Control Resonant looks like an exciting action-RPG, but I just want it to mess with my head

Manhattan is eerily quiet in Control Resonant. Gone are the countless pedestrians that make the sidewalks into constant streams, replaced by an ethereal, blue substance. It's the Mold, I'm told by Remedy's senior communications manager Miika Huttunen during a hands-off presentation at Gamescom 2026.

As a fan of the original Control from 2019, I'm aware this growth is bad news, so imagine my surprise when I learn protagonist Dylan Faden is tasked with eating samples of it. Just like that, I'm invested.

Power game

Free from the confines of the Oldest House, the Federal Bureau of Control's other-worldly office and location of the first game, Dylan is sent out into New York City to save the day. Given the copious amounts of Mold and the enemies created from it, how Dylan is supposed to manage that alone is a mystery to me, but I'm sure the shapeshifting weapon he wields will help.

The Aberrant is an Object of Power – one of the Altered Items found throughout the Remedyverse – and has multiple forms for use in combat. During the session, Dylan utilizes the Drill shape, throwing out piercing blows at the furry blue foes who dare get in this way. It's at this point Huttunen explains that the player is unable to use healing items during combat, instead recovering lost health through eliminating enemies.

Dylan is capable of overcoming anything with his trusty Aberrant, comboing while floating in one spot, before producing graphic and satisfying finisher moves. These executions temporarily buff Dylan's damage output, encouraging the player to dive immediately into the next waiting monstrosity that requires a good old drilling.

Huttunen clarifies that while Control Resonant rewards aggressive play, it doesn't mean mindlessly attacking will work. Throughout the session I see Dylan constantly dodging incoming attacks, creating the impression our hero is a bit of a glass cannon, although I've no way of confirming this until I can play as Mr Faden when the game releases September 24.

Eventually Dylan enters a boss arena, which takes us from Moldy Manhattan to a liminal space in another dimension, where we see The Collective. This boss is a number of enormous faces, made out of Mold and assembled together like a dangerous Mt. Rushmore. (Mt. RushMold? Is this anything?)

This hideous being isn't alone here, with smaller enemies routinely summoned and sent after Dylan as he strives to break specific points of the monstrous entity in phases, including deadly tentacles. The whole thing is reminiscent of Dark Souls' Bed of Chaos if it wasn't so terribly designed that the most staunch FromSoftware fan doesn't even attempt to defend it. It was as this comparison crossed my mind that I realised Control Resonant, while clearly an action-RPG, doesn't resemble a Soulslike. I know some fans of the first game are concerned the new combat won't appeal, but it has me excited to take Dylan and the Aberrant for a spin.

Once Dylan triumphs over The Collective, we're taken to another liminal space, where Dylan is presented with a choice of new powers based on the Mold. He can choose to channel the substance through his arm to attack enemies, or pick the option to have a Mold tentacle emerge from the ground and attack enemies independently. Huttunen then explains that while we can only choose one of the two abilities for the whole playthrough, players will take existing powers into new game plus, meaning we can have our cake and eat it too on the second go around.

As the session comes to an end, I'm left excited by the combat, but more intrigued by the world of Control Resonant. The original Control was full of curios that fascinated me, making me look at real world objects as though they were hiding secrets in plain sight. I've no doubt Dylan Faden can pick up the mantle from his sister and previous protagonist Jesse, but I'm aching to find out how fascinating Resonant's Manhattan will be. Will there be murderous refrigerators? A transforming maze? A new episode of Threshold Kids?

Remedy has a knack for creating game worlds that play with the barrier between fiction and reality, and it's by this metric that I'll judge Control Resonant above all else. Well, that and by the quality of the musical number it'll no doubt contain.

Take control of your next adventure by checking out our best ARPGs recommendations for more action, or our best Remedy games ranking!