Control Resonant Review: Gameplay, Story & Performance
Control Resonant is the long-awaited sequel to Remedy Entertainment’s 2019 supernatural action game Control. Rather than simply returning to the Oldest House, the sequel expands the series into a much larger and stranger version of Manhattan, where paranormal forces have transformed familiar locations into an unpredictable world.
This time, players take control of Dylan Faden, Jesse Faden’s brother, as he becomes the central character in a new supernatural crisis. Remedy has also changed the gameplay formula, adding a larger world, expanded traversal, deeper character progression, and a greater focus on close-range combat.
Control Resonant launched on September 24, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Mac.
So, does this sequel successfully expand the strange world of Control, or does the bigger open-world structure lose some of the mystery that made the original memorable?
What Is Control Resonant?
Control Resonant is a supernatural action game developed by Remedy Entertainment.
The original Control introduced players to the Federal Bureau of Control, a secretive organization dealing with unexplained phenomena and objects that break the normal laws of reality.
Resonant takes that concept outside the Oldest House.
A paranormal outbreak has spread into Manhattan, changing the city’s architecture and creating areas where reality no longer behaves normally. Dylan Faden becomes the playable protagonist and must deal with the consequences while searching for answers surrounding Jesse and the new threat.
The result is a game that combines action, exploration, supernatural abilities, RPG-style progression and Remedy’s trademark mystery.
Control Resonant Story
The story is one of the main reasons to play Control Resonant.
Dylan Faden takes center stage this time, reversing the relationship established in the first game. Instead of Jesse searching for her brother, the sequel places Dylan in the middle of a crisis while Jesse’s role becomes part of the mystery.
The story revolves around a paranormal disaster spreading through Manhattan.
Buildings, streets and familiar locations can change into surreal environments, while supernatural entities and unexplained phenomena become part of the city’s new reality.
Remedy continues to tell the story through more than traditional cutscenes. Documents, conversations, environmental details and strange events all contribute to the wider world.
That approach means players who enjoy investigating a game’s lore have plenty to discover.
A Different Kind of Control Story
One of the biggest changes is the setting.
The original game used the Oldest House as a mysterious and constantly shifting environment. Control Resonant expands that idea into Manhattan.
That creates more freedom, but it also changes the atmosphere.
Some reviewers have praised the larger world and surreal environmental design, while others have argued that the more familiar open-city structure makes the sequel feel less mysterious than the original.
This difference is important because the original Control’s unusual setting was one of its defining characteristics.
Gameplay
Control Resonant expands the gameplay considerably compared with the first game.
Instead of moving through a primarily interconnected building, players explore a much larger version of Manhattan with supernatural areas, side activities and different routes through the environment.
The game combines:
- Exploration
- Supernatural abilities
- Close-range combat
- Character progression
- Side quests
- Environmental puzzles
- Collectibles
- Lore discovery
- Open-world traversal
The larger structure gives players more freedom in how they approach the world.
Expanded Combat
Combat has received one of the most noticeable changes.
Dylan has his own set of supernatural abilities and a shape-shifting weapon called Aberrant, creating a combat system that is more focused on movement and close-range encounters than the original game’s approach.
The expanded system also gives players more opportunities to customize Dylan’s abilities and progression.
However, combat is one of the areas where reviews have disagreed.
Some coverage has praised the expanded combat system and melee focus, while PC Gamer specifically criticized the amount of middling combat encounters in the game’s larger world.
This makes combat an interesting part of the sequel rather than an unquestioned improvement.
Open-World Manhattan
The move into Manhattan is arguably the biggest structural change.
Instead of one massive supernatural building, players now explore a larger city affected by paranormal forces.
The result is not a normal open-world New York.
Buildings can behave strangely, streets can transform, and supernatural areas can completely change the appearance and logic of familiar locations.
Game Informer’s review highlighted the surreal visual design and the way traversal abilities allow players to reach rooftops and move across large distances.
Exploration
Exploration is closely connected to character progression.
Some areas cannot be fully explored immediately, meaning players may need abilities or access tools before returning later.
This gives the world a gradual sense of expansion.
Side quests also contribute to the experience, with some of them leaning heavily into Remedy’s strange storytelling style.
Traversal and Movement
Movement is much more important in Control Resonant.
Dylan can use supernatural abilities to move around the environment and reach locations that would otherwise be inaccessible.
This includes vertical exploration and unusual movement across the city.
The expanded traversal system helps Manhattan feel less like a traditional open-world map and more like a supernatural playground.
It also works well with the game’s environmental design because players are frequently encouraged to look beyond the obvious route.
Graphics and Visual Design
Control Resonant is one of the more technically ambitious games released in 2026.
