Hello everyone. Today I’d like to discuss the newest game from Remedy Entertainment: Control Resonant.

My history with Remedy games is not very complex, but worth mentioning. I’ve really only played Alan Wake 2, and saying that I’ve played it is a bit generous. In truth, I got maybe halfway through the game before dropping it (as I do with most games). However, what I did play I loved and it made it clear to me that Remedy Entertainment is a one of a kind studio. Alan Wake 2 was a mind-bending experience and so I expected the same going into their sequel to Control. I was certainly not disappointed.

To preface this review, I’d like to clarify that I actually haven’t beaten the story of this game yet (whoops). However, I really need to talk about this game. I’m loving it so far and need to put my thoughts into words. I’ll be splitting this review into two halves: first without spoilers and the second will be full spoilers. Maybe I’ll come back and finish the review once I’m done (let’s not kid ourselves though, my lazy *** is NOT doing that). With that being said…

Control Resonant is the type of refreshing break from the usual genres that fill up my game library that I desperately needed. While I do dip my toes in the action genre here and there, it’s not too frequent. But what made this game so compelling compared to, say, God of War: Ragnarök, is the unique approach to storytelling and mind-bending visuals that Remedy is known for. Before we get to the story, I’d like to discuss the combat.

Smooth and Snappy

The combat in this game feels really great! It’s very snappy and responsive, and chaining together combos is very satisfying. It all feels very fluid. There’s one attack in particular shown in the GIF below that I love; the hammer attack feels so weighty and heavy and it’s all great stuff.

That being said (and maybe this was a skill issue), it took me a minute to fully understand and finally feel natural when fighting enemies. Some people will be quicker to pick up on it than others, maybe it was just me! It also took me WAY longer than it should have to figure out you can actually swap weapons, so I’ve been using the same kit for most of the game… That being said, as soon as I started using the other choices, the game’s combat really clicked for me and I started enjoying the combat more. Which is great, because there is a LOT of combat.

I’ve seen lots of other reviewers and players saying that there is actually too much combat, and they’re honestly right. After you defeat an area’s boss, all the enemies will respawn stronger than before. For some, this has been really frustrating which I totally understand. For me it hasn’t been too much of an issue. Like I said, I’ve been enjoying the combat and if I don’t want to fight a random group of enemies on the streets or rooftops, I just run past. But I can totally see how it could start to become tedious.

Part of the reason it hasn’t gotten too stale for me is also because the enemy variety is complex enough to never get old. Don’t get me wrong, you will be fighting the same enemies, but the way that they work in tandem with each other requires you tackle them in different ways.

I gotta say though… the bosses kinda stink. I’ve fought one that was pretty good because it actually required you to utilize the traversal abilities that you have, but other than that… man. You’re just kind of wailing on them with attacks and dodging. There was one that I would go as far to say was straight up bad. It was the fire one, if you’re curious you can look it up, I didn’t get any footage of it. But oof… definitely could have been a fantastic aspect of the game but it really felt like these were not taken advantage of as well as they should have been.

This Ain’t Spider-Man’s New York

The setting of Control Resonant is something that I was a little unsure of in the beginning of my playthrough as well. How many times have we seen Manhattan in a game? Too many times, I tell you what. I’ve put too much time in Spider-Man 2 despite my qualms with it. I’m not gonna lie, once you get past the first area in this game though… it blows that out of the water. The detail that they put into each street makes exploring them quite the treat (bars).

Once you get to later areas and unlock a certain traversal ability, they really play with the dimensions of the city and turn everything upside down (literally). It’s a joy to traverse and an even bigger joy to feast your eyes on. It makes for quite the spectacle!

Speaking of spectacles, there are sequences during the main story that are genuinely jaw-dropping. Seriously, the visuals in these scenes and scenarios are really something to behold. I often found myself wondering how they created some of these, and playing through them was fantastic. There are some that really moved me emotionally, too.

The Story

That brings us to the story. I’ve heard some people aren’t really clicking with the story, which is fair. At first I wasn’t either, but the more time I spent with the main character Dylan, the more I liked him and rooted for his redemption.

The story follows Dylan Faden as he escapes from the Oldest House, a paranatural location that houses the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). Well, “escapes” might be the wrong word. He wakes up to find the place deserted and makes his way out to find that an entity, or rather a force, called “The Hiss” has broken out of the Oldest House and into Manhattan. The Hiss originates from another dimension and originally broke loose into the Oldest House 7 years ago, which is what the first game covers. Regardless, the city has been completely overrun and filled with all sorts of weird, gross creatures that were created by the Hiss.

Dylan, also a paranatural being with powers (hence being locked up in te Oldest House) willingly works with the FBC to control and hopefully put a stop to the Hiss once and for all, and is handled by an FBC member named Zoe. Seeing their relationship change throughout the story has been really fun and you can tell that she starts really caring about Dylan despite the level of authority she’s supposed to maintain with him. Yes I ship them. Yes I choose every dialogue choice that supports shipping them. So what?

Along the way, you find other paranatural entities that have escaped and try to track them down as well. A stroller that you have to chase down, a camera that freezes time, and a taxi that takes you to another dimension are just a few of what you’ll encounter, and they all make for fun side content and side quests.

All of the side content provides a good time, but the quests are a highlight for sure. All of the people you interact with are unique and you’ll meet some interesting folk in the city. I’m not going out of my way to 100% or anything, but you certainly don’t have to in order to stay at the right level and the balance between side content and main quests has been perfectly balanced so far for me.

Despite Its Flaws…

I know there are parts of this game that aren’t perfect, but it really is great. I hope that Remedy Entertainment breaks even and beyond because they truly are such a unique studio that puts out games unlike any other. I’m having so much fun and I often find myself excited to get home and boot it up. If you’re into SCP, I’d recommend at least looking up some lore videos about the first game and taking a look at some reviews for this one because it will probably be right up your alley. Thanks for reading!