Remedy’s ‘Control’ Ending, Explained

“Maybe I’ll never understand. Maybe I don’t need to.” – Jesse Faden

SPOILER ALERT. This article deals with the ending of Remedy’s ‘Control,’ and contains SIGNIFICANT SPOILERS. If you haven’t played the game yet, check out our review, and decide if the title is for you.

We know why you’re here. No, it’s not supernatural skill, because we feel exactly the same. You probably just finished Remedy’s newest title Control and were like, “Whoa, what was that? Did I just see what I thought I saw?”

Currently, Remedy’s Control is tearing up the review charts, and is being praised for its unique story, visceral gameplay, and worldbuilding skill, amounting to a memorable release that establishes Remedy as one of the premier action/adventure developers in the industry. That being said, the ending has been met with mixed reviews by some, and confused looks by all. Whether viewed positively or negatively, the ending is — without a doubt — an incredibly convoluted and important part of the narrative. So, let’s go slowly:

Break It Down and Save the World

In search of the paranormal slide projector and her brother, Dylan, Jesse ventures into the Dimensional Research sector of the Oldest House. Wading through a reddish desert sand, she climbs the stairs to find a large projection room where she sees an “echo” image of  five pillars surrounded by amber sand — evidence that the object of power was once used in the room to contact what is believed to be Polaris, the dimensional being traveling in Jesse’s mind. Once inside the lab, Jesse finally stumbles upon Dr. Darling’s best kept secret: that Polaris is being kept prisoner in dimensional research, and is called Hedron by the staff.

With this reveal, the underlying backstory of Control comes into greater focus. The HRAs — or Hedron Resonance Amplifiers — that allowed some of the FBC staff to escape possession by the Hiss channels are really devices that channel the energy of Hedron to keep away the demons from other dimensions. Hinted at for a majority of the game, Jesse’s immunity to the Hiss comes from the fact the Polaris lives within her, protecting her psyche from their penetrating effects.

Described as a living being with a geometric shape, Hedron is supposedly kept prisoner in a large, egg-shaped orb in the next chamber, and is protected by a giant HRA. To get in, Jesse rips the shield down and bursts into the room, exposing Hedron’s cell to the evil of the Hiss. After fighting her way to the center of the chamber, the cell is ripped open to reveal…nothing.

At this point, Hiss chanting begins, and the screen is awash with red. Jesse is shown to be fighting against the Hiss, and is in pain. She succumbs to the force, and becomes a part of their hive mind, chanting the “you are a worm through time.”

At this point, the credits for Control roll, implying that the game has ended and Jesse’s battle has been lost. After about fifteen seconds, the text begins to fragment and distort, transforming into the Hiss chant that has dominated the game and tortured Jesse. The screen fades to white, then to black.

Control then continues, as Jesse awakens in business clothes on the executive level of the Oldest House, which is shown to be functioning as if the Hiss never invaded. She is tasked with menial office work, like making copies, delivering letters, and cleaning up coffee cups, all while being verbally abused by side characters from earlier in the game. She delivers mail to Director Trench’s office, and has a vision of herself in the director’s chair, with Dylan killing her using the Service Weapon. She says “this isn’t me, I’m not me. Why can’t I feel you?” as she calls out to Polaris.

She is then transported again to the same part of the executive level of the Oldest House, and is tasked with the same office work. Jesse goes back to Trench’s office and finds him lost in thought, rambling about the dangers of Hedron, and that the Hiss will save them. He says that he has a special slide for the Projector that first exposed him to the possession of the Hiss. In a flashback, he is shown turning the projector on and then being shot by Dylan, who is subsequently seen sitting in the director chair.

Jesse is now once again transported to the floor of the Oldest House, which has gotten redder and more ominous. She makes her way to Trench’s office, and finds the Director chanting the Hiss’ speech, bathed in red light. She shoots Trench, and takes his chair, saying “I am the Director.” She receives a call from Dr. Darling that tells her to go to his office to find the endgame.

Inside, Jesse finds a pullcord to the Oceanview Motel, and uses a key to open a new hallway door. Inside, she find Polaris, embodied by Jesse’s form. Polaris tells her to “Grow brighter. Around one constant, they revolve.” Jesse concludes that Hedron put Polaris in her head, or that Polaris was triggered by the dimensional being. She says, “Maybe I’ll never understand. Maybe I don’t need to.”

Jesse makes her way to the Nostalgia department to confront Dylan, who is seen after she uses the slide projector. She fights her way to Dylan, and cleanses him of the Hiss. Dylan then lapses into a coma, and Jesse is shown taking up the mantle of Director of the Oldest House. She ends by announcing that she is working with Polaris to continue fighting the Hiss to clean up the Department of Control.

On to Speculation

Now, despite Control’s ending being spelled out, the ambiguity and depth of Sam Lake’s writing leaves an incredibly large amount of plot up to speculation and guess. Sure, a large number of clues are buried deep within the game’s enormous amount of lore pieces, but even with these details there is still a lot that is open for interpretation. What follows is my best guess about what Control’s ending means.

