Control Resonant offers a visually striking experience, but pushing its graphics settings to the absolute maximum may not be the most efficient approach for achieving optimal performance. Testing on a robust PC rig, it has been found that substantial visual fidelity and smooth gameplay can be achieved with lower graphics presets, negating the need for the most demanding settings.
My test system, equipped with an RTX 5070 Ti, AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, was able to run Control Resonant smoothly at 1440p resolution across nearly all settings, even without frame generation enabled. This suggests a good level of optimization and scalability within the game.
Ray Tracing Performance and Visuals
The game's ray tracing options, particularly full path tracing at the Ultra preset, demand significant GPU power. However, the visual benefits at the highest ray tracing settings may not justify the substantial performance cost for many players. Adjusting ray tracing down can yield significant performance gains with minimal loss in visual quality.
At 1440p with Ultra graphics settings and DLSS set to Quality, disabling ray tracing entirely provided an average of 105 FPS, compared to 62 FPS with RT Ultra. Even RT Low settings offered a notable improvement, achieving 84 FPS on average. The difference between RT Medium and RT High was marginal, averaging around five frames per second.
Visually, the impact of ray tracing is evident in the game's lighting and reflections. For instance, the reflections in wet streets and the lighting on indoor surfaces are more realistic with higher ray tracing settings. However, the difference between RT High and RT Ultra can be subtle in gameplay, often requiring a close examination of specific details like the lighting on a ceiling.
While RT Ultra offers the most fidelity, RT High appears to be a strong compromise, providing excellent visual quality without the severe performance penalty. The Medium RT preset also remains visually appealing, though shadows can appear darker. At RT Low, shadow definition diminishes noticeably.
Graphics Presets and Overall Performance
Beyond ray tracing, adjusting the standard graphics presets also impacts performance, though to a lesser extent. With ray tracing set to High, the difference between Ultra, High, and Medium graphics presets was less pronounced. High and Medium settings yielded nearly identical frame rates, with a 15 FPS difference observed between Low and Ultra settings in average FPS.
The optimal balance for many players might be setting both the general graphics preset and ray tracing to High, with DLSS set to Quality. This configuration delivers a visually excellent experience with smooth gameplay on capable hardware.
Even at its lowest settings, Control Resonant remains a good-looking game. With ray tracing and frame generation disabled at 1080p Low, the game still retains a remarkable amount of detail. The distinctive art style of Control Resonant plays a significant role in its visual appeal, ensuring that the world is well-defined and engaging even on less powerful systems.
The minimum GPU requirement for Control Resonant is listed as a GTX 1070 for 1080p/30 fps at Low settings. While direct testing on this configuration was not performed, the visual quality at low settings suggests it would be a perfectly playable experience. The game's environmental reactivity and visual effects contribute significantly to the experience, making it enjoyable regardless of the graphical settings dialed up.