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The synchronistic rituals which once ruled the Oldest House have been disrupted. The Hiss have broken containment, spilling into the streets of Manhattan – a city already under siege from another devastating Altered World Event. As these paranatural threats collide, the Federal Bureau of Control can only falter. The seven year lockdown has failed. Director Faden is MIA. All hope is lost.
Control Resonant begins in the blood-soaked ruins of the FBC Headquarters, once the home of Remedy Entertainment's transformative 2019 action-adventure experience. You're now in control of Dylan Faden, guiding the parautilitarian out of isolation and into a far wider world. A wider world, but not an open-world. This is a decision which affords Remedy an opportunity to circumvent a trap that so many sequels tumble into as they seek scale.
Paint the town red
Like its predecessor, Control Resonant has a keen focus on using Paranatural Abilities to traverse intricately designed environments. There's more verticality as you navigate sections of a city buckling under the pressure of converging AWEs, Manhattan streets twisting in on themselves, feeding a wider array of platforming challenges. Split into sectors, these open zones are filled with distractions – bruised FBC agents attempting containment, civilians in need of assistance. Movement is slick, with Dylan able to float and dash between points-of-interest, smartly balancing exploration of these open urban environments with delving into more specifically-designed dungeons, spaces where Remedy's penchant for building authored missions and singular spaces is on full display.
Rather than chase open-world ambitions, Control Resonant funnels its larger aspirations through a more expansive combat model, with the volatile gunplay that defined Jesse's adventure replaced with grittier melee action. "Control was always about the world itself. So with every Control experience it's about providing a new lens into that world, through a new protagonist. That was our thinking from the beginning," says returning game director Mikael Kasurinen. "It was also my hope to create a Remedy RPG franchise, one that focuses more on agency and player choice. We create the world that you step into, but it's up to you to find your path."
It was my hope to create a Remedy RPG franchise, one that focuses on player choice
Mikael Kasurinen, game director
My path begins with the shapeshifting Aberrant formed as twin blades, primed for devastatingly quick assaults on unpredictable enemy forces, that can transform into an extendable lash for crowd control. There's a supernatural synergy between the two weapon forms, combining neatly with powerful Combo Enders and an array of upgradable, customizable abilities. Kasurinen tells me that his team are keen to encourage experimentation with build-styles, something which is apparent in the ease in which you're able to change up your styles.
So long as you aren't in combat, holding down on the directional-pad will let Dylan enter a dreamlike space called the Gap – a space where you can play with different builds, make adjustments to your skill point investments, equip different weapons and abilities, and then test them out before heading back into the fray. It's well worth spending time here too, as it underpins the wide degree of options in front of Dylan. Not to mention the depth of the combat system itself.
Remedy is known for its kinetic third-person combat, a 30 year legacy built atop the propulsive gunplay of Max Payne and carefully refined through Alan Wake and Quantum Break. There's been precious few occasions where Remedy has diverged from this model – FPS in FBC Firebreak and CrossfireX; vehicular combat in Death Rally – but never has the studio attempted to focus specifically on melee. The decision to present Control Resonant as an action-RPG wasn't without controversy, although I'm happy to say that the results are exceptionally strong.
There's a quality inherent to the combat that has become so synonymous with this studio. There's an almost syncopated rhythm to the way Dylan lashes at foes, a momentum that builds as he weaves between enemies crossing across different vertical planes. Control Resonant encourages aggression, with high-energy pressing pulsing through the systems. There's a snappiness to it all, which is especially apparent in the hour I spend pushing through an exceptionally challenging later-game section which uses reality-bending logic to push me to my limits.
If there's any one aspect where I'm keen to see some movement in the coming months as Remedy applies the final layers of polish concern the visual detail. Control Resonant has exceptional artistic direction, it has a distinct identity. It doesn't, however, have the same degree of absurd fidelity as seen in Alan Wake 2. It's by no means a deal breaker, but there are some aspects (particularly the NPCs) that could do with a little more flourish.
If you played Alan Wake 2, you may recall some famous last words from the titular writer: "It's not a loop, it's a spiral." Well, Dylan Faden says 'the hell to that', as Control Resonant very much leans on the power of its loop. Melee hits restore your combat ability resource, this in turn allows you to stun enemies, which opens them up to devastating, cinematic executions – which in turn boosts your melee damage for a short time. The flowstate is exceptionally fun.
Control Resonant is not at all what I was expecting from a sequel to Control. That shock to the system subsided as I settled into its rhythms. I'm desperate to delve deeper into this world come September 24, 2026, and to get a better sense of the events which forced Jesse Faden to abandon the FBC headquarters. If what I've played is any indication, I suspect a pretty weird and wonderful adventure awaits – one which will set this series up to continue pushing against all expectations.
Control Resonant is set to launch on September 25, 2026, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. You can check other key release dates in our video game release calendar.
