Summary

• Control 2 is confirmed and on the way, despite lacking updates on its release date.
• Control's traversal mechanics, especially flight, need improvement in Control 2.
• Control 2 should refine flight controls, integrate them into combat, and avoid invisible walls.

Despite being announced in 2022, there are still no updates on when the sequel to Remedy Entertainment's surprise 2019 hit Control might arrive, but it is nonetheless on the way. While the first game had plenty of gameplay mechanics and features working in its favor, Control 2 can still make significant improvements in certain areas. One such area is Control's traversal mechanics, which ultimately fall short of their potential but can still reach and even exceed that potential in Control 2.

While there are plenty of gameplay mechanics in Control that are fun to play with, its traversal mechanics, which include flight, are arguably a major part of its gameplay. Unfortunately, those mechanics miss the mark in a lot of ways, resulting in a system that just feels a little off. However, this means that Control 2 has a prime opportunity to refine and improve these mechanics by polishing the first game's traversal system and even adding to it.

Control 2 Needs to Refine the First Game's Traversal

Control's Traversal Mechanics Feel Off in a Lot of Ways

In order to identify where Control 2 could improve the first game's traversal mechanics, it's important first to examine where they fell short. The most noticeable bit of wonkiness in Control's traversal mechanics is in Jesse's levitation ability. In Control, Jesse's ability to levitate sometimes feels, ironically, floaty and lacks precision, especially in tighter platforming sections. This lack of fine control during her flight or descent often makes moving through Control's complex environments more frustrating than fun. Additionally, Jesse's flight trajectory in Control generally feels very linear, with unfortunate limitations on her ability to quickly change direction midair, which sometimes breaks the flow of combat or exploration, not to mention the game's immersion.

The jank in Control's flight mechanics can also be painfully felt during the game's combat. While levitation is fun and useful for exploration in Control, it doesn't carry as much weight in combat scenarios. Staying airborne often makes Jesse a sitting duck for enemies, thereby limiting the effectiveness of the ability beyond reaching vantage points or temporarily dodging enemy attacks in Control. Back to exploration, however, some areas in Control seem like they don't account for Jesse's ability to levitate, as they are held back by ceilings or invisible walls, which is one of the gaming industry's most infamous ways to break a game's immersion.

Control 2 Presents an Opportunity to Improve the First Game's Traversal Mechanics

With a bright light now on the shortcomings of Control's flight mechanics, Control 2 can improve and even expand the system to make it less of a sore thumb. Most importantly, Control 2 would need to implement finer air-control mechanics, like the ability to adjust speed, hover more precisely, or perform quick and accurate dashes while airborne. This could make levitation feel more responsive overall — a quality the first game's flight mechanics sorely lacked. It would also help if Control 2's level design made more of an effort to account for a flight system, such as increased verticality and the removal of invisible walls.

Invisible walls in video games are far less tolerable today than they ever have been, so Control 2 needs to avoid them at all costs.

Jesse's levitation mechanics should be more seamlessly integrated into Control 2's combat as well. For example, perhaps Control 2 could offer midair weapon accuracy bonuses or special abilities tied to levitation, thereby encouraging players to use the system more. Control 2 could also introduce aerial combat skills, like slamming enemies into the ground or launching them for a powerful midair combo. Finally, a skill tree or upgrades for traversal that improve in-air maneuverability, speed, or stamina would be a great way for the system as a whole to feel like it is naturally progressing with the protagonist's journey.

Clearly, there's an opportunity here that Remedy Entertainment's Control 2 can't afford to pass up. After the first game's traversal mechanics — namely, flight — felt off in a lot of ways, it's important for Control 2 to give more attention to the system, assuming it will still be present in the game. Enhancing the flight system's precision and control, embracing more verticality in its level design, and introducing combat-oriented flight abilities would not only fix the original game's shortcomings but also allow Control 2 to forge its own path.