Control?
Out on August 27, 2019.
| “ | Discover a world unknown. | ” |
— Control tagline | ||
Control is a third-person action-adventure video game created by Remedy Entertainment, a Finnish game studio best known for other projects of theirs such as Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American Nightmare, and Quantum Break. Control was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows on August 27, 2019. On PC, it was exclusive to the Epic Games Store until August 27, 2020.
There are two downloadable story expansions available for Control: The Foundation and AWE. The Foundation takes Jesse on a journey into the long-sealed Foundation of the Oldest House, where she will discover secrets of the Bureau's past and stop a disaster in the making that threatens the future of the entire world. Meanwhile, AWE takes Jesse to the abandoned Investigations Sector, where she encounters a shadowy presence that echoes back to the enigmatic Bright Falls AWE, a call-back to the events of Alan Wake.
Control Ultimate Edition was released on August 27, 2020. It contains Control and all of its expansions, as well as various graphical updates.
What is Control About?
The FBC's logo. Check out that Black Pyramid!
| “ | Something’s coming, the whispers growing louder. The worst winter storm in Bureau history. A retribution for my sins. Our sins. | ” |
Control revolves around a secret U.S. government organization called the Federal Bureau of Control, or FBC. The goal of this organization is to contain, study, and ultimately gain control over the paranatural - phenomena which defy the known laws of physics and reality. The FBC operates on an international scale to find paranatural objects and events, and perform cover-ups to make sure the public remains unaware of the existence of these things.
The FBC has been described as morally ambiguous, if not downright amoral, so they're not always the "good guys" in every situation. However, they're humanity's best and only line of defense against paranatural threats.
What is the Oldest House?
Sure looks normal from the outside, doesn't it? Just wait. It gets weird.
| “ | Once we became aware of it, it was there. For the rest of the population, it was hiding in plain sight - a slippery blind spot, seemingly discouraging observation. It's a Place of Power. An ongoing AWE of its own, seemingly adhering to its physical outer constraints, and yet constantly breaking the known boundaries of reality. It's unstable, shifting. | ” |
The Oldest House is the nickname for the headquarters of the FBC. It's an enormous, featureless skyscraper located in New York City. The Oldest House is a Place of Power, a special type of location that has been acted upon by paranatural forces. Because of its paranatural nature, the Oldest House breaks the laws of spacetime, so while it's only the size of an average skyscraper on the outside, it goes on possibly forever on the inside.
Not only is it infinite in size, but the Oldest House also constantly shifts, meaning it's very dynamic in nature. In an attempt to control the building, the FBC has created "Control Points" which use special supernatural rituals to stabilize the building. Using these Control Points, the FBC has divided the building into a variety of different sectors, such as the Executive Sector (where the FBC's administrative bureaucracy works), the Maintenance Sector (where the building's power and plumbing are controlled), the Research Sector (where paranatural phenomena are studied), the Containment Sector (where paranatural objects are contained in special cells), and the Investigations Sector (where external Bureau operations are headed).
The Oldest House is a very unique place, even by the FBC's standards. There are rooms called Thresholds which are connected to other dimensions entirely, through which mysterious forces enter our reality. The FBC chose to make the Oldest House its headquarters in order to keep the ordinary world safe from the forces they contain there.
Control takes place entirely within the Oldest House. The game is designed in an open, Metroidvania format that allows you to explore the building's various sectors as you progress in the main story.
What are the paranatural things the FBC deals with?
The Benicoff TV, one of a number of bizarre Objects of Power.
| “ | There is something unique in us, in our dreams, in the conceptual reality we power with our minds. What's the cause, and what's the effect? Are we the starting point, or simply a necessary evil in this? A byproduct, a reflection? A projection? | ” |
The FBC is responsible for dealing with all kinds of paranatural phenomena. Among these are Altered World Events, or AWEs, in which mysterious forces from other dimensions intrude upon perceived reality. Altered World Events are capable of creating Places of Power like the Oldest House, but they also create Altered Items. These are normal objects that have special abilities and properties due to exposure to supernatural forces. There are also Objects of Power (OoPs), which are a type of Altered Item. OoPs are unique because they can grant special abilities to those who bind to them; in the game itself, they're important because they give our protagonist, Jesse, new special abilities when she interacts with them.
The paranatural forces in Control are affected by the mind, which is why they tend to gravitate to ordinary, archetypal objects. The nature of this connection is unknown, and not even the Bureau is certain whether it means paranatural forces begin with us, or if we simply affect them. The FBC's researchers have many competing interpretations of how the paranatural works, and there aren't clear answers to any of these things. It may be the case that the paranatural is utterly unexplainable. Nonetheless, the FBC is on a mission to find those answers... or die trying.
