Fans of Control have finally discovered the solution to an elaborate Easter egg that started in the original version of the game. In the song ‘Take Control’ — which you’ll hear as you complete the memorable Ashtray Maze sequence in the game — there’s a secret message with instructions in the song. By following the clues and searching every corner of the Oldest House, players managed to solve this ridiculous little quest.
How did they solve? I have no idea — the trickiest part involves inputting a series of numbers into a clock. Yes, there are passcodes in this puzzle. We were only able to solve it thanks to the tutorial posted by r/Jedi-Outcast on Reddit. If you’re looking for a quick rundown of the Easter egg and how to unlock the useful reward at the end, scroll down for step-by-step instructions.
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‘Take Control’ Easter Egg Guide
To solve this ridiculously elaborate puzzle and earn one of the best mods in the game, follow these steps. The Easter egg is only available in the AWE DLC area — the Investigations Sector.
#1: Find The Secret Room
Fast-travel to the Awe Transit Bay CP in the Investigations Sector. Backtrack to the Shifted Offices and look for a lower dark passage where the unkillable enemy patrols. In the lower section, there’s a wall you can smash open.
Go to the area with the green carpet where the monster appears. In the lowest level, look opposite the raised office — that’s where you need to smash through.
Climb the twisted hallway until you can drop down into an office with a chest and a radio you can interact with.
#2: Find The Second Secret Room
In this secret room, smash the flat concrete wall. It’s the only bare wall in the office! Break through to find a double-secret room that leads to a diamond-shaped entrance. Inside, there’s a strange clock down the hallway.
Entering this room unlocks a ‘Hidden Area’ — one of the hardest to find in the game.
#3: Input The Hidden Code
At the clock, you need to interact with the clock [Square / X] when the hands are on the following numbers. If you interact at the correct time, you’ll hear a gong indicating that you’ve input the code correctly.
Press [Square / X] to use the clock and enter the input mode. Press [Square / X] to interact when the hand is on the correct number listed below. Press interact again to start the hand moving again.
- Interact When The Hands Are On The Following Numbers:
- 1, 7, 7, 1, 6, 4, 9, 7
If you input the codes correctly, the floor will open behind the clock.
#4: Fight Through The Red Room
Drop down, then levitate into the red room below. There’s a challenging enemy encounter with high-level enemies here. Clear them out, and you’ll find a lightswitch clicker at the back of the room.
Use the clicker three times to enter the Oceanview Hotel.
#5: Collect Your Reward
Now that you’re in the Oceanview, you can claim your secret reward. At the back-left room down the hallway, you’ll find the Aerobics Personal Mod. This special mod gives you +10 health recovery on Evade.
Every time you dodge, you’ll earn +10 health. That’s a huge bonus that makes tricky challenges like the horde mode much easier. Now you can heal yourself on command, giving you that little bit of extra HP needed to survive deadly situations.
