Control Resonant Review Round-up: Remedy Goes Bigger, Smoother, and Slightly Safer
Critics liked Remedy’s combat, movement, and warped Manhattan, but found the RPG depth and late-game pacing less convincing.
- Developer
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher
- Remedy Entertainment
- Release Date
- September 24, 2026
egg.network has not played Control Resonant. This review round-up is built from published critic reviews and official details, linked at the end. The score is the critics' aggregate, not our own.
Critical consensus
Control Resonant landed as a generally favourable sequel for Remedy Entertainment, with a Metacritic aggregate of 83/100 and OpenCritic reporting that 86% of critics recommended it. Across published reviews, the picture is clear: critics saw it as a confident action RPG that expands the Control universe with stronger combat, memorable environments, and smoother mainstream appeal, even if some of the stranger edge from the 2019 original seems softened.
The sequel shifts focus to Dylan Faden, the paranaturally gifted brother of Jesse Faden, as he is pulled into another Federal Bureau of Control crisis. Critics responded positively to the bigger setup, where the Hiss breach containment, Manhattan becomes warped by the Patterning, and Dylan is forced into an uneasy relationship with the FBC while searching for Jesse. The story gives Remedy another playground for paranatural office horror, fractured reality, and institutional weirdness, but not every critic felt the narrative delivery matched the ambition.
What critics say works
The strongest praise centred on combat and level design. IGN highlighted the combat system and overall design as major positives, suggesting that Control Resonant succeeds when it lets Dylan cut through hostile entities using Remedy’s familiar blend of supernatural action and environmental chaos. Critics also found value in the role-playing layer, with IGN noting that the RPG mechanics offer some flexibility, even if they do not go especially deep.
Exploration was another recurring bright spot. The New York Times praised the portrayal of Manhattan and its potential for exploration, while The Guardian singled out movement and exploration as high points. That matters because Control has always depended on the feeling of navigating impossible architecture and unstable spaces. In Resonant, critics found that expanded beyond the Oldest House into a distorted Manhattan, giving the sequel a broader canvas without fully abandoning Remedy’s surreal identity.
The Guardian compared the game’s design to Inception, which points to the kind of reality-bending structure critics associated with the sequel. Manhattan is not treated as a simple open space, but as a place twisted by the Patterning, where reality and time can bend around Dylan’s mission. For critics who enjoy Remedy’s stranger instincts, that sense of place appears to be one of Resonant’s biggest wins.
Where critics pushed back
The main criticism is that Control Resonant does not always balance its systems and story cleanly. IGN found that the late game can become tedious, which suggests the combat loop may lose some freshness as the campaign pushes toward its conclusion. The same review also described the RPG mechanics as flexible but lacking depth, so players expecting a deeply layered action RPG may need to temper expectations.
The New York Times was more focused on the gap between gameplay and storytelling. Its review praised Manhattan, but found a disconnect between the combat-heavy structure and the way story and character development are handled through cut scenes and flashbacks with stiff performances. In other words, critics did not necessarily reject the story itself, but some felt the emotional material around Dylan, Jesse, and the FBC was separated too sharply from the moment-to-moment play.
The Guardian also detected a tonal shift compared with the first Control, describing the sequel as moving toward more easily digestible mainstream convention. That is not automatically a negative, and the generally favourable reception suggests many critics accepted the trade-off. Still, for players who loved the original specifically because it felt abrasive, cryptic, and unusually strange, critics suggest Resonant may feel more streamlined.
Story and tone
Critics had plenty to work with narratively. Control Resonant follows Dylan after Jesse wakes him from a coma and disappears, leaving him tangled in a new FBC emergency. The Hiss have escaped the Oldest House, Manhattan is cut off by the Patterning, and the FBC tries to use one paranatural disaster against another. Dylan’s arc also folds in suspicion from FBC figures, his trauma from earlier Bureau experiments, and Jesse’s sacrifice.
That setup sounds emotionally loaded, and critics seemed to appreciate the scale and concepts more than the execution of every character beat. The central tension is strong: Dylan wants freedom and answers, while the FBC treats him as both asset and threat. But according to critical reception, the game is most persuasive when its ideas are expressed through spaces, combat, and traversal, rather than through more conventional scenes.
What matters for Malaysian and SEA players
For Malaysian and SEA players, the practical takeaway is straightforward. Control Resonant released on 24 September 2026 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, with a macOS version planned later in 2026. That means the main launch access points are current console hardware and PC.
Because critics framed it as an action RPG with strong combat, exploration, and design, the best fit is likely players who enjoy stylish supernatural action more than deep RPG buildcraft. The 83/100 Metacritic aggregate also makes it one of those releases worth watching for Remedy fans in the region, especially anyone already invested in Control’s paranatural world.
Who critics think it is for
Control Resonant sounds best suited to players who want a polished Remedy sequel with bigger environments, strong combat flow, and reality-warping exploration. Critics were positive overall, especially about the way Manhattan expands the series’ sense of place and gives Dylan’s journey a larger disaster to move through.
It sounds less ideal for players who want complex RPG systems or a story that develops naturally through gameplay. Several criticisms point to a sequel that is confident and entertaining, but also more conventional than its predecessor. The critical consensus lands in a strong but not flawless place: Remedy has delivered a stylish and broadly recommended action RPG, but its sharpest ideas still seem to live in the world and combat more than in the RPG depth or dramatic presentation.
Sources
Pros
- Combat system drew strong praise from critics
- Movement, exploration, and Manhattan design stood out
- Generally favourable critical reception with an 83/100 Metacritic aggregate
Cons
- Late game was described as tedious by IGN
- RPG mechanics were seen as flexible but shallow
- Some critics found a disconnect between combat-heavy gameplay and story delivery
Final Verdict
Critics broadly concluded that Control Resonant is a strong sequel with stylish combat, striking exploration, and a more accessible blockbuster shape. The main caveat is that its RPG systems and storytelling execution do not appear to match the strength of its world design.