Its environments combine realistic city architecture with surreal transformations, strange lighting and paranormal effects.
The visual identity is especially strong when the normal world begins to break apart.
The game’s Manhattan can move from recognizable city streets to bizarre environments that feel more like impossible architecture than a traditional open-world location.
Game Informer praised the visual variety, while PC Gamer highlighted Remedy’s environmental art and lighting work as one of the game’s strongest areas.
The Remedy Visual Style
The game retains the brutalist and surreal design language associated with Control, but applies it to a much larger environment.
This gives the sequel its own visual identity while still making it immediately recognizable as a Control game.
Control Resonant Performance
Performance is particularly important for Control Resonant because of its demanding visuals.
PC testing has shown that the game’s highest settings can be extremely demanding, particularly when ray tracing or path tracing is enabled. However, optimized settings can produce significantly better performance without requiring the visual quality to be reduced to the lowest levels.
One recent PC performance test using an RTX 4060 laptop recorded a substantial difference between maximum and optimized settings at 1080p. The tester reported 33 FPS at maximum settings without RT/PT versus 63 FPS using optimized settings. These figures are specific to that test system and should not be treated as universal performance numbers.
This is an important point for PC players:
Don’t assume the Ultra preset is automatically the best setting.
Control Resonant provides enough graphics options to let players find a better balance between image quality and performance.
Ray Tracing and Path Tracing
The game makes extensive use of advanced lighting technology.
Ray tracing and path tracing can improve reflections and lighting, but they also increase the hardware requirements significantly.
For players with more modest hardware, optimized settings without these features may provide a better overall experience.
PC Performance and Optimization
Control Resonant’s PC version offers a relatively extensive graphics menu.
Players can adjust settings related to:
- Texture quality
- Level of detail
- Global illumination
- Volumetric lighting
- Fog
- Shadows
- Reflections
- Ray tracing
- Path tracing
- Upscaling
Recent technical testing found that several settings have a much larger performance impact than others, meaning players can improve frame rates without simply lowering everything to minimum.
There have also been reports of frame-pacing concerns in technical testing, so performance isn’t only about average FPS. Consistency can matter just as much during demanding sequences.
Progression and Customization
Control Resonant introduces deeper progression compared with the original game.
Players can develop Dylan’s abilities and customize aspects of his build as they explore the world.
The sequel also makes experimentation easier by allowing ability and upgrade resets in the Gap hub area, according to hands-on review coverage.
This means players aren’t permanently locked into one approach.
The larger number of systems can be confusing at first, however. Tutorials, menus, crafting and upgrade options can make the early hours feel more complicated than the original Control.
Side Quests and World Activities
Side content is an important part of the larger Manhattan structure.
Rather than simply following the main story from one objective to another, players can explore optional locations and discover strange events.
Some side quests are designed around the unusual situations that define the Control universe.
This is one area where the sequel benefits from Remedy’s willingness to experiment.
The side content often feels like an extension of the world rather than simply a checklist of standard open-world activities.
Audio and Atmosphere
Audio continues to play an important role in Control Resonant.
Environmental sounds, supernatural effects and character performances help create the strange atmosphere surrounding Manhattan.
The game also continues Remedy’s approach of delivering information through documents, recordings and environmental storytelling.
This means players who pay attention to the world can discover additional context that isn’t always necessary to complete the main story.
Difficulty
Control Resonant can become challenging during certain encounters.
The game provides difficulty options, allowing players to adjust the experience if they find some sections too demanding.
This makes the game more accessible to players who are primarily interested in its story and world.
Players looking for a greater challenge can instead spend more time experimenting with abilities and progression.
Is Control Resonant Good for New Players?
This depends on whether you’ve played the original Control.
If you have played Control, the sequel is much easier to appreciate because you already understand the Federal Bureau of Control, Jesse, Dylan and the strange supernatural rules of the universe.
New players can still experience Resonant, but some of its references and world-building will naturally have more meaning if you know the first game’s story.
For the best story context, playing the original Control before Resonant is recommended.
Control Resonant vs Control
| Feature | Control | Control Resonant |
|---|---|---|
| Main protagonist | Jesse Faden | Dylan Faden |
| Main setting | Oldest House | Paranormally altered Manhattan |
| World structure | Metroidvania-style interconnected environment | Larger open-world structure |
| Combat focus | Abilities + transforming weapon | Expanded abilities + close-range combat |
| Exploration | Highly interconnected | Larger city environment |
| Progression | Ability upgrades | Expanded customization and progression |
| Story style | Mystery and paranormal investigation | Paranormal crisis and Dylan’s story |
The sequel clearly aims to expand rather than simply repeat the original formula.
