Control Resonant is an atypical sequel that has spent the last seven years staying up late watching X-Files reruns and scoffing bowls of Sugar Puffs.
Remedy takes a leap of faith into a new genre, pulling the camera back to reveal an impeccable, dreamlike vision of Manhattan whilst grounding all that supernatural stuff in a deeply personal sibling story. It’s a combination that holds together even when the action sinks into a pit of repetition.
This is a sequel that carries the same trademark Remedy magic that’ll make you sound completely nuts when you try to explain it to someone else. But something I appreciate about this sequel is how it trades the first game’s long-winded corporate waffling for immediate fisticuffs and open-world exploration.
In less than 20 minutes, I’d escaped the Oldest House, pummelled plenty of Hiss, and struck up my first conversation with my new favourite FBC grunt, Zoe De Vera. When she cut me off with “How about you dumb it down?”, I realised Remedy wasn’t wasting any time: this sequel is all-in on action and its phenomenal aesthetic.
This time, you play as Dylan Faden, a fellow parautilitarian and younger brother of Jesse Faden, the Federal Bureau of Control Director. For the past seven years, the poor lad has been stuck in a coma, during which time the FBC managed to contain the Hiss within the walls of the Oldest House.
The game begins two days after that lockdown fails. Jesse has vanished, Manhattan is flooded with Hiss, and following the passing of an “aberrant-torch”, Dylan awakens from his slumber and sets off in search of his sister.
What makes Dylan such an interesting protagonist is his dark history with the FBC. He’s troubled, awkward, and has a tough time trusting the organisation that kidnapped him. The feeling is mutual, with the Bureau struggling to trust someone who played a role in the first attack on the Oldest House.
That tension gives Control Resonant a much more personal story than its predecessor. At its heart, this is a game about the Faden siblings and their complex relationship with the shady organisation that’s shaped both of their lives.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.purexbox.com/reviews/xbox-series-x/control-resonant
