Control Resonant Reviews
Control Resonant Divides Reviewers With Ambitious Open-World Manhattan Shift
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Key Points
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The Oldest House has not been entirely removed: it remains a location within Control Resonant’s broader, patterned Manhattan world, although reviewers say it is less detailed than in the original.
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The sequel shifts the series’ emotional focus from Jesse’s discovery of the Oldest House and her powers toward Dylan confronting the consequences of the original game’s events and his relationship with Jesse.
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Dylan’s Aberrant changes combat from the original’s largely ranged, telekinetic style into faster, closer and more aggressive encounters, contrasting with Jesse’s ability to hover and attack from multiple distances.
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On Steam Machine, native 1080p performed better than higher-resolution modes, averaging roughly 38–39 frames per second, while native 4K was considered impractical.
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The game’s Assist Mode is notable for its granular controls rather than a simple difficulty toggle, allowing players to separately adjust damage output, energy availability and immortality.
Control Resonant, Remedy Entertainment's sequel to the acclaimed supernatural shooter, has arrived to mixed reviews. The game replaces protagonist Jesse Faden with her brother Dylan and relocates much of the action from the Oldest House to a warped, open-world Manhattan. The FPS Review noted the game received both high praise and considerable criticism since its September 24, 2026 launch.
The shift brings significant changes: a transforming melee weapon called the Aberrant replaces Jesse's ranged telekinetic powers, and action-RPG progression replaces the original's Metroidvania structure. The Verge highlighted that while Control Resonant is challenging, its generous Assist Mode lets players customize difficulty through separate adjustments to damage, energy, and immortality. The game holds an 86/100 on Metacritic and retails for $60 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Manhattan Replaces the Oldest House's Distinctive Claustrophobia
The original Control confined players inside the Oldest House, a brutalist maze of impossible geometry. Control Resonant opens this world dramatically, moving most of the story to Manhattan—now twisted into non-Euclidean streets and surreal architecture. The Guardian praised Remedy's visual artistry but noted the shift trades away the original's unique "arthouse" claustrophobia for a setting heavily traveled by other open-world games. The Oldest House still exists as a location within the sequel, but reviewers say it feels less detailed than before.
Mirror.co.uk called Control Resonant "the weird yet ambitious sequel only Remedy could make," suggesting the studio's innovative approach remains strong despite changing locations. Mobalytics praised the game as a "fresh and reality-bending sequel" with engaging gameplay. However, some players find Manhattan's disorienting layout compelling once they grow familiar with its twisted geography.
Dylan's Aberrant Transforms Combat Into Close-Range Action
Dylan Faden, waking from a seven-year coma, plays completely differently than his sister Jesse. While Jesse hovered and attacked from distance using telekinesis, Dylan uses the Aberrant—a supernatural weapon that morphs between axes, whips, and other forms. Kotaku commended Remedy for upending its core gameplay to create a "twitchy melee action RPG" reminiscent of Devil May Cry. Combat feels faster, closer, and more aggressive than the original's largely ranged encounters.
PC Gamer argued that melee combat feels less polished than Remedy's traditional ranged style, suggesting the shift sacrifices mechanical cohesion. Dedicated skill trees allow players to unlock talents early and customize Dylan's fighting style. Rock Paper Shotgun noted that understanding which talents to unlock first makes fighting through Manhattan considerably easier.
Narrative Shifts Focus to Dylan and Jesse's Relationship
Control Resonant reframes the series' emotional core. The original followed Jesse discovering the Oldest House and her supernatural powers. The sequel centers Dylan confronting the consequences of those events—specifically, an extradimensional invasion that spilled into Manhattan after the Hiss containment breached inside the Oldest House. IGN highlighted the redemptive arc driving Dylan's journey and his relationship with the now-absent Jesse, noting the narrative cleverly weaves gaming nostalgia and multiverse lore together.
This emotional reframing proves central to reviews praising the game's ambition. Rather than simply repeating the original's discovery narrative, Remedy chose to explore what happens when supernatural chaos escapes containment—and what that means for a protagonist tied to its cause. The story integration helps justify the massive mechanical and setting shifts between Control and Control Resonant.
Granular Assist Mode Sets a New Accessibility Standard
Control Resonant's Assist Mode stands out for its depth. Rather than a simple "easy, normal, hard" toggle, The Verge noted players can independently adjust damage output, energy regeneration, and enable immortality. This granular approach lets difficult players nerf specific challenges without flattening the entire experience. Options include increased damage dealt, unlimited energy, and outright unkillability.
The feature signals Remedy's commitment to accessibility in action games. Players struggling with melee combat can boost their damage without disabling challenging enemy design. Those frustrated by resource management can refill energy freely. This modular customization lets each player find their ideal difficulty balance—a benchmark for modern action RPGs.
Steam Machine Performance Demands Graphical Compromise at 4K
On PC, Control Resonant powered by the Northlight Engine delivers striking visuals but requires careful optimization. Rock Paper Shotgun and TechPowerUp tested performance on Steam Machine handheld hardware. Native 1080p achieved a stable 38–39 frames per second, proving the most practical option. Native 4K proved impractical, demanding severe graphical compromises that undermined the visual quality Remedy aims to deliver.
Players seeking higher resolution must rely on upscaling technologies like DLSS 4.5 or FSR, which reconstruct images from lower resolutions. This performance reality reflects Control Resonant's ambition—its non-Euclidean architecture and dense open-world geometry tax hardware significantly. The trade-off remains: attractive visuals at 1080p and 38–39 fps, or compromised graphics at 4K.
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