When it comes to sequels, it’s very easy for games to simply do more of the same—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, after all. Remedy Entertainment, however, clearly isn’t one to play it safe, and Control Resonant makes some seriously bold swings as it takes the franchise into entirely new territory.
Whether it’s the shift from a shooter to an action RPG or the vast new setting of a reality-warped Manhattan, there’s plenty that’s different this time around. But don’t get it twisted; Control Resonant is still very much Control, from its gripping narrative and bizarre world to an art direction as striking as you’d expect from Remedy.
Not every new idea lands quite as strongly as others, however. While I loved exploring Resonant’s strange version of New York and uncovering its many secrets, the combat eventually became something I wanted to get through rather than something I wanted to engage with.
A Strange Story In A Strange World
The narrative follows Dylan Faden as he attempts to stop the Patterning of New York and prevent the Hiss from corrupting the city, all while searching for his sister and former Director (and Control 1 protagonist), Jesse.
I won’t go much further than that, but I enjoyed having Dylan as the central figure this time. His guilt over being controlled by the Hiss in the original Control provides an interesting character foundation, giving the sequel an opportunity to explore the consequences of everything that happened previously.
The writing can occasionally be a little on the nose, and some of the responses to Dylan’s presence veer into cartoonishly villainous territory. Zoe, Dylan’s handler, is a welcome addition to the cast, though, and their relationship helps carry the story through some of its more uneven moments.
The main plot moves along at a solid pace, but it’s the side content where Resonant’s bizarre world really shines. Interacting with the various Objects of Power scattered around Manhattan regularly produced some of my favourite moments, including an encounter with a killer karaoke machine that quite literally dances people to death.
It’s these ridiculous, unpredictable moments that remind you why Control’s world is so compelling in the first place.
Unfortunately, the narrative does lose me somewhat towards the end. I still think Remedy sticks the landing overall, but there’s one lengthy segment that represents a pretty drastic departure from the experience that came before it. Without spoiling anything, you’ll spend roughly an hour playing something that feels like an entirely different game.
I can see what Remedy was going for, and it does serve a purpose narratively, but I couldn’t help wondering whether it could have been handled differently. It wasn’t really for me, but it could be a welcome change of pace for you.
Wrap Your Head Around This
It’s fair to say the defining element of Control is its weird, mind-bending world, and I’m happy to say that Resonant cranks that up to 11.
I was initially worried that leaving the Oldest House would hurt the experience, given how iconic that location is. However, Remedy’s take on a Patterned New York is truly something to behold. Whether you’re wandering through a shifting city street or descending into the depths of The Unknown, there’s almost always something demanding your attention.
The art direction is phenomenal, but what impressed me most was how Remedy can make even mundane locations feel worth exploring. Subway stations, apartments, and other everyday environments are constantly warped by the game’s supernatural elements, making it difficult to resist seeing what’s around the next corner.
Exploration is helped by Dylan’s movement abilities. He can double jump, briefly fly, manipulate gravity to walk across walls and ceilings, and zip through the air to reach otherwise inaccessible locations. It all feels remarkably smooth, even with our protagonist’s awkwardness, but as he was locked away for a decade, we can cut him some slack.
That said, navigating the city can be a bit frustrating at times. Manhattan itself is split into distinct Zones, each with its own visual identity and quirks, which prevents the open-world urban setting from becoming as repetitive as you might expect. The map can make travelling from Point A to Point B needlessly confusing, though, and some destinations require a fair amount of backtracking.
Swing And A Miss
Where Resonant struggles most is its combat.
Gone are the guns, with Resonant instead introducing a new Object of Power for Dylan to wield: the Aberrant. Combat is now primarily melee-focused, with a surprising amount of variety available as you progress.
You’ll unlock new combat styles, from ranged whips and heavy hammers to quick daggers and spinning blades, while powers earned from defeating the Resonants scattered across Manhattan add even more options.
On paper, there’s plenty to work with. In practice, though, I rarely felt the need to experiment.
I eventually settled into the same formula: attack with my quick daggers, leave a spinning blade behind to weaken enemies, then finish them off with the giant hammer. Ignite became my go-to ability, allowing me to set enemies ablaze while dealing with everything else.
And it worked. Every single time.
That’s largely because the enemy variety doesn’t keep pace with the number of tools you’re given. Weaker enemies continue spawning until the tougher enemies in an encounter are defeated, encouraging you to use finishers on the smaller foes before taking advantage of the resulting enhanced state to deal with the bigger threats.
It’s a neat idea, but the same encounters appear so frequently that the novelty wears off quickly. A Hiss-controlled bus spilling enemies into the battlefield is fun the first few times, but after seeing essentially the same encounter for the tenth, twentieth, or thirtieth time, it becomes monotonous.
By the latter stages of my roughly 40-hour playthrough, combat had become a chore. I was rarely thinking about how I could approach an encounter differently; I was thinking about how quickly I could finish it so I could get back to exploring.
That’s a shame, because the boss fights are some of the game’s most impressive spectacles. The Resonants range from enormous Mold monstrosities to a mysterious dancer who puts your dodging abilities to the test, showcasing Remedy’s incredible visual creativity. Unfortunately, even these encounters can become a bit of a slog once the spectacle wears off—especially the ones towards the end.
Control Resonant Verdict
Control Resonant is a worthy sequel that isn’t afraid to take the franchise in a new direction. Patterned New York is every bit as fascinating as the Oldest House, while the story, exploration, and phenomenal art direction retain the strange charm that made the original so memorable.
Unfortunately, the same can’t quite be said for the combat. The expanded arsenal and RPG mechanics offer plenty of variety on paper, but repetitive encounters and limited enemy variety meant I rarely felt compelled to experiment. Even the spectacular boss fights could become a slog once the novelty wore off.
Still, despite those frustrations, I never stopped wanting to see what was next. Resonant doesn’t improve upon everything from the original, but it understands what made Control so special while taking some genuinely interesting risks. It’s still Control, and that’s ultimately what I wanted most.
When the inevitable third instalment arrives, I’ll be there on day one—though, hopefully, third time’s the charm for the combat.
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Control Resonant
Charlie is one of Insider Gaming's Guides Writers who's been in the gaming industry for a little over a year. Unfortunately for him, he enjoys every video game genre out…
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