Control Resonant trades the Oldest House for a warped Manhattan, and it trades the first game’s gunplay for melee. Director Mikael Kasurinen has now put names to the games that shaped that shift, pointing to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Doom (2016) as touchstones for how the sequel moves and fights. The result is a faster, RPG-driven take on Remedy’s paranatural universe, and it runs longer than the 2019 original.
Quick answer: Control Resonant is a melee-focused action RPG built around the shapeshifting “Aberrant” weapon, drawing combat and level-design cues from Sekiro and Doom. It runs longer than Control (2019), works as a standalone story, and launches September 24, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Sekiro and Doom shape the combat and level design
The biggest change from the first Control is the move away from third-person shooting. You play as Dylan Faden, released from Federal Bureau of Control custody to fight back an extradimensional threat spreading through downtown Manhattan. Combat leans on melee rather than guns, and Kasurinen has said Remