I still remember the chills I got when I first saw the reveal trailer for Remedy’s Control back in 2018. What do you mean Remedy made a game that was like the love child of Psi-Ops: A Mindgate Conspiracy and Alan Wake? And it’s a Metroidvania? I could not have signed up faster. Now, nearly a decade and an Alan Wake sequel later, there are two Control games you can enjoy. During Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, I experienced the opening moments of Control Resonant. I walked away incredibly excited and eager for more. 

So, what is Control Resonant all about? We didn’t get very deep into the plot during my hands on. But what we do know is that Jesse is missing. She apparently abandoned the Oldest House and her comatose brother just in time for the Hiss to escape its confinement and spill out into the wide world of Manhattan. As Dylan, you awake, and in your confused state, stumble outside in search of your sister, and in search of answers. But not before witnessing the carnage tinted halls of the Oldest House. Clearly something bad has gone down here. The body count and destruction makes that pretty clear. And not to be outdone, this Manhattan has seen better days as well.  

It’s Like Control, But Also Not

What’s wild about Control Resonant is that Remedy refuses to rest on their own laurels. Max Payne played nothing like Alan Wake. Quantum Break played nothing like Control which played nothing like Alan Wake 2, and so on. And you might want to sit down for this one. Control Resonant plays nothing like anything before it from Remedy, either. It’s impressive that the studio keeps reinventing its own wheel in an industry so comfortable with simply iterating on its own successful franchises. Control Resonant is similar in vibes and structure to Control. But while Jesse Faden’s Control prioritized shooting elements in its combat, Dylan Faden’s Control Resonant is all about getting up close and personal with melee combat.

This shift in focus to melee combat and a more open ended world compared to the third person shooting and Metroidvania nature of Control is a big part of why Resonant feels so fresh. Within minutes of starting my demo which showcased the opening moments of the game, I was presented with two choices that helped me craft my Dylan into my own. 

“I stab it until it poofs away in a puff of red”

Your main choice of weapon is given to you, a shape shifting metal rod called the Aberrant. I was given a choice between turning it into a Scythe, with long range and sweeping attacks. Or Twin Swords for critical hits and fast slashes. There was even an Axe designed to be the middle of the two in terms of range and speed. I went with the swords because I am a simple man with simple needs.

The shambling corpse of a Hiss enemy attacks. I stab it until it poofs away in a puff of red. Mere minutes later, I’m given the choice for a secondary weapon, this time built around the concept of Falter, Resonant’s take on a traditional stagger meter. This time my Aberrant could become either a giant crushing Mallet, a piercing Drill, or a long-ranged Whip. I went with the Drill, because apparently Mega Man 4’s Drill Man were formative experiences for me growing up. 

The game throws an impressive amount of enemies at you even from the earliest moments. Dashing from enemy to enemy at a whim, even mid combo to reposition or dodge incoming attacks felt incredibly responsive. Juggling enemies with air combos, hitting them with L3 finishers after building up their Falter meter, slashing away with both the primary and secondary weapons, Control Resonant comes out of the gate with an above average action experience that I never would have expected from Remedy. Enemies are split between two distinctions. Fodder types, which never stop spawning and swarm you with their numbers, and Heavy types, which are the main target of any combat encounter. Until the Heavy goes down, the Fodder will keep on coming.

Moving Around Feels Great

Combat isn’t the only thing Control Resonant seems to be doing right. Dylan’s traversal abilities and mechanics feel more like they belong in the next iteration of an inFamous game. In the early moments of my demo, I unlocked an Air Dash, a second Air Dash, a Double Jump, Elevate, a telekinetic float that allowed me to change altitude, and a high speed Dash sprint ability. All of this combined into a Dylan that could scramble across roof tops with ease, leap across wide gaps, and really make verticality feel vital in combat. Simply put, I had a blast just controlling Dylan in and out of combat. Dylan felt like the Oldest House’s Swiss Army Knife.

But it wouldn’t feel like a proper Control game without some telekinetic powers as well, right? Don’t worry, Remedy didn’t forget. Soon, I was given a choice between three powers to use. I pondered an ability to rip out stones from the ground and hurl them at enemies, an ability to create a shield around yourself, and an ability to summon Seekers which hunt after the Hiss. I channeled my inner Toph and went with the rock tossing. Between my primary and secondary weapons, telekinetic ability, and traversal moves, Dylan was a force to be reckoned with. Add to that a deep skill tree I couldn’t quite access yet, equippable items that bestow different perks, and a finisher weapon that was shown off later, it is clear to me that gamers will have no end to the potential of building Dylan in their own image. 

“A visual delight”

The main demo ended in a gorgeously crafted boss fight with a giant severed head covered in the detritus of a ruined city. As this creepy face launched taxi cabs and cars at me, swung at me with traffic lights, or rained down stop signs, I had to scramble around, dodge, and attack back with hit and run strategies. The fight was a visual delight and if this is the first big bad they throw at me, I cannot wait to see what the rest of the game has in store. 

Remedy allowed me to also dip my toes into the Extraction Zone, a brief look at the open world-esque Manhattan, filled with side quests, chests with materials used for upgrading yourself, and tons of enemies to square off with. I had way too much fun fighting giant demonic buses filled with fodder corpses, literal evil vending machines, giant sky laser firing Heavy enemies, and more that I didn’t even notice my demo time had ended. There was an entire side mission about going down into a Sinkhole that I never even got to experience. But that’s all good – this hands on filled me with so much joy that I cannot wait to jump back into the shoes of Dylan Faden.

Control Resonant launches September 24, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.