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Control Resonant is a sequel that trades the original’s familiar gunplay and Oldest House setting for Dylan Faden, a warped Manhattan, and a melee-led action-RPG system built around the Aberrant. The gamble largely works: the new city, environmental design, story and art direction are the strongest parts of the game. The problem is that enemy encounters repeat often enough for combat to become a chore in the later stages. Charlie Champion’s Insider Gaming review rates it 8/10, describing a worthwhile sequel whose ambition is held back by repetition rather than a lack of ideas.
This is a review of the PlayStation 5 edition. Insider Gaming lists the release date as September 24, 2026, while its review is dated September 18, 2026. The score is one reviewer’s assessment, not a claim about a broader critical or player consensus.
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Control Resonant is Remedy Entertainment’s follow-up to Control, but it is not simply a return to the first game with a new set of missions. Its central character is Dylan Faden, and its story moves into a distorted version of Manhattan while Jesse Faden’s disappearance forms part of the setup. The shift in viewpoint gives the sequel a different emotional and visual center without abandoning the series’ fascination with paranatural events, unstable spaces and reality that refuses to stay orderly.
The largest mechanical change is equally direct. Instead of making the original game’s guns the main expression of power, Resonant puts the Aberrant and melee combat at the center. Dylan can unlock forms and abilities as progression unfolds, so the intended rhythm is closer to a supernatural action RPG than a conventional third-person shooter. That change gives encounters a different physicality, but it also creates the review’s main weakness: the tools are varied, while the situations in which they are used can feel too familiar.
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In short, Resonant is a sequel for players who value an imaginative world and a strange, story-led atmosphere more than perfectly consistent combat variety. Its best qualities are substantial enough to make it worthwhile, but the 8/10 judgment reflects a game that reaches for more than it consistently sustains.
How is Resonant different from the original Control?
The sequel changes four things that define how the series feels: who you play, where the story happens, how powers are expressed, and how much exploration contributes to the experience.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match| Area | Control | Control Resonant |
|---|---|---|
| Protagonist and viewpoint | Jesse Faden and her search through the Oldest House | Dylan Faden, with Jesse’s disappearance part of the story setup |
| Setting | The shifting, institutional spaces of the Oldest House | A warped version of Manhattan shaped by the series’ surreal logic |
| Combat emphasis | Gunplay supported by supernatural abilities | The Aberrant, unlockable forms and melee-focused abilities |
| Exploration | Internal architecture, secrets and paranormal casework | Surreal city environments, environmental discovery and side activities |
This is a qualitative comparison rather than a claim that every system has been replaced. Resonant retains the strange tone that made the first game distinctive, but it asks the player to approach fights more physically and to read a city rather than one monumental building. The result feels like a deliberate change of emphasis, not a sequel attempting to reproduce the original’s exact formula.
Does the new Manhattan setting work?
Yes. The distorted Manhattan is the review’s clearest argument for Resonant. Its streets and spaces provide a broader canvas for visual ideas than a single headquarters could, while still allowing Remedy to make ordinary architecture feel unstable. Champion praises the surreal city and environmental design, and that praise is important because the setting is not merely background decoration: it gives exploration its reason to exist.
The city’s appeal comes from the contrast between recognisable urban forms and the impossible ways they are rearranged. Familiar locations can suggest one thing at a distance and another once the player enters them. That tension supports the series’ identity without requiring every discovery to be explained immediately. Players who enjoyed searching the Oldest House for documents, altered spaces and visual clues will find a similar invitation to look closely, but the sequel’s environment has a more open, outward-facing character.
Side activities strengthen that impression. The review identifies them as a major part of the game’s appeal, giving the player reasons to leave the direct story route and engage with the city’s stranger corners. These diversions are valuable not because they turn Resonant into a checklist-heavy open-world game, but because they let the setting carry narrative and artistic weight between major encounters.
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How good is the story and Dylan Faden’s role?
The story is one of Resonant’s strongest elements in the review. Dylan’s position as the central character changes the perspective on the Faden family and makes Jesse’s absence an active part of the setup. That premise gives the sequel a reason to revisit its existing mythology while allowing it to tell a story that is not simply Jesse repeating her earlier journey.
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The review calls the narrative compelling, but the evidence does not support reducing that judgment to a list of unverified plot twists or character claims. The safer and more useful conclusion is that Resonant succeeds when its story, setting and visual language reinforce one another. Dylan’s abilities, the Aberrant and the warped city all belong to the same conceptual space, so the sequel’s narrative direction feels connected to its mechanics rather than pasted on top of them.
Players coming directly from the original should expect a change in emotional focus. Jesse is no longer the sole lens through which the world is understood, and the sequel’s interest in Dylan affects how familiar ideas are framed. The series’ unusual tone remains intact, according to Champion, but the point of view is deliberately different. That is why Resonant can feel new even when it is drawing on the same supernatural vocabulary.
