Remedy Entertainment is charting a new course with Control Resonant, a title that blends familiar RPG elements with the studio's signature surrealism and experimental design. While it incorporates common genre features like skill trees, resource gathering, and item upgrading, the game carves out a unique identity through its distinctive approach to mechanics and narrative.
Players step into the shoes of Dylan Faden, Jesse's brother, reimagined as an emo antihero grappling with the trauma of his past. His journey through a distorted New York involves bludgeoning and shanking the Hiss, but with a hesitant, almost apologetic demeanor that sets him apart from typical video game protagonists. "He's come out of being infected by the Hiss, having something take over his life, his trauma," explained voice actor Sean Durrie. "And now he's rediscovering his humanity. So it's a new beginning."
A Deeper Dive into RPG Mechanics
The gameplay loop in Control Resonant revolves around an overworld and distinct "dungeons," supplemented by side quests. A central hub area allows players to re-spec abilities and progress through a substantial skill tree. The game offers a moderate depth in build customization, with combat options that apply various debuffs to enemies and trinket items that provide buffs, sometimes with significant trade-offs. Resources and rare items are acquired through scavenging and defeating bosses. Creative Director Mikael Kasurinen noted that this represents a significant leap for Remedy, moving from the lighter RPG touches in the original Control to a fuller embrace of the genre.
Unconventional Environments and Combat Arenas
While the initial stages of the game feature classic Remedy flair—visions, flashbacks, meta-references, and abstract platforming—the true innovation shines in the game's more confined environments. One notable area, dubbed "The Sinkhole," plunges players into a cylindrical chasm where combat takes place within an impossibly structured series of rooms. This design allows players to utilize gravity boots to run on walls and ceilings, creating a disorienting yet exhilarating combat arena. This kind of risky, potentially nauseating design is precisely what, according to the preview, would likely be refined or removed in less creatively ambitious triple-A titles.
Fluid and Frenetic Combat
Control Resonant's combat system evolves with player proficiency. Players can employ double-dashes, double-jumps, and extended hovering to engage in lengthy aerial combos, reminiscent of character action games like Devil May Cry. The game features a variety of inventive weapon options. Initial choices might include fast, high-crit-chance daggers for primary attacks and a heavy weapon, such as a whip that can be charged for a powerful strike. Special abilities with cooldowns include throwing projectiles or creating a concrete-and-metal shield, drawing on the brutalist aesthetic of the original Control. IMAGE11
The combat's depth is particularly evident in challenging encounters. A boss fight in the demo involved a large circular arena surrounded by platformable structures, numerous enemies, and a formidable aerial attacker. The key to victory lies in building "bloodlust" by executing enemy finishers, which triggers more healing orb drops and increases critical hit chances. Perfect dodges also guarantee critical hits, turning intense swarm scenarios into a dance of buffs, dodges, and aggressive offense. As a death screen tooltip wisely suggests, offense is the best defense.
Embracing Creative Risks
Even the game's conclusion offers a signature Remedy surrealism, featuring impossible physics and antigravity platforming. While some sequences, like an extended trek through a series of domestic interiors driven by TV sounds, might occasionally feel prolonged, they exemplify the studio's willingness to take creative risks. IMAGE3
Despite minor rough edges in sound and visuals expected in a pre-release build, the occasional unevenness in pacing or readability is a byproduct of Remedy pushing boundaries. Control Resonant demonstrates vast potential, and its success will hinge on Remedy's ability to maintain a delicate balance between its experimental nature and broader player accessibility. The studio's commitment to taking such risks is precisely what makes Control Resonant a potentially significant entry in the gaming landscape.