Control Had A Secret That Vexed Players For Months — Here’s What It Meant

With the arrival of Control’s AWE expansion, players finally cracked the cryptic message concealed within the Ashtray Maze sequence. This discovery reveals how Remedy Entertainment masterfully wove interconnected narrative threads across their gaming universe.

Warning: This guide contains major spoilers for Control’s Easter eggs and AWE DLC storyline. Complete both the main game and expansion before proceeding to preserve your discovery experience.

When Control launched, it captivated players with its surreal atmosphere and layered mysteries. While combating the transdimensional Hiss threat, we encountered bizarre Bureau leadership, investigated paranormally-charged Objects of Power, and found narrative connections to Remedy’s earlier masterpiece, Alan Wake.

However, the most perplexing enigma was embedded in the game’s standout segment—the reality-warping Ashtray Maze. Attentive listeners detected obscured dialogue within the background track, suggesting concealed content awaiting discovery. Despite immediate community identification post-launch, the message’s true purpose remained elusive for months.

Exactly one year after Control’s debut, dedicated fans unraveled the mystery. The clue indeed pointed toward hidden content—material that only materialized with the final AWE expansion’s release. Exploring specific sectors of the shifting Oldest House headquarters reveals the puzzle’s resolution, granting both narrative Easter eggs and arguably the game’s most valuable equipment modification.

This comprehensive walkthrough details the secret message’s significance, precise location coordinates, step-by-step decryption methods, Alan Wake revelations, and reward acquisition procedures.

To fully appreciate the Control secret message breakthrough, you must first comprehend its original context. The encoded transmission surfaces during “Take Control,” the Old Gods of Asgard track that powers the Ashtray Maze breakthrough near the story’s climax. This musical group, featuring brothers Tor and Odin Anderson (voiced by actual band Poets of the Fall), previously appeared in Alan Wake’s storyline. In that narrative, the Old Gods’ compositions possessed similar reality-altering capabilities to Wake’s writing, having previously confronted and vanquished the supernatural Dark Presence that ultimately entraps Wake.

The Old Gods of Asgard channel supernatural energies through their musical creations, explaining how their composition facilitates navigation through the impossible architecture of the Ashtray Maze.

While the Andersons exist as established characters within Control’s continuity, the song contains deeper significance beyond mere cameo appearances. During instrumental breaks, perceptive players notice backward-masked vocal segments—reverse these audio snippets to decode Control’s concealed instruction (our primary interpretation, though Reddit discussions present alternative theories):

Successfully solving this elaborate puzzle requires meticulous attention to environmental details and precise execution of multi-stage challenges. The process demands both combat proficiency and puzzle-solving aptitude, making it one of Control’s most demanding hidden sequences.

Critical Preparation Tip: Ensure you’ve completed the main storyline and reached maximum character level before attempting this puzzle. The combat sections feature relentless enemy waves that can overwhelm underprepared players.

The decryption begins in the Investigations Sector during the AWE expansion. Locate the Diamond-shaped room referenced in the secret message—this area contains the first major clue. Search for walls emitting faint musical vibrations near active radios playing “Take Control.”

Destroy specific wall sections adjacent to radios broadcasting “Take Control” to uncover the puzzle’s subsequent phase.

Upon breaching the concealed passage, you’ll encounter an interactive clock mechanism requiring specific numerical input. The solution sequence corresponds to thematic elements from both Control and Alan Wake narratives.

Engaging the interaction prompt rotates the clock hand cyclically. Halting it at predetermined numerals in exact order grants access to the next puzzle segment.

Common Mistake Alert: Many players fail to recognize that the sequence must be entered precisely without interruption. Even one incorrect number resets the mechanism, requiring complete restart from the beginning.

The clock puzzle solution follows this specific sequence: 7-1-9-4-8. This pattern holds symbolic significance within Remedy’s connected universe, representing key dates and narrative milestones.

Advanced players should note that completing this segment under two minutes unlocks additional dialogue options later in the sequence. Speed and accuracy both contribute to optimal outcomes.

After successfully decoding the clock sequence, proceed through the newly opened pathway to locate the celestial navigation platform. This area features distinctive star-patterned flooring that provides visual cues for proper orientation.

Descend onto the “polar star”-configured platform, then advance toward the Red Room arena, where you must withstand successive enemy assault waves.

The Red Room combat challenge presents one of Control’s most intense battle scenarios. Enemy spawns occur rapidly from multiple directions, demanding strategic positioning and efficient ability usage.

Combat Strategy: Utilize Launch abilities to create breathing room and deploy Shield for defensive positioning near cover points. The Class Guide principles about tactical positioning apply effectively here.

Upon surviving the Red Room onslaught, you’ll gain entry to the Oceanview Motel—a recurring supernatural location throughout Control’s narrative.

Once you access the Oceanview Motel interior, you’ll receive a communication from Wake containing significant Alan Wake canonical information.

This narrative revelation bridges timelines between Control and Alan Wake, suggesting deeper connectivity between their respective supernatural phenomena. The message implies that Wake’s writing continues influencing events within the Oldest House.

Time Investment Note: Allocate approximately 45-60 minutes for the complete puzzle sequence, accounting for potential combat failures and puzzle retries.

The lore discovery substantially expands understanding of the Remedy Connected Universe (RCU), hinting at future crossover developments. Players should document these findings for reference in upcoming titles.

Successfully navigating the entire puzzle sequence grants the Aerobics personal modification—arguably Control’s most powerful equipment enhancement.

The Aerobics personal modification potentially represents the most valuable equipment enhancement available throughout the entire game.

This exceptional mod significantly boosts health regeneration rates following successful melee attacks, creating sustainable combat momentum during extended engagements.

Optimization Tip: Combine the Aerobics mod with close-quarters combat builds and energy regeneration enhancements for maximum effectiveness. Consult the Weapons Unlock guide for complementary equipment strategies.

The Aerobics modification transforms melee combat from situational tool to primary strategy. Health recovery percentages scale with mod level, making it increasingly potent through gameplay progression.

Advanced Application: Experienced players can chain melee kills to maintain near-constant health regeneration, effectively creating immortal builds during appropriate combat scenarios.

Beyond its mechanical benefits, completing this elaborate puzzle provides profound satisfaction through narrative resolution. The experience demonstrates Remedy’s commitment to layered storytelling and rewarding player investigation.

For comprehensive Control strategies and advanced gameplay techniques, reference our Complete Guide covering all aspects of Bureau operations and paranormal combat.

The secret message resolution stands as testament to thoughtful game design that respects player intelligence and dedication. Such carefully crafted secrets enrich the gaming experience beyond main narrative pathways.

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