Who is Jesse Faden?
Just an ordinary girl in an ordinary world...
| “ | The room's not the world, the world... is much bigger, and much stranger. There's a hole hidden behind that poster that leads to the real world. | ” |
— Jesse Faden during Welcome to the Oldest House | ||
Jesse Faden is the main protagonist of Control and the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Control. She's your eyes and ears as you explore the bizarre and shifting world of the Oldest House, and your superpowered weapon against the forces of evil that reside there.
Seemingly a newcomer to the world of the FBC, Jesse stumbles upon the Oldest House in search of her brother Dylan, who was taken by the Bureau years prior in an Altered World Event in their hometown of Ordinary. She finds the Oldest House in the midst of a crisis, the entire building under attack by an evil force Jesse refers to as "the Hiss." Jesse is guided throuhgout her journey by her unseen "imaginary friend," whom she refers to only as Polaris.
Jesse inherits the role of the FBC's leader from Zachariah Trench, the previous Director, who has died in a series of chaotic events that Jesse has stumbled across. The Director of the FBC is determined by an Object of Power called the Service Weapon, which chooses its wielder much like Thor's hammer or the Sword in the Stone from Arthurian legend. The Service Weapon itself is a shifting gun that can take on a variety of forms, and acts as Jesse's main firearm. Along with the Service Weapon, Jesse also possesses a variety of supernatural powers. She can gain new abilities throughout the game by binding to Objects of Power.
You can expand upon and enhance Jesse's abilities in Control using a combination of skill trees and special perks found throughout the Oldest House. In addition to this, you can also customize Jesse's outfit - a very cool bonus.
What is the Hiss?
Hiss-possessed agents, hanging ominously overhead.
| “ | Under the conceptual reality behind this reality you must want these waves to drag you away. After the song, time for applause. This cliché is death out of time, breaking the first the second the third the fourth wall, fifth wall, floor; no floor: you fall! | ” |
— A portion of the Hiss incantation | ||
The Hiss is the main antagonist of Control, a hostile force that has invaded the Oldest House. The Hiss has no body, and is instead composed of "resonance," spreading like a virus throughout the building. The Hiss can possess objects and organisms alike, and turns the Bureau's own agents against it, making them its slaves. The possessed agents of the Bureau are the main enemies you'll fight throughout Control.
The actual origins of the Hiss are very mysterious, but if it escapes from the Oldest House, it will spell the end of mankind. Your duty as Director of the FBC is to take out the Hiss before it can overrun the FBC, breach containment, and invade New York and the world. No pressure, or anything.
Who are the other characters in Control?
Dr. Casper Darling, a friendly face in the Bureau.
Jesse isn't alone in her battle against the Hiss. Other surviving agents of the FBC are scattered across the building, doing their best to combat the threat. These agents are equipped with special devices called HRAs, which protect them from Hiss infection.
Among the most significant individuals in the FBC are Zachariah Trench's former management team, including Head of Research Casper Darling and Head of Operations Helen Marshall. Other characters include Research Specialist Emily Pope, Security Chief Simon Arish, Contract Threshold Specialist Raya Underhill, Panopticon Supervisor Frederick Langston, and the friendly if offbeat janitor Ahti. Trench himself is also lingering around the Oldest House, a ghostly presence who relays to Jesse clues and hints about her new role as Director.
What is the Board?
< image / symbol / bubblegum >
| “ | < We are at War/Hostile Takeover > < The Hiss is the Opposing Force/Foreign Power > < We will provide > < Countermeasures/Strategy > < Accept/ingest them > | ” |
— The Board, Board Countermeasures | ||
The Board is a mysterious entity from the alternate dimension known as the Astral Plane. The Board is < undefined / secret > and its nature is < understood / misunderstood > by the Federal Bureau of Control. The Board < ordains / controls > the Director through the Service Weapon, and is the < friend / puppeteer > of the Bureau as a whole. It broadcasts its telepathic messages from the < Pyramid / Other > that hangs overhead in the Astral Plane, and is < connected / in charge > to all Objects of Power.
How can I get involved?
If you want to be a part of Control's growing fandom, there are plenty of good places to start:
- The Control official Twitter page (https://twitter.com/ControlRemedy)
- The Control official Discord server (https://discord.gg/38r8wFx)
- The Federal Bureau of Control community Discord server (https://discord.gg/QCVm47S)
- The Control Wiki community Discord server (https://discord.gg/3v4YKNrVmZ)
- The Control subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/controlgame/)
- - - I hope this quick beginner's guide has been useful to you in getting started with Control's world. We hope to see you on the front lines of the unknown with Control! Best regards, Holly Nightmare