Hedron and the Hiss

It’s no surprise that Hedron and the Hiss are two most important plot elements in Remedy’s Control. Described as inter-dimensional beings that were accessed through the altered slide projector, these two forces battle for control over the Oldest House. Hedron, in the vaguest sense, embodies the light and hope in the world, while the Hiss exemplify darkness and slavery. Together, they form a yin/yang relationship that aligns with the good and evil dichotomy seen in a number of narratives throughout history.

This balance-of-opposites relationship is symbolized by both of the beings through their representations in Control’s ending. Hedron, named because of its shape, is shown only in Jesse’s psyche as a geometric, angular creature — almost like a strand of DNA. The Hiss, in contrast, are shown as flowing and shapeless, like a smearing of blood on a glass tile. Polaris, a representation of Hedron, is light, flowing, and angelic, while the Hiss are crimson-colored, quick, and oozing.

The Struggle for the Director’s Chair

In this dimensional struggle between literal good and evil, Jesse and Dylan are the symbolic representations of their respective force. Jesse, literally in tune with Hedron through her Polaris connection, is the representation of the forces of light in the narrative. On the other hand, Dylan is the physical embodiment of the Hiss throughout the narrative, and is used interchangeably in cutscenes to represent the force. For both of these characters, the Director’s chair and role symbolizes the control that each of these characters want; taking the chair means possessing the inter-dimensional realm of the Oldest House.

In the cutscene that shows Trench’s suicide and Dylan holding the Service Weapon, Dylan represents the Hiss’ power within Jesse and the Director’s mind. While Dylan is shown pulling the trigger to kill Trench, it is literally the power of the Hiss possession within the Director that make him end his life. Similarly, Jesse is shown with a gun to her head and Dylan holding the gun interchangeably, implying that the Hiss were going to have Jesse end herself as well. Dylan was not the killer — it was the power of the Hiss that forced them to commit action outside of their control.

Ahti The Janitor

One of the best mysteries of Control’s ending has to do with Ahti, the janitor for the Oldest House. An interesting and well-written character, many speculate that he is a physical embodiment of the Oldest House, or some sort of a ghost that haunts its halls, but he is really another inter-dimensional force — similarly to Hedron and the Hiss — that balances the scales of the universe to ensure that everything is harmonious. There is even the possibility that Ahti is connected to Polaris in some way, as he appears to have the ability to read Jesse’s mind. This detail comes from Trench’s dialogue during Control’s ending that appears to reference Ahti: “there was this man. Sometimes he was a plumber…unclogging the drain — because there was a big fish stuck there, a big fish — but sometimes he was an old god, you see, and he had put the fish there to keep the waste, there was rising waste, from leaking out. So, he was conflicted.”

It seems very likely that Ahti is the old god mentioned in the Director’s ramblings, balancing the order of the universe in order to keep everything working smoothly. Working like an all-knowing diety, Ahti orders and aligns the dimensional forces that are fighting for control of the world, both helping things flow while clogging things up in order to prevent the spread of unbalanced evil, all while allowing both sides to struggle against each other to create harmony. In this balancing act, he is shown to be conflicted and unsure of his role, growing tired with the struggle to maintain the delicate balancing act, and seeking a way out.

As for his long-awaited vacation, Control’s ending is significantly more vague. It could be that Ahti is done ordering the universe and ready to give up his overseeing role, receding into the darkness and leaving Jesse and her connection with Polaris to handle the world. If he is somehow connected to Polaris, it would also explain why he chose her as assistant in taking care of the Oldest House, eventually giving her the role once she was trained enough.

The Poster

The poster is one of the most frequently reoccurring motifs in Control, being constantly referenced from the beginning to the end. An overt reference to the film The Shawshank Redemption, the poster symbolizes the veil of normalcy that covers the opening of paranormal horrors that lie beneath. In the film, the poster covered a hole dug by one of the prisoners that was used to escape to freedom, and the game adopts a similar view. In Control, the poster represents the perceivable reality that takes place in everyday life, and it is this reality that covers the darker secrets of the universe. These mysteries are exposed and released once the poster is removed, affecting anyone and reshaping their view on the nature of reality and existence.

The Motel

The Oceanview Motel is an incredibly interesting concept within Control, and although it doesn’t factor much into ending, it still plays a small part. It is described as a meeting place for dimensions that is connected to the Oldest House; there are other doors within the Motel that can’t be opened, presumably linked to other paranormal places within the world, but no one from the Department of Control has ever walked through them. It is implied that Ahti spends time there, namely due to his janitor closet, and Polaris is accessed through a door at the end.

While the Motel is definitely a concrete place on earth, it does not adhere to the common laws of reality, making it some sort of liminal space between realities and dimensions. In Control, it seems to exist as a paranormal hub between worlds, bringing people from all kinds of places and realities to one unified location.

While these are speculations about Control’s ending and lore, there are likely plenty that we have missed. What do you think about our ideas? What did we miss? What are your speculations about Control? Leave a comment below!