Control Resonant Redefines Architectural Awe Beyond The Oldest House

Key points

• The sequel moves the setting from the confined Oldest House to a 'Strange York' Manhattan, featuring open-world hubs and isolated, large-scale dungeons like The Factory and The Sinkhole.
• Protagonist Dylan Faden, Jesse's brother, was imprisoned by the FBC for 17 years; his story focuses on escaping the agency's control, contrasting with Jesse's embrace of the Oldest House in the first game.
• Remedy introduced an Assist Mode with adjustable presets for damage and enemy aggression to mitigate early complaints about combat difficulty, following a day-one hotfix that reduced enemy health.
• The game utilizes PS5 features like DualSense adaptive triggers and speaker audio, with one zone reportedly larger than any in Remedy's previous titles.
• Early reviews and Metacritic scores (84 on PS5, 83 on PC) indicate strong reception, though some critics noted the open-world hub areas feel less impactful than the original's interior.

Background

Control Resonant launched on September 24, 2026, following a day-one hotfix that addressed combat balance issues. The game received strong early reviews, with Metacritic scores of 84 on PS5 and 83 on PC, comparable to the original 2019 release. Remedy announced a post-launch roadmap including a 'New Game Plus Plus' mode in October and Photo Mode in November.

How outlets are covering it

Aftermath praises the game's architectural ambition, noting that while the specific Brutalist style is gone, the new dungeons capture the same sense of awe and scale. Kotaku argues that leaving The Oldest House was narratively necessary for Dylan's character arc, as his story is about escaping the FBC's confinement. Engadget highlights the practical benefits of the Assist Mode for accessibility but notes it may reduce challenge for some players. PlayStation.Blog emphasizes the technical achievements, such as dynamic destruction and PS5-specific features, while acknowledging the challenge of matching the original's confined design with an open-world setting.

Why it matters

Control Resonant demonstrates how video games can use architectural design to evoke emotional responses, moving beyond specific styles to capture the essence of awe and wonder. The game's success in balancing open-world exploration with large-scale dungeon design sets a new standard for action-RPGs, while its accessibility features address common complaints about difficulty in the genre.

What to watch

Remedy plans to release a 'New Game Plus Plus' mode in October and Photo Mode in November. The game is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Mac, with cloud gaming support via GeForce NOW.