What Works Well in Control Resonant?
Strong World Design
The transformed Manhattan provides a large canvas for Remedy’s surreal environmental design.
Interesting Story
Dylan’s role gives the series a new perspective while keeping the wider Control universe intact.
Expanded Exploration
The larger environment gives players more freedom to explore and discover optional content.
Improved Movement
Traversal abilities make vertical exploration and movement through the city more interesting.
Strong Visual Presentation
Lighting, environmental effects and surreal architecture create some memorable locations.
What Could Be Better?
Combat Can Feel Repetitive
The larger world means players encounter more combat, and some reviews have found that these encounters don’t always maintain the same level of variety.
Navigation Can Be Confusing
A larger, vertically complex city can sometimes make it difficult to determine exactly where to go next. Game Informer’s review also noted that navigation can become tricky in visually unusual areas.
Lots of Systems
Menus, upgrades, tutorials and progression mechanics can initially feel overwhelming.
Demanding PC Hardware
Players who want maximum graphics quality with advanced lighting features will need considerably more GPU power.
Who Should Play Control Resonant?
Control Resonant is particularly suited to players who enjoy:
- Supernatural action games
- Mystery-focused stories
- Strange and surreal environments
- Exploration-heavy games
- Remedy Entertainment’s storytelling
- Character progression
- Large environments with hidden secrets
- Games that mix action with environmental storytelling
Players who prefer a straightforward linear action game may find the larger world and additional systems less immediately accessible.
Is Control Resonant Worth Playing?
Control Resonant expands almost every major part of the original formula.
The world is larger, traversal is more important, progression is deeper, and the story shifts attention toward Dylan Faden.
At the same time, the sequel doesn’t completely escape the problems created by that expansion.
The larger world can make navigation harder, while the increased emphasis on combat means repetitive encounters are more noticeable.
Critics have therefore landed in different places on some aspects of the game. Game Informer praised the world, story and new gameplay ideas, while PC Gamer was more critical of the amount of combat and the way the open-world structure affects the experience.
The common thread is that Remedy’s visual design, strange world-building and supernatural atmosphere remain central to the experience.
Final Verdict
Control Resonant is an ambitious sequel that takes the ideas of the original Control and pushes them into a much larger environment.
Dylan Faden gives the story a new perspective, while Manhattan provides a dramatically different setting from the Oldest House. The expanded traversal and progression systems add more freedom, and the game’s surreal visual design remains one of its biggest strengths.
The biggest trade-off is that the larger structure doesn’t always work perfectly. Navigation can be confusing, the additional systems can feel overwhelming, and the increased amount of combat means repetitive encounters stand out more.
PC players should also pay attention to graphics settings because maximum-quality ray tracing and path tracing can be extremely demanding. Recent testing shows that carefully optimized settings can provide a much better performance balance.
Overall, Control Resonant feels like a genuine attempt to evolve the series rather than simply recreate the first game.
If what attracted you to Control was its mysterious world, supernatural atmosphere and unusual storytelling, Resonant offers plenty of those elements while presenting them on a much larger scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Control Resonant?
Control Resonant is a supernatural action game developed by Remedy Entertainment and a sequel to the 2019 game Control.
When was Control Resonant released?
Control Resonant launched on September 24, 2026.
What platforms is Control Resonant available on?
The game is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Mac.
Who is the main character in Control Resonant?
Dylan Faden is the sole playable protagonist in Control Resonant.
Do you need to play Control before Control Resonant?
You can play Resonant without having completed the original, but playing Control first provides important context for the characters, Federal Bureau of Control and the wider story.
Is Control Resonant open world?
Control Resonant uses a much larger open-world structure centered around a paranormally altered version of Manhattan.
Is Control Resonant demanding on PC?
Yes. The game’s highest graphics settings, particularly ray tracing and path tracing, can be very demanding. Optimized settings can significantly improve performance while retaining much of the visual quality.
Does Control Resonant have difficulty options?
Yes. Players can adjust the difficulty if they want a more accessible or challenging experience.
Is Control Resonant similar to the original Control?
It retains the supernatural setting, mystery-focused storytelling and paranormal abilities of the original, but expands the world, traversal, progression and combat systems.
Conclusion
Control Resonant is a larger and more ambitious continuation of Remedy’s supernatural universe.
Its biggest strengths are its strange world, visual design, exploration, storytelling and expanded gameplay systems. Its weaker areas mainly come from the challenges of expanding the original formula into a much larger world.
For players interested in supernatural action, surreal environments and mystery-driven games, Control Resonant offers a substantial new chapter in the Control universe.
