Remedy Entertainment has built itself a reputation for its strange but endearing storytelling over the last 25 years. Games like Max Payne transitioned into Alan Wake, and then even further ahead with Quantum Break. Each title pushed narrative in games forward ambitiously, whether it was recognized immediately or in retrospect. Remedy's latest attempt at unique storytelling is Control. Remedy makes interesting efforts in gameplay design to flesh out its SCP-inspired world through iconic characters and moments.
One of the most iconic moments throughout Control happens around 3/4ths of the way through the game. Known as the "Ashtray Maze," this moment epitomizes Control's unique world and gameplay experience in one standout moment. Jesse Faden's journey builds incrementally in a rising tension that's intriguingly uncomfortable, and yet the Ashtray Maze injects a straight shot of adrenaline into the game when it's least expected. The pace of the game changes entirely into a set-piece that almost feels like the developers showing off how cool Control's world is.
What Leads to Control's Ashtray Maze
Control's Ashtray Maze begins towards the end of the game, during Mission 9: Polaris. At this point, Jesse needs to find her way to the Dimensional Research wing of the Oldest House in search of a pivotal Object of Power. Without jumping into direct story spoilers, the key to defeating the Hiss (the game's demonic villain presence) is sealed away within the Ashtray Maze. This labyrinth of shape-shifting architecture was specifically designed to keep anyone and everyone out of the Dimensional Research wing. Only the Director of the FBC, which in this case has become Jesse, can traverse the maze and get to the other side.
Direct traversal through the maze is impossible without clearance, even for Jesse. The former Director of the FBC was the one who created and was bound to the Ashtray Maze, so Jesse needed to find another way through. Luckily, Ahti the janitor has an extra key in the form of a cassette player loaded up with "Take Control" by Old Gods of Asgard. Listening to this song somehow grants Jesse passage through the maze, and what ensues is a wonderful celebration of everything that makes Control incredible. To those who've never played this game, this all likely sounds absurd, but the presentation is so bizarre and bombastic that it becomes endearing.
Exploring Control's Grandest Labyrinth
Playing through the Ashtray Maze really cements the fact that Control still has plenty of surprises up its sleeve, even in the second-to-last chapter. All of the moments leading up to Mission 9 have been uncanny and mind-boggling, but in a way that's mostly designed to make players feel slightly uncomfortable. Then little moments spliced in between, like the interviews with Dr. Darling and the various Object of Power side missions, remind you that there's elements of whimsical fantasy in Control's unsettling world. The Ashtray Maze reminds players that, despite all of the building tensions surrounding the story, the Oldest House is still a fantasy world full of charming stories.
Then players enter the Ashtray Maze. The atmospheric, ambient score fades away as a powerful heavy metal song starts blasting in Jesse's ears. Walls begin to fold and stow away like life-size origami, as the entire environment shifts and changes around the player. The baronial rooms are both symmetrical and asymmetrical, all enveloped in maroon wallpaper gilded with fancy aesthetics. Environments are constantly changing, but so are the threats. Players have to dash, levitate, and chase possessed Hiss enemies through various hallways as they attempt to navigate and ultimately finish the Ashtray Maze.
The Best Moment Throughout the Whole Game
Every ability, every new gun, every new augment that players come across throughout Control's story is tested in bombastic fashion within the Ashtray Maze. Everything comes to a head, and it's truly the first time throughout the game where Jesse not only becomes a true Director, but also truly feels unstoppable in her new authority. For lack of a better phrase, this is the point where players truly feel like they're in control. The world shapes and bends to Jesse's whim, as she systematically destroys enemies in these shifting rooms of royalty with all of her superpowers. In her own words, Jesse describes it best: "That was awesome."
Control's Ashtray Maze is easily one of the most memorable and iconic set-pieces from this past generation of games. It's a shame Control still flies under the radar for a lot of gaming fans, as this moment emphasizes how unique and amazing Control truly is. Everything that was once unsettling or disturbing from the game previously is whisked away, as Jesse and the players have a newfound confidence in the game's final acts. The Ashtray Maze definitely didn't have to be as cool as it was, but it comes at the right time during Control's story.
Control is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.