It is that time again where we delve into Remedy Entertainment’s Control, this time with the Ultimate Edition. The Ultimate Edition does not come with any new content however, it does come with all expansions out so far. This Ultimate Edition is for the new-gen consoles and although the differences are not a lot, they are significant.

The new features, for the PS5 at least, are the choice of two visual style performances and graphic modes, the added haptic controller functions, and the PS5 support systems. Make sure to check out all our fully comprehensive reviews on Control here, for more on the story and gameplay as none of that has changed, only enhanced.

Firstly, let us get the biggest and best part out of the way, the enhanced visuals. So, Control has a new coat of paint now and it looks amazing. With most of the PS5 games, you have the options now between graphics and performance. With graphics mode the game stays at 30FPS with ray tracing giving it a cleaner look, I played with this mode at the start to see the difference and it is certainly there. Reflections and the lighting scales make for a better visual game so if you are looking for more immersion graphically over the action this is the mode for you.

I eventually changed to the performance mode and have stuck with that since as it changes the game to 60FPS and makes the chaotic combat easier to manage. After the visual bliss of ray tracing, I did however find it a little harder to spot things and enemies. For now, though I am sticking with 60FPS as it just feels more fluid, and with the new paint job anyway it still looks amazing.

Something I found remarkably interesting is the haptic and adaptive controls. This is the first time I have been overly impressed by it. The haptic controller for the first time, for me anyway, showed off what it really could do. Using it felt like it could pick up just about everything, you could feel every step, every rough landing, and every hit. Quite literally, you take a step with your right foot you feel it on the right side of the controller; it was weird at first, but I got used to it quickly. If you do not like this, there is always the option to reduce or even turn off this feature in the options menu, but boy was it cool.

The adaptive triggers are a masterpiece and make the combat much more engaging and helpful. Each gun has a different feel when pulling the trigger. Again, it did take some getting used to with the resistance. Also, as a bonus, the trigger loses all resistance when your ammo is exhausted so once you are used to it you no longer have to watch your ammo as you will feel your clip empty. This helps in combat with bigger groups of enemies, allowing you to focus on your surroundings without having to keep an eye on your HUD.

The last add on it includes is the PS5’s activity and help features. I did not see any of the help features which are meant to include text and video assistance. In saying that, the activity feature was nice to allow me to follow how much I had progressed through the game with trophies. I am not sure if the help support is automatic, inactive if not needed, or if I needed to actively turn it on, yet we will see as time goes on.

One point of interest is the fact that if you have played through this game already, be prepared to start from scratch as this is an entire overhaul and is not compatible with any other saves from the previous version. It was not a problem at all since it is such a good game, but I do miss my outfits I had but I will just get them again. Lastly, of course with the SSD load times are a lot better and transitions are a lot smoother; I hated waiting for minutes for a new area or entering/leaving cutscenes so that is another plus.

So, is Control: Ultimate Edition worth replaying? My answer is yes, without a doubt, this was one of my favourite games of last year. The story, the expansions, the abilities, weapons visuals, and music were epic and have now only become grander. This is a game I suggest everyone has a crack at, there are so many mysteries to unveil, awesome combat encounters, and overall has something that you will thoroughly enjoy. If that has not got you curious enough to buy it have no fear because on the PS5 it is one of February’s PlayStation Plus line up, so for those with PS5s you have no excuse, jump on this.

Written by: Adam Brasher