The game’s story is also part of the argument for tolerating its combat repetition. When the encounters begin to blur together, the setting and narrative provide motivation to keep exploring. If a player’s priority is a constantly escalating combat challenge with minimal downtime, the same balance may feel less satisfying.
How does the Aberrant change combat?
The Aberrant is the defining combat idea. Resonant moves away from the original’s gun-first identity and makes melee attacks, forms and paranatural abilities the primary way Dylan deals with threats. That shift changes spacing, timing and the feel of progression: instead of treating supernatural powers as support for a firearm, the sequel makes the supernatural weapon itself the center of the build.
Unlockable forms and abilities provide variety on paper and give progression a visible purpose. New options can alter how Dylan approaches a group, which targets he prioritises and how aggressively he enters a fight. The system therefore has the ingredients of a flexible action RPG, and the supporting coverage from Moneycontrol’s review also characterises Resonant as a combat-focused action RPG starring Dylan and using the Aberrant alongside paranatural abilities.
The issue is encounter design rather than a total absence of tools. Champion’s central criticism is that enemy encounters repeat often enough for combat to become a chore later in the game. A broad ability set cannot completely solve that problem if the player is repeatedly asked to apply it to familiar patterns. Early fights can benefit from learning the new melee language; later fights are where repetition becomes most noticeable.
This distinction matters when deciding whether the combat will suit you. If you enjoy experimenting with abilities, changing forms and making a powerful kit work against recurring threats, Resonant still offers room to play. If you need every encounter to introduce a substantially different tactical problem, the sequel’s repetition may outweigh the flexibility of the Aberrant.
Are the enemies and encounters varied enough?
According to the review, not consistently. The available tools are varied, but the enemies and encounter structures recur often enough to diminish their impact. That is the principal reason the game stops short of a stronger verdict: repetition gradually turns a system that is initially exciting into routine work.
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The criticism is not that every battle is identical or that the game lacks challenge. It is that the rate at which familiar situations return can make the player feel they are cycling through solutions rather than discovering new ones. In a game built around supernatural experimentation, that loss of surprise is particularly costly. The more Resonant asks the player to admire its world, the more conspicuous it becomes when a fight does not match the imagination of its surroundings.
A reported launch hotfix provides additional context. NGOHQ’s review says a hotfix reduced base health and Falter requirements for most enemies and several bosses, while increasing Dylan’s maximum combat strength. Those are patch-specific details from coverage dated September 25, 2026, not a permanent description of every current build. Patch status can change, so players should check current official support information before treating those adjustments as the final balance.
The hotfix report does not erase the larger design criticism. Lowering enemy durability or changing progression can improve pacing, but it cannot by itself create new encounter concepts. Resonant’s combat is best understood as a system with meaningful options that is undermined by how frequently the game asks the player to use them against repeated opposition.
What makes exploration and side activities worthwhile?
Exploration works because the world is designed to reward attention. Champion specifically praises environmental design and side activities, suggesting that the strongest moments often come from seeing what the city is doing rather than simply moving to the next combat arena.
That design supports several kinds of player. Completion-minded players can investigate optional spaces and activities; story-focused players can use detours to absorb the setting; and visual explorers can treat the environment itself as the reward. The game does not need every side activity to deliver a major mechanical upgrade for those moments to matter. In a surreal setting, a strange location, visual transition or piece of environmental context can be valuable even when it does not alter a build.
Exploration also helps separate Resonant from a straightforward arena-based action game. The city gives the player a reason to wonder what lies beyond the marked route, and the art direction turns that curiosity into a core loop. This is where the sequel’s broader setting earns its place: it is not only a new backdrop for Dylan’s story, but a source of pacing variety when combat begins to feel repetitive.
How strong is the art direction?
Art direction is another standout. The review describes Resonant’s visuals as stunning, and that assessment aligns with the game’s broader design priorities: a warped city, impossible architecture and supernatural abilities that need to look coherent even when they are intentionally unsettling.
The visual strength is not limited to spectacle. Environmental design communicates the game’s tone before a character explains it, while the contrast between recognisable Manhattan imagery and paranormal distortion gives the sequel a visual identity of its own. That identity is part of why the setting remains compelling during the slower stretches of the campaign.
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Moneycontrol’s coverage adds that the PC version includes Path Tracing and Nvidia DLSS 4.5. Those are graphics features discussed in that publication’s PC coverage, not evidence that every platform offers the same options. Insider Gaming’s review concerns the PlayStation 5 edition, so readers should keep the platform contexts separate.
What do the PC graphics reports actually tell you?
They establish that a PC version was discussed with advanced rendering features and that Moneycontrol reported results from a particular RTX 5070 Ti test configuration. They do not establish minimum or recommended PC specifications, a universal frame-rate target, or a requirement to purchase that graphics card.
