Control Resonant continues the story of 2019’s Control, casting the original game’s former antagonist, Dylan Faden, as its unlikely hero. Developed by Remedy Entertainment, the follow-up carries the studio’s distinctive blend of tone, atmosphere, action and surprise, though it broadens the experience across an open world that at times dilutes its signature feel.
Remedy has repeatedly demonstrated that its unusual style resonates with players, to the point where its best games are celebrated for their highs and forgiven for their flaws. The 2019 release Control drew criticism for uneven difficulty and some rote bosses, yet its strong, distinctive storytelling kept players engaged throughout. A similar pattern held with 2023’s Alan Wake II, which blended strangeness and character-driven narrative so effectively that its difficulty spikes were easy to overlook.
A story that continues where Control ended
Resonant picks up after Jesse Faden, the new director of the Federal Bureau of Control, cut a path through the extradimensional Hiss invasion to save her brother Dylan at the close of the 2019 game. Her victories, however, dried up. Seven years into the resulting stalemate, Jesse bids her brother farewell and plunges a powerful weapon into him. When Dylan wakes, the Hiss have broken out of the FBC’s headquarters to possess all of Manhattan, and, in turn, the world.
The game opens with the promise that Dylan’s attempt to redeem his past Hiss-possessed sins will lead to the sort of strange adventures that made Control so distinctive, this time on a city-wide scale. He takes a radio from an FBC agent and links up with Zoe, a field squad leader tasked with handling New York City’s chaotic streets after her senior colleagues have been eliminated. Learning who Dylan is, she cautiously keeps him in check, sending him on missions while struggling to believe he has thrown off his destructive past.
Redemption at the heart of the narrative
Dylan shares that same uncertainty, and he endures abuse from FBC agents who raise the memory of their many dead colleagues. In an early story mission set deep inside a Hiss-controlled skyscraper, Dylan is periodically overwhelmed by memories of possession, even forced to relive the murderous early days when the FBC’s headquarters, the Oldest House, was overcome by the monstrous Hiss. Fighting through his fears, he rescues a prominent FBC chief believed lost, who nonetheless treats him with disdain. Dylan’s uncertain path towards redemption stands as one of the most resonant themes running through the game.
Reaching that point, however, takes considerable time. Shortly after starting, players are turned loose across a few connected Manhattan neighbourhoods with little indication of which encounters will deliver a signature Remedy experience. The routine hack-and-slash gameplay can easily consume attention, and the open-world structure risks obscuring the studio’s distinctive storytelling, which took around ten hours of exploration to surface.
