Control Resonant Review
Control Resonant transforms the supernatural universe of Remedy Entertainment into a fast-paced open-world stylish action game. This detailed review explores how the sequel trades metroidvania shooting for melee combat, gravity-bending exploration, and a deeply personal story centered on Dylan Faden.
What Is Control Resonant? Game Overview and New Direction
Paranatural phenomena, Objects of Power, and interdimensional threats that defy the laws of physics are the defining hallmarks of developer Remedy Entertainment. The studio built its stellar reputation on these mind-bending concepts, nowhere more impressively than in 2019's fantastic Control in 2019. The subtle, SCP-adjacent mysteries of the original title left a lasting mark on players. In many respects, Control Resonant acts as a direct antithesis to that original design philosophy.
Rather than sticking to a metroidvania-esque shooter template, this sequel pivots radically into an open-world stylish action game. It trades quiet environmental ambiguity for a straightforward, character-driven story focused on personal growth and recovery. While the action is not always completely elegant and can occasionally feel frustrating or slow, the overall vision remains impressively sound. Remedy could have easily played it safe, but Control Resonant takes bold swings that land alongside some of the studio's finest work.
Story and Characters: Dylan Faden Takes Center Stage
The narrative of Control Resonant centers on Dylan Faden, the brother of original protagonist Jesse Faden. In the previous game, Jesse backflipped her way into becoming the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). This sequel uses Dylan's unique perspective to fill in major blank spots right from the beginning.
Dylan transitions from a tortured test subject to a fully formed character carrying dark memories. Previously subjected to abusive FBC experiments gone wrong, he confronts his past as he attempts to salvage what remains of his life. Society treats him as subhuman and dangerous due to superpowers he cannot always control. Despite this treatment, he volunteers to serve as a tool for the FBC, complete with what is effectively a shock collar bolted to the back of his neck.
Using this gritty premise as its foundation, the game treats its underlying paranormal conspiracies as matter-of-fact reality. The Oldest House failed to contain the Hiss outbreak, which spilled into a folded-in, isolated version of New York City. This premise creates a swift setup as Dylan searches for Jesse, who has been missing for seven years. While expanding the lore surrounding Altered World Events (AWEs), the narrative shines brightest as a story about rebuilding after total catastrophe.
Control Resonant Gameplay: High-Speed Melee Action
Searching for Jesse requires physically dismantling paranormal entities and demonic monsters that infest the city streets. Dylan contrasts sharply with Jesse's ranged combat style. He operates as a fast, nimble combatant equipped with a versatile suite of melee attack combinations and supernatural abilities.
Much like Jesse's shapeshifting Service Weapon, Dylan wields a transforming melee weapon known as the Aberrant. The Aberrant morphs fluidly based on your combo inputs and assigned preferences. It changes on the fly into several distinct forms, including:
- Sword: Fast, sweeping slashes ideal for light combo chains.
- Scythe: Broad, crowd-clearing attacks for managing multiple targets.
- Hammer: Heavy, crushing blows that deliver massive structural damage.
- Drill: High-frequency thrust attacks that pierce tough defenses.
Instead of forcing you to swap gear manually in menus, the Aberrant automatically shifts forms depending on whether you perform light chains, heavy strikes, or combo finishers. You can customize these loadouts through extensive upgrade trees as your power expands. This design provides an impressive level of playstyle variability.
The combat mechanics feel slick and responsive, channeling classic titles like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta while drawing momentum inspiration from Gravity Rush and NieR: Automata. Animation canceling is a core component of survival. If an enemy attacks mid-combo, you can instantly dash away and seamlessly resume your attack chain as long as you avoid taking damage.
Mastering this rhythm is essential because early hours are notoriously punishing. The game drops its forgiving hands quickly, exposing players to relentless enemies that hit incredibly hard. Because your early kit is limited, early combat encounters often require strict chaos management to overcome overwhelming odds.
RPG Systems, Upgrades, and Status Effects
The RPG mechanics in Control Resonant serve as a crucial equalizer against tough encounters. Players can craft tailored builds through Dylan's personal skill tree and weapon modification paths. Progressing through these trees transforms punishing combat encounters into power fantasies.
Among the most effective skills is the ability to summon a minion that acts as a throwable explosive. Throwing this minion inflicts heavy Falter damage, which fills the stagger meter of enemy mobs and clears out pesky Hiss quickly. Another game-changing ability is Ignite, which sets Dylan's weapons ablaze to inflict the Burn status effect.
Ignite allows you to melt through enemy health bars and transform deadly foes into staggered targets ready for executions. Utilizing heavy attacks like the Spin Edge combo or Hammer charge while ignited burns through tough encounters with ease. As a helpful utility bonus, activating Ignite immediately strips away harmful mold poison, eliminating a major environmental hazard from the early game.
Status effects play a pivotal role in combat strategy. While unlocking optimized elemental builds can slightly reduce the need for precise execution, turning encounters into hack-and-slash battlefields remains deeply satisfying. The RPG mechanics are not infinitely deep, but the solid fundamentals ensure every upgrade feels rewarding.
Aggression is actively rewarded by design. Defeated enemies drop vital health recovery items, while landing continuous melee strikes fills the power meter needed for special abilities. Most encounters center on prioritizing high-value heavy targets that continuously spawn lesser minions. Taking down these heavy spawners quickly is far more effective than trying to clear endless minion swarms.
