Control Resonant continues Remedy Entertainment's hot streak with its single-player games. While critics and audiences considered FBC: Firebreak a disappointment, the rest of the library has been the opposite. Their most recent game, Alan Wake 2, was met with critical acclaim and became an award-show darling.
However, Control deserves credit for helping broaden Remedy’s audience for this generation. It reached new gamers while preserving what makes Remedy unique: its trippy storytelling and visuals. After 7 years, getting a sequel to Control has been long overdue. Control Resonant is a brilliant follow-up that delivers what fans expected and more.
1. Dylan Holds His Own Against Previous Control Protagonist Jessie
Control Resonant centers on Dylan this time, as Jessie goes missing. Dylan escapes from the Federal Bureau of Control and finds that the entity known as the Hiss has infected Manhattan. He now has to help the FBC save Manhattan while on a mission to find his sister.
Even after that Summer Game Fest preview I attended, I didn’t know how playing as Dylan would compare to Jessie. She’s an incredible character, and focusing on someone else was a little disappointing at first. Then as Control Resonant progresses, I realized that Dylan is an equally fascinating character.
He knows the Hiss far too well, but still has the naivety of a child since being kidnapped. Keeping that in mind makes it clear why Dylan is the star of Control Resonant. Dylan is the unlikely hero who’s seeking redemption even though he wasn’t in control of his actions in the previous game.
2. The Action RPG Aspects of Control Resonant Shine
Control Resonant amps up the action-RPG elements with slight gameplay changes. Instead of a third-person shooter, the gameplay becomes a melee fighter. Dylan has a weapon called the Aberrant that can turn into a melee weapon like a blade or a scythe.
This kind of fighting mixes with the ability moves that Dylan quickly gets. It has shades of other games, like Bayonetta, but it feels more acrobatic. Dylan's aerial dashes and other movements while using the Aberrant make even random street encounters that much more thrilling.
It makes the RPG elements of crafting the build you want intriguing. Remedy does a great job of letting players experiment, even if they don’t like the build they crafted. It’s very forgiving in the long run, as Remedy wants players to feel comfortable with their build choices while playing.
To get many of these crafting elements, gamers explore an appropriately disjointed Manhattan. This isn’t like exploring the city in the Spider-Man games, as it feels appropriate for Manhattan to split into boroughs because of the Hiss outbreak. It lets Remedy create incredible visuals that blend M.C. Escher and David Lynch as you explore the city.
3. The Camera and Bugs In Control Resonant Do Get Frustrating
Sadly, like other Remedy Entertainment games that came before, Control Resonant suffers from a good number of bugs and glitches. They usually happen when Dylan is trying to fight a bunch of enemies at once. Unlike other games, enemies will follow Dylan up in the air, and players will need to get defensive so they’re not swarmed.
That’s when the camera becomes a problem because it’s hard to navigate. Sometimes it feels too tight, while other moments feel like the player has no input on direction. The worst offender is the resonant fights, which are also one of the best aspects of Control Resonant.
The Resonant fights act as boss fights, and their design is stunning. None fall below this standard, and the bosses' designs look like they belong in a museum. Compared with Remedy Entertainment's longtime composer Petri Alanko, this is the best work so far, and it's a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the monkey's paw wish to keep admiring the fight backfired.
This is when the glitches would happen: one moment the screen would turn black, and I’d take significant damage. Or sometimes the attack would deal two types of damage. At one point, it would take around 20% of my health, while other times it would take 90%. It didn’t feel like part of the game, but more like something the hiss did to drive players crazy.
4. Control Resonant Proves Why Remedy is One of the Best Studios Out There
Despite some big bugs, that doesn’t stop the momentum that Remedy Entertainment has built with Control Resonant. This is the sequel that fans have been desperately waiting for since 2019. While the gameplay has a slight tweak in the form of melee combat, the visuals and lore are expanded upon to deliver a breathtaking experience.
Gamers could see other games try and be like Remedy Entertainment, but this shows that they’re in a tier of their own. While we recommend that gamers play the incredible Control first, getting to experience Control Resonant is worth the time.
Control Resonant releases on September 24 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Gamers who purchase the digital deluxe edition can access Control Resonant two days earlier.
This review was written with a PlayStation 5 review code of Control Resonant provided by Remedy Entertainment in exchange for an honest review.
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