Remedy Entertainment has offered a deeper look into its upcoming ARPG, Control Resonant, with an extended interview featured during the PC Gaming Show. The developers revealed the eclectic mix of inspirations behind the game's unique art direction and gameplay mechanics, detailing the design of its monstrous bosses and the innovative approach to its soundscape.
Resonant continues the story of Dylan Faden, brother of Control's protagonist Jesse Faden. Following his escape from confinement and the Hiss's infiltration of Manhattan, Dylan must confront the 'Patterning,' an otherworldly phenomenon twisting the city and its inhabitants into monstrous forms. Creative director Mikael Kasurinen described the Patterning as affecting not just the environment but also time and light, creating a disorienting, unpredictable world.
While Remedy drew inspiration from M.C. Escher's mind-bending art and films like 'A Field in England' and 'Paprika,' the developers consciously avoided looking to other video games. "There's this tendency of people not taking risks, and games start to resemble each other quite a lot," explained art director Elmeri Raitanen.
The game's bosses, known as Resonants, are former humans transformed by the Patterning. These unique enemies offer a gameplay twist, as players aren't forced to defeat a specific set of bosses. Lead level designer Anne-Marie Grönroos noted that the open-world nature of Resonant means players may have more boss encounters available than strictly necessary, leading to varied playthroughs depending on the powers Dylan acquires.
One notable boss, a dancer twisted by the Patterning, required Remedy to collaborate with real dancers to capture realistic movement. Composer Petri Alanko contributed to this fight by incorporating a musical theme based on the Fibonacci sequence, where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones (e.g., 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8...). Alanko also detailed how Dylan's evolving state is reflected in the game's audio design, with his sound profile becoming more complex as he grows stronger.
Kasurinen envisions Control Resonant as part of a larger universe, drawing inspiration from tabletop roleplaying games to build a world with its own rules, allowing for diverse stories and character perspectives. Control Resonant is slated for release on September 24. Pre-orders are available on Steam.