Boss Battles and Progression Obstacles
The story campaign features striking boss encounters that capitalize on the unsettling, otherworldly aesthetic of the Control universe. While their underlying move patterns follow traditional action game conventions, their imposing visual designs create a memorable, eerie presence.
However, encounter design is where Control Resonant experiences its primary missteps. Roughly half of the boss fights function as spongy health-bar grinds rather than engaging tests of player mastery. Once you memorize a boss's basic pattern, combat devolves into a prolonged war of attrition where tiny mistakes reset tedious progress.
Later boss encounters lean heavily into aerial combat against fast-moving targets, exposing limitations in the movement mechanics. Dylan possesses several aerial traversal tools, including:
- Hookshot-style gliding through open air.
- Mid-air dashing to close gaps or evade attacks.
- Temporary hovering to extend combo windows.
- Airborne attack chains for targeting floating enemies.
When combined with shifting platforms, erratic camera angles, and an inconsistent lock-on targeting system, these aerial sequences can feel clunky. These design flaws occasionally create frustrating performance walls during an otherwise thrilling 30-hour campaign.
Campaign progression centers on building your overall status rank within each district of Manhattan by completing main quests and side activities. Upgrading the Aberrant keeps pace with difficulty spikes, while optional capacity upgrades reward diligent exploration. Despite occasional encounter flaws, Remedy's foundational execution of stylish action combat remains fundamentally solid.
Control Resonant strikes a delicate balance, letting the world itself take the lead rather than waypointing every little thing.
World Design and Mind-Bending Gravity Mechanics
Where Control Resonant truly excels is in its mind-bending, gravity-defying environmental design. You will not find standard depictions of New York City here. Instead, the architectural design language of The Oldest House has completely bled into the urban streets, giving Manhattan an uncanny aesthetic identity.
The environment guides navigation organically. Even without constant mini-map reliance, clear visual cues prevent players from getting lost. By striking a balance between environmental breadcrumbs and player intuition, the game encourages active observation rather than mindless waypoint chasing.
As you venture deeper into the quarantine zone, Dylan gains the ability to manipulate his gravitational center. This mechanic literally adds new dimensions to level exploration. Upward-curving city streets and overhead platforms represent accessible surfaces waiting to be explored.
Combat frequently shifts across these perpendicular gravity planes during single encounters. Navigating late-game zones delivers a thrill similar to Gravity Rush, letting players fall through distorted skies toward inverted buildings. The complex architectural geometry represents a triumph of environmental level design.
Side Content, Lore, and Narrative Execution
Exploration yields meaningful environmental storytelling rather than empty task checklists. Side quests focus heavily on the psychological trauma suffered by ordinary human survivors following Altered World Events. These optional encounters add rich narrative flavor to the open world.
For example, mysterious taxi cabs scattered throughout the districts transport Dylan into alternate pocket dimensions. These side quests involve playing quirky minigames that balance absurd humor with creepy themes. Other low-key activities permit Dylan to restore abandoned survivor hangout spots and sketch the surrounding scenery, highlighting his artistic sensitivity.
Fast travel requires players to physically visit designated travel locations rather than clicking map icons. This design choice forces natural exploration, leading to organic discoveries of hidden lore audio logs and character moments. This blend of dark themes and bizarre humor reflects Remedy's signature tone.
The storytelling relies on standard narrative tropes more than previous entries, but retains its core identity. Even though Jesse Faden is physically absent for long stretches, her powerful legacy drives Dylan's personal motivation. Unpacking Dylan's tragic past as an FBC test subject makes him an empathetic lead who demystifies the setting's abstract concepts.
Control is set in an engrossingly weird paranormal world that I couldn't help but explore. Jesse's versatile psychic skills and main weapon make for thrilling ranged combat. And thanks to a strong supporting cast, a well-written script, and plenty of intriguing breadcrumb trails, I've thoroughly enjoyed my adventure through the shifting rooms of Oldest House." - Jonathon Dornbush, August 26, 2019
Score: 8.8
Control Resonant functions effectively as a narrative bridge, clarifying events left ambiguous in the original game. One standout quest chain explores alternate reality timelines, balancing complex sci-fi concepts with the personal tragedy of the scientists involved. Found audio logs and hidden documents enrich these sequences without overwhelming the player with exposition.
Nostalgic pop-culture references play a unique role in the story. Video games and pop media from Dylan and Jesse's childhood serve as emotional anchors rather than cheap gimmicks. Environmental details, such as subtle nods to Evangelion on the Verconn building, showcase the creative influences guiding the development team.
The various mechanisms and anomalies of Control's world are couched in a tight consistency.
Dylan's primary point of contact during the campaign is Zoe, a witty FBC handler who acts as his narrative foil. While their banter provides levity, their character development occasionally jumps ahead too quickly to match the campaign's pacing. The central plot relies on occasional logical leaps to wrap up loose ends, making it feel slightly less cohesive than Remedy's tightest stories.
Nevertheless, Control Resonant succeeds as an extraordinary collection of high-concept moments. The humanizing character arcs and eerie paranormal concepts reinforce one another, creating an expansion of the Remedyverse that feels entirely earned.
Final Verdict on Control Resonant
Control Resonant is a daring and ambitious shift for Remedy Entertainment. By reinventing its paranormal universe as a fast-paced, gravity-bending action game, the studio delivers dynamic combat and stunning environmental design. While spongy boss encounters and occasional camera issues hinder precision, the impressive mechanical foundation, compelling story, and incredible atmospheric depth make Control Resonant a thrilling step forward for the franchise.
from IGN India
-via DynaSage
