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CONTROL: Resonant feels unusual. It is not just another sequel arriving years after a successful game. Remedy Entertainment is taking the strange ideas of the original Control and pushing them into a much larger and more unpredictable world. CONTROL Resonant is scheduled to release on 24 September 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a Mac version planned for later in the year. This time, the story moves away from the mysterious corridors of the Oldest House and into a distorted version of Manhattan, where reality itself has begun to break apart. For me, that change is what makes the game so interesting before release. Remedy could have simply made another Control with a familiar formula, but instead the studio has changed the protagonist, redesigned combat and created a much larger environment to explore. The result looks familiar enough to belong to the same universe, but different enough to feel like a new chapter rather than a simple continuation.
A New Story with Dylan Faden
The biggest change is probably the person we will be playing as. Dylan Faden becomes the sole playable protagonist in CONTROL Resonant. Players who remember the first game will already know that Dylan has a complicated connection to Jesse Faden and the Federal Bureau of Control. In the new story, that relationship becomes much more important as Dylan finds himself caught in a supernatural crisis while also searching for his missing sister, Jesse. What I find interesting about Dylan is that he does not appear to be designed as a typical confident superhero. His personality is more hesitant and awkward, which creates a contrast with the extraordinary abilities he possesses. That makes him feel different from Jesse rather than simply replacing her. His situation also gives the story a more personal direction. Manhattan may be facing a huge supernatural disaster, but Dylan still has his own reason for moving forward. He wants answers about what happened to Jesse, while at the same time dealing with a world that is becoming increasingly difficult to understand. That combination could give CONTROL Resonant a strong emotional centre.
Manhattan Is Where Things Get Strange
The move to Manhattan is one of the most important changes in the game. Instead of spending most of the adventure inside one mysterious government building, players will explore a warped version of New York divided into visually different areas. Remedy has described these locations as Zones, with fast travel between them and the mysterious Gap, a space connected to Dylan. But this is not simply Manhattan recreated as a realistic city. The supernatural forces affecting the area can change architecture, space and gravity. Some locations can become physically distorted, creating environments where the player has to rethink the way movement normally works. This is one of the things I am most curious about. A lot of games advertise a large world, but the size of a map does not automatically make it interesting. What matters is whether the environment gives you a reason to explore it. CONTROL Resonant appears to be trying something different by making the world itself unpredictable.
Combat Is Moving in a New Direction
Anyone expecting Jesse's exact combat style to return may be surprised. CONTROL Resonant introduces a new system built around Dylan's shapeshifting melee weapon, the Aberrant. Remedy describes the combat as close-range and demanding, with players expected to recognise enemy attacks, manage stagger and status effects, and time their dodges properly. That is a significant change from the first game. The original Control made its combat feel powerful through Jesse's supernatural abilities and the Service Weapon. CONTROL Resonant is putting much more emphasis on getting close to enemies and understanding when to attack. I actually like the idea of this change. A sequel should not always be afraid to change its gameplay. If Remedy had copied the original combat system exactly, there would always be a feeling that we were simply playing a larger version of the same game. Giving Dylan his own way of fighting allows the sequel to develop its own identity. The important thing will be balance. A melee-focused system needs to feel responsive because even a small delay can make combat frustrating. Remedy has said that the game was designed with 60fps performance in mind because responsiveness is a major priority. That tells us something about the direction of the game. Combat is not supposed to be something that you only experience occasionally. It is one of the foundations of the entire adventure.
The Aberrant Gives Dylan His Own Identity
The Aberrant is more than a replacement for Jesse's weapon. Because it can change form, the weapon is designed around different approaches to combat. Players can upgrade its forms and combine them with other abilities, allowing Dylan's build to develop over the course of the game. The mysterious Gap is connected to this progression. It can be used to improve Dylan and the Aberrant, test different builds and interact with other parts of the progression system. I think this could become one of the most enjoyable parts of CONTROL Resonant. When a game allows you to change your equipment and abilities, it gives you the opportunity to discover what actually fits your play style. Some players will probably prefer aggressive close-range attacks, while others may build their character around abilities and movement. That type of freedom adds another layer to the combat without making the game unnecessarily complicated.
