Control Resonant, released today for PS5, Xbox, and PC, is a sequel that transplants the surreal, brutalist world of 2019's Control onto a melee-based action RPG framework set in an open-world version of New York. It is not necessarily 'better' than the original, just different, and it continues Remedy Entertainment's penchant for embracing the inventively bizarre.
Combat That Misses the Mark
The game does not make the best first impression. The idea of breaking out of The Oldest House works as a premise, but Resonant pushes back on the player more than Jesse's initial supernatural adventure did. The first game was mostly a traditional third-person shooter, making it easy to feel powerful right away with Jesse's Service Weapon. Dylan's mode of combat, by comparison, is more hit or miss.
In theory, Dylan's form-shifting Aberrant provides a wide range of options by letting you choose to have it function as Dual Blades, a Scythe, or a Hammer. Whichever mode you choose, hacking and slashing away at the garish Hiss creatures quickly comes across as repetitive and not all that rewarding. Remedy attempts to add combat depth with different combat finishers, damage effects, and upgrade paths, but most do not make launching into the next enemy mob something to look forward to.
Boss Fights and a Warped New York
One area where the combat shines is in the boss fights. Remedy fully embraces the right brand of weird and mystique, pitting Dylan against a wide range of ridiculous foes. Be it a giant floating cracked mask prone to launching New York taxi cabs at you or a majestic theater dancer able to spawn tentacle-like arms while spinning towards you, Resonant captures the zany world of Control in an all-new context, forcing you to think about positioning and combos.
Equally inventive is the warped version of New York City. Buildings literally poke and prod at you from above and the sides, with most vehicles frozen in place as the ongoing Altered World Event transforms the city. Visiting NYC's various zones and checking off combat and collectible tasks is fulfilling, especially when reading the documents of FBC agents who arrived prior to your arrival.
A Fourth-Dimensional World
The true genius of the zone-led world comes into full effect by the time Dylan gains his Shift power. This ability lets you shift the sides of the city around you, floating up to the next road or pavement and sticking to it like glue, only to find that the side you are on is another completely traversable pathway. It is like the upside down castle from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night but on acid.
This is where Resonant is at its weirdest and most wonderful, fully trusting you as the player to explore by thinking in almost a fourth-dimensional sense. This makes ticking off all the checkboxes in New York's zones more exciting, and where Remedy uses surrealism almost as a game mechanic in and of itself.
Ultimately, Control Resonant might not be the sequel that a lot of Control fans likely wanted, yet it is a perfect reflection of all the ways Remedy as a studio refuses to stick to the norm. Sometimes, as with much of the melee-driven combat, it does not work out, yet a lot of times it often does, as evidenced by the way you navigate the world, the various wonders that lie within it, and all the bizarre side stories (be sure to check out a ghostly taxi) waiting for you to dive into. It is for this reason that I hope Control Resonant specifically finds its intended audience and that Remedy stays weird as it continues to build out this universe.
