Control Resonant

Story and setting

Dylan emerges from years of confinement by the Federal Bureau of Control as Manhattan is reshaped by an invading cosmic force. Reality folds in on itself, familiar streets become hostile zones and the FBC is forced to operate outside the Oldest House. Dylan is sent to contain the disaster while searching for his sister, Jesse Faden, whose story remains important but who is not the playable protagonist.

The city is divided into distinct zones rather than presented as one uninterrupted open world. The tone still mixes bureaucratic paranormal mystery with bold science fiction, but Resonant puts more emphasis on Dylan’s identity, his relationship with Jesse and the consequences of the FBC’s treatment of him. Remedy says the sequel is designed to work as an entry point for newcomers, although players who know Control will get more from its returning ideas and characters.

How it plays

The biggest change is combat. Jesse’s Service Weapon has been replaced by the Aberrant, a shapeshifting melee weapon that can switch between forms including a heavy two-handed hammer and fast dual blades. Dylan also uses paranormal powers, projectiles, environmental attacks and summoned anomalies, with the emphasis on movement, stagger management, executions and attacking several threats at once rather than waiting for openings in a traditional parry system.

Traversal is just as important as fighting. Dylan gains abilities including floating, air-dashing, double-jumping and gravity manipulation, allowing the city’s architecture to become part of the puzzle. The Gap, a liminal space within Dylan’s mind, acts as a hub for upgrades, build testing, crafting and equipment management. Remedy estimates 25 to 35 hours for the main story, with substantially more for side content and completionists.

Launch updates and performance

The launch build received hotfix 1.3.3, which reduced enemy health, lowered the number of hits needed to stagger enemies for executions and increased Dylan’s early-game combat strength. The game also has a granular Assist Mode: players can reduce incoming damage or enemy aggression, but can also increase the challenge by making enemies tougher and dodge windows tighter.

New Game+ is available, with upgrades, abilities, talents and artefacts carrying into a second run while traversal abilities remain tied to story progression. Remedy plans to add New Game++ in October 2026, allowing repeated New Game+ runs without wiping previous progress, and Photo Mode in November. More cosmetic items are also planned. These are announced windows rather than fixed dates.

On PS5, Performance mode targets 60fps at 1440p and Quality mode targets 30fps at 2160p. PS5 Pro adds PSSR, ray tracing and a 40fps Balanced mode for 120Hz displays. Steam lists the PC version as unsupported on Steam Deck, while Remedy’s current support page records some AMD GPU performance problems and a ray-tracing setting issue that can cause a significant frame-rate drop until the game is restarted.

Platforms, editions and UK price

The game is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. A Mac version is confirmed for Steam and the Mac App Store, but Remedy has only said it will arrive later in 2026. There is no PS4, Xbox One or Nintendo version announced.

UK digital pricing varies slightly between storefronts. The Standard Edition is £49.99 on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam. The Digital Deluxe Edition is £54.99 on PlayStation, £58.49 on Xbox and £59.99 on Steam, including the AWE Mission Outfit, Untapped Artifact, Starter Resource Bundle, digital art book and soundtrack. On PS5, it also included 48-hour early access before the standard 24 September launch. GAME lists physical copies at £44.99 at the time of checking, reduced from £49.99.

Critical reception

The early critical response is positive but not unanimous. VGC awarded 5/5, praising the genre shift, performances, art direction, soundtrack and supernatural open zones, while noting that some activities become repetitive. PC Gamer scored it 76/100, admiring the warped Manhattan and traversal but finding the melee combat uneven and too repetitive over the longer campaign.

That split is useful context for British buyers. Resonant is not simply Control with a new map: it is a more conventional action RPG with a stronger focus on progression, melee combat and open-zone exploration. Its best moments remain unmistakably Remedy, but the longer structure and repeated fights will not suit everyone. The Standard Edition is the sensible choice unless you specifically want the cosmetic items, digital extras or, on PS5, early access.

What remains unconfirmed

Remedy has not announced a fixed date for the Mac version, only a later-2026 release window. It has also not announced story DLC, an expansion pass or a season pass. No PlayStation Plus Game Catalog inclusion has been confirmed; Xbox lists cloud play for Game Pass subscribers but says that a purchase of the game is required.