Control Resonant, the sequel to Remedy Entertainment's supernatural shooter Control, is set to launch on September 24, 2026, for PS5, Xbox, and PC. The game promises a much more ambitious experience, leaving the brutalist Oldest House behind for a warped version of New York City where skyscrapers fold in on themselves. In an interview, art director Elmeri Raitanen discussed the challenges and creative decisions behind this surreal setting.
Breaking Out of the Oldest House
Raitanen expressed excitement about leaving the oppressive brutalist environment of the first game. “As developers and players, and even Dylan Faden himself, we have been staring at the oppressive brutalist walls for so many years now. It's definitely high time for us all to get a breath of fresh air,” he said. Control Resonant follows new protagonist Dylan Faden, who possesses even greater telekinetic powers than his sister Jesse, allowing for melee combat and traversal across the NYC skyline.
Color Palette and Thematic Design
The game's color palette shifts from the dominant red of the first game to include yellow. Raitanen explained that red remains exclusive to the Hiss, the returning paranormal threat. “The Hiss are still very specifically owning the color red. They’re one of the returning paranormal threats from the first game and it's an otherworldly resonance. So we are visualizing this in multiple different ways,” he said. Yellow is used to differentiate spaces and guide players, without being tied to any specific threat.
Designing The Gap: Dylan's Mind Palace
Dylan can upgrade his abilities in a mind palace called The Gap. Raitanen described the extensive design process: “It actually ended up taking quite many different shapes and we did tens, if not hundreds, of different concepts and explorations on The Gap that is Dylan's mind space.” The environment needed to feel foggy and barren to reflect Dylan's scrambled mental state, incorporating raw concrete as a nod to his time in the Oldest House.
Boss Design and Resonants
The game's title refers to the Resonants, a collection of bosses Dylan must face. Unlike the first game, where bosses were optional and less developed, Resonants are a core part of Control Resonant. “Resonants are designed to be there and there's narrative lore reasoning why this happens to these bosses, and they are [now a] key part of the game,” Raitanen said. Dylan defeats these former persons of power and gains their abilities. While exact numbers were not disclosed, Raitanen confirmed there are multiple Resonants.
Navigating a Warped New York
Creating a constantly shifting city posed challenges in player orientation. Raitanen noted, “It's really easy to lose your bearing and really easy to lose your sense of direction, so we definitely had to make sure that… there's always some sort of north star, something that you can see in the horizon or a visual landmark.” Dynamic props and systemic rain help indicate true gravity, with rain always falling in the same direction regardless of the player's orientation.
Character Customization
Control Resonant features the deepest character customization in any Remedy game. Raitanen explained that Dylan starts with a P6 sweatshirt, and after Act 1, a customization menu opens up. “It’s by far the deepest that we have ever done at Remedy. More than all our other games basically combined. So there's a lot of customization options. It comes with the more RPG nature of the game as well,” he said.
Control Resonant is scheduled for release on PS5, Xbox, and PC on September 24, 2026.
