Control Resonant review: "Deeply weird with wondrous supernatural vistas but bafflingly dull combat"

Control Resonant is often baffling, and this time for Remedy not in the good way. Repetitive combat is spread thin across a large world that struggles to justify itself, and Dylan Faden isn't done justice replacing Jesse as protagonist. Despite some gorgeous visual flourishes and stunning sequences, this is a muddled investigation and not quite a super natural event.

Gorgeous visual design thanks to The Patterning

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شارەزایانمان لە ماوەی چەند کاتژمێرێکی بێشوماردا پێداچوونەوە بە یارییەکان و فیلم و تەکنەلۆژیادا دەکەن، بۆ ئەوەی بتوانیت باشترینەکان بۆ خۆت هەڵبژێریت. زیاتر بزانە دەربارەی سیاسەتی پێداچوونەوەکانمان.

Control Resonant is a weird game, and for once with a Remedy Entertainment joint it's not all for reasons I like. Playing through Dylan Faden's open adventure across a Manhattan warped by paranatural forces, bonking angry creatures with an equally paranatural big stick, I'm often left scratching my head. Sure, this isn't a numbered sequel, but it is Control's successor – so why is this a much longer, more spread-out, open world (ahem, open-ended world) adventure? Why has the snappy shooting been replaced with melee? Why is the attack, attack, attack, dodge mashy combat loop I'm doing in hour one feel almost unchanged by hour 24?

There's still a lot to love about Control Resonant. Some of it's carried over from the original Control, a basis of fantastic, supernatural worldbuilding revolving around the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) and their investigations into unusual events. Expect lots of half-redacted notes to gleefully pore over. Some of it's fresh, including new Altered World Events (AWEs) that fit smartly into its wide open world, and the main threat – the Patterning – refracting and warping the world into kaleidoscopically gorgeous shapes, where every boss fight introduction is awe (that's lowercase) inspiring. In the broad view, it might be for the best that Remedy continues to create unexpected games even across its sequels, though I finish this journey wishing it had more of the restraint and tightness of the original game and its DLCs.

I fell in love with Remedy's games with Alan Wake, and have loved all of them since (yes, even the underrated Quantum Break). I also love character action games like Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden, so the collision of hack and slash with Remedy weirdness should be a match made in heaven just for me. With a PC code provided by the publisher, I hit credits in 25 hours, continuing to pursue remaining side-quests afterwards. – Reviewer Oscar Taylor-Kent

Release date: September 24, 2026Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series XDeveloper: In-housePublisher: Remedy Entertainment

Each Zone of Manhattan, from the inverted gravity streets of the West Incursion Zone, to the rain-slick rooftops in the Evacuation Zone, and the mold-infested Park, is large, and filled with mobs of roaming enemies – smartly indicated through ominous, eerie projections that cast red shadows on brickwork.