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This distinction is important because a reviewer’s test machine is a controlled condition for that review, not a hardware buying guide. The available data contains no verified minimum or recommended specification table. Anyone considering the PC edition should consult current official system requirements and updated technical support information rather than infer requirements from one review configuration.
For PS5 readers, the relevant takeaway is simpler: the reviewed edition is the PlayStation 5 release listed for September 24, 2026. No claim should be made that PC-only features appear on PS5, and no PC test result should be presented as representative of console performance.
What technical or launch issues were reported?
NGOHQ’s September 25 coverage reports PC issues that Remedy support was said to be investigating at the time. Because that report is tied to a specific point shortly after launch, it should not be treated as a current bug list. Software support changes quickly, and no later official status page is cited in that report.
The same caution applies to the hotfix details. They are useful for understanding the game’s early balance direction, but readers buying or returning to Resonant later may be on a different build. Check the version history or official support channels available for your platform before troubleshooting a problem described in launch-period coverage.
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Is Control Resonant better than the original?
There is no single answer because the sequel improves the parts of the series that some players value most while weakening the consistency of another. Resonant offers a more expansive setting, a new protagonist, a different combat foundation and a strong reason to explore. The original remains the reference point for its gunplay and the concentrated design of the Oldest House.
| If you value… | You may prefer… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A focused supernatural shooter built around Jesse | Control | Its original perspective and gun-centered combat remain the baseline Resonant moves away from. |
| A new viewpoint on the Faden story | Control Resonant | Dylan is central, and Jesse’s disappearance helps frame the sequel. |
| Surreal urban exploration and environmental spectacle | Control Resonant | The warped Manhattan and side activities are major strengths in the review. |
| The most consistently varied encounters | Neither has an automatic advantage | Resonant’s review specifically identifies repeated enemy encounters as its limiting factor. |
Calling Resonant a better game overall would overstate what the evidence supports. The more accurate conclusion is that it is a worthwhile sequel with a successful creative direction and an avoidable combat weakness. Whether that trade suits you depends on whether atmosphere and exploration can carry you through repeated fights.
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Who should play Control Resonant?
Resonant is a strong fit for players who want a story-led action game with an unusual setting, striking environmental art and a progression system based on supernatural melee abilities. It is especially appealing if the idea of seeing this universe through Dylan’s perspective is more exciting than returning to Jesse’s established role.
It is a less certain recommendation for players who treat encounter variety as the main measure of a combat game. The review’s criticism is sustained rather than incidental: repetition becomes more damaging as the game continues. You may still appreciate the Aberrant’s forms and abilities, but you should expect the surrounding encounters to recycle more than the game’s visual imagination does.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minutePlayers comparing editions should also keep their expectations precise. The reviewed platform is PS5. PC coverage adds Path Tracing, DLSS 4.5 and a report based on an RTX 5070 Ti, but it does not provide enough evidence to recommend hardware or define system requirements.
Is Control Resonant worth buying?
For fans of Remedy’s surreal world, the answer is generally yes. Resonant takes a meaningful risk by changing the protagonist, location and combat emphasis, and the review finds that risk worthwhile. Its warped Manhattan, compelling story, environmental design, side activities and art direction give it a personality that is more than a repeat of the first game.
The qualification is substantial: combat repetition prevents the sequel from reaching a higher level. The Aberrant and its unlockable abilities offer variety, but repeated enemy encounters can make later combat feel like a chore. That is why the 8/10 score is a useful summary of the trade-off rather than a contradiction. Resonant succeeds as an ambitious sequel and falls short as a consistently fresh action game.
Verdict: Control Resonant is worth playing if its strange world, Dylan’s story and exploration appeal to you. Buy it for the setting and narrative as much as for the fighting, and go in knowing that the combat may wear thin before the ideas do.
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How this review’s score should be read
The 8/10 — Insider Gaming, 2026 rating belongs to Charlie Champion’s September 18, 2026 review of a PS5 copy provided for review. It is not an aggregate, sales forecast or measurement of player reception. No broader statistic is established by the supplied coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 8/10 score a consensus for Control Resonant?
No. The 8/10 rating is Charlie Champion’s score for the Insider Gaming review, not an aggregate across critics or players. The available coverage does not provide a verified industry-wide average or player-reception statistic.
Does the RTX 5070 Ti report mean I need that GPU to play on PC?
No. The RTX 5070 Ti was the configuration used for one publication’s PC discussion. It is not a minimum or recommended specification, so use current official system requirements for hardware decisions.
Should I play the first Control before Resonant?
The sequel changes the protagonist and setting but retains the series’ strange tone and mythology. Playing the original first can provide useful context for Jesse, Dylan and the world, though the supplied review does not identify it as a formal prerequisite.
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Not necessarily. The health, Falter and combat-strength changes were reported in launch-period coverage dated September 25, 2026. Balance and technical fixes can change with later patches, so check the current build and official support information.
