The gaming press has begun publishing reviews of Control Resonant — Remedy’s new sequel to Control — and the consensus is largely positive. This entry shifts the focus from Jesse Faden to her brother Dylan and moves the series toward a more melee-oriented action-RPG approach: from a "crazy shooter with flying" to an even crazier "flying" melee combat. Early aggregated scores reflect favorable reception: 84 on Metacritic (PS5 version) and 85 on OpenCritic (recommended by 86% of reviewers).
Critics commonly praise the title’s level design, art direction, an emotionally engaging story, memorable boss encounters, fluid movement mechanics, and a strong soundtrack. Several reviews also single out the "classic quirkiness of Remedy" as a positive. According to multiple outlets, technical performance is solid on PC and consoles — the Northlight engine reportedly “handles rendering all the screen madness excellently.” There is, however, a caveat for PS5 Pro users: in 60 fps mode there is a noticeable slight drop in image quality. Portable hardware is supported but imperfect; Resonant runs on devices like the Steam Deck but may exhibit “stutters,” warns RPG Site.
Reviewers do point out several weaknesses: repetitive open-world activities, dwindling enemy variety toward the finale, some map-navigation issues, and the inability to run on every wall.
Remedy goes all out: they paint creepy hellish landscapes, tactically hide details in bureaucratic collectibles, and achieve truly lively, touching performances from actors in situations beyond human comprehension. But melee combat definitely isn’t one of the game’s strong suits. Yet, the open world of Resonant forces you to fight in melee constantly.
Lincoln Carpenter from PC Gamer
One of the most debated aspects across reviews is the combat system. Some critics applaud it as chaotic, deep, and rewarding — praising the aggressive, dash-centric playstyle that encourages constant movement and timing rather than parries or blocks. GameSpot puts it plainly: "Control Resonant is Remedy’s best gameplay-wise game, and at the same time it does not change the studio’s signature madness at all." In this design, Dylan "moves swiftly around the battlefield" searching for opportune strike windows.
Conversely, other reviewers find combat increasingly simplistic and repetitive as the story progresses. Aaron Bayne of Push Square summarizes this split: early encounters are tight and allow meaningful build experimentation, but near the end new skills taper off while enemy health spikes, turning fights into a tiresome slog.
In the first half of the game, the fights feel tight and enjoyable, and you can reallocate skills to find a style that suits you. <…> And when you add aggressive enemies and incredible movement possibilities, battles in Resonant are sometimes pure fun. But closer to the end, new skills almost stop being granted, and enemy health rises to tiresome levels — turning combat bland and repetitive.
Aaron Bayne from Push Square
Below are conclusions from several prominent reviews included in early coverage:
VGC — 100/100
Control Resonant takes risks by trying a new genre — and the gamble pays off. Excellent cast and one of the best art styles of the year: the sequel develops what the original promised and delivers even more vivid moments. Be sure to find time for Control Resonant this year. You won’t regret it.
Jordan Middler Play
Push Square — 80/100
Control Resonant is an incredibly confident and intriguing sequel with all the hallmarks of a classic Remedy game. It’s endlessly stylish and playful, looks gorgeous (especially on PS5 Pro), and fixes many issues I had with the first Control. However, the main snag is the repetitive combat that keeps the game from reaching true greatness. But in the end, that’s not enough to overshadow everything Remedy does right in this sequel.
Aaron Bayne Play
GamesRadar+ — 60/100
Control Resonant often puzzles the player, and this time for Remedy — not in a good way. The monotonous fights are scattered across a huge world that hardly justifies its own size, and Dylan Faden as the main character clearly doesn’t measure up to Jesse. There are also gorgeous visual moments and impressive scenes, but overall it’s a messy investigation — and not the most outstanding supernatural phenomenon.
Oscar Taylor-Kent Play
Eurogamer — 60/100
Control Resonant is a continuation of Control with more focus on action RPG, but by leaving the Oldest House, it also leaves behind part of what gave the original its magic.
Yes, Remedy disagrees that Resonant is an open world, and it is indeed not quite a free sandbox. But the game seems to chase service-title features, trying — and only partially succeeding — to replicate that carefully crafted structure and narrative style that worked so well in the first part. You can’t build a game whose entire mysterious essence relies on smart and unconventional world-building and at the same time cram in the most tedious MMO part — world events, a kind of daily grind — without ruining the whole story.
Alexis Ong
Control Resonant will launch on September 24 on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. The in-game text will be translated into Russian.