Dylan Is Extremely Mobile
Another major difference is Dylan's movement. He can jump, double-jump, levitate, and dash through the environment, giving him a much greater ability to move vertically around Manhattan. Some traversal abilities can also be unlocked as the story progresses. This is important because the environment is considerably larger than what players experienced in the original game. Fast movement is not simply there to make Dylan look powerful. It helps connect the combat and exploration systems. You can move quickly through an area, reach higher locations and reposition yourself during fights. When supernatural abilities and movement are combined, battles can become much more dynamic than simply standing in front of an enemy. That is where the game could really stand out.
Exploration Does Not Mean a Traditional Open World
One detail that I think is worth mentioning is that CONTROL Resonant should not be described as a conventional open-world game. The game offers larger areas of Manhattan to explore, but these are more focused sandboxes rather than one enormous map where absolutely everything is available from the beginning. Players can pursue the main story, investigate optional activities, and discover other events around the Zones. Personally, I think this approach makes sense. A huge map can sometimes become exhausting when every corner is filled with repetitive objectives. A more focused structure gives Remedy greater control over atmosphere while still allowing players to move away from the main path.
The Horror Has Not Been Forgotten
Even though CONTROL Resonant is becoming a larger action game, Remedy has not abandoned the unsettling atmosphere that helped define the series. The new Manhattan contains disturbing encounters, strange phenomena, and powerful supernatural entities. Some of these encounters are designed to create more than just a difficult battle; they are meant to make the player uncomfortable and uncertain about what they are seeing. This is something I definitely want from the sequel. Control worked because it could make an ordinary corridor feel suspicious. You never quite knew whether the next room would contain another fight, an unexplained event or something completely bizarre. CONTROL Resonant seems to be taking that idea and applying it to an entire city. That could make exploration much more memorable.
A Different Kind of Superhero Game
There is another reason I find the concept interesting. Dylan has extraordinary abilities, but CONTROL Resonant does not appear to be treating him like a traditional superhero. He can perform powerful supernatural attacks and move through the environment in ways ordinary people cannot, yet his personality is much more grounded and uncertain. According to PlayStation's recent hands-on coverage, his awkward physical behaviour also contrasts with the exaggerated superhero movements we often see in games. That difference could help the character feel more human. He is powerful, but he does not necessarily behave like someone who has everything under control. And considering that the game is literally about a world losing control, that feels appropriate.
A Campaign Built Around Discovery
Remedy has stated that the main story is expected to take approximately 25 to 35 hours, with additional content for players who want to explore more of the game. I think that is a reasonable length for this type of experience. I would rather have a focused adventure where the strange moments actually mean something than a much longer campaign stretched with repetitive missions. The existence of optional activities also gives players more freedom. You can concentrate on Dylan's main journey, spend more time searching for Jesse or explore the world and uncover its secrets at your own pace. That balance between story and exploration could become very important.
Final Thoughts
CONTROL Resonant is almost here, and Remedy has clearly taken some risks with the sequel. Dylan Faden replaces Jesse as the playable character, Manhattan replaces the Oldest House as the primary setting, and melee combat becomes much more important through the Aberrant. At the same time, the paranormal atmosphere, strange storytelling and unpredictable environments remain at the heart of the experience. For me, the most exciting thing is that the game does not seem interested in simply giving us more of the same. It is trying to make the Control universe bigger without losing what made it unusual. The distorted city, Dylan's strange abilities, the shapeshifting Aberrant and the focus on movement could work together to create something that feels fast, mysterious and completely different from many other action games. Of course, the real test comes when players finally get the full game in their hands on 24 September. Until then, there is still a lot we do not know about how all these systems will work across the complete adventure. But from everything Remedy has shown so far, CONTROL Resonant has one particularly interesting advantage: its world is not just the place where the game happens. The world itself appears to be part of the gameplay. And honestly, that is the part that makes me want to step into Manhattan and see what happens.