Control Resonant Is Proving Remedy Can Do More Than Shooters
Remedy Entertainment is venturing beyond its shooter-focused roots with Control Resonant, transforming the sequel from a third-person shooter into an action RPG emphasizing melee-based character-action combat. The gameplay shift reflects a deliberate creative choice to distinguish the two protagonists: while the original Control followed Jesse Faden, Control Resonant puts players in control of her brother Dylan, with Creative Director Mikael Kasurinen explaining that the game was always conceived as a story about both siblings and their contrasting personalities and approaches.
Early gameplay footage reveals satisfying, weighty melee mechanics complemented by dynamic weapon and power interactions, suggesting Remedy is successfully adapting its design expertise to a new genre. The combat loop feels engaging and purposeful, indicating the studio is more than capable of delivering compelling action outside its traditional shooter framework.
The sequel also embraces surreal, liminal environments that tap into contemporary cultural fascination with uncanny architecture. A mid-game mission called The Sinkhole immerses protagonist Dylan in an infinite maze of stacked rooms filled with inexplicable objects—evoking the same unsettling aesthetic that has captivated audiences in properties like A24’s Backrooms film. These mind-bending environments leverage Control’s supernatural setting to create memorably disorienting sequences.
Control Resonant launches September 24, with Remedy demonstrating that the studio’s design philosophy can transcend genre boundaries while maintaining the cerebral, mysterious atmosphere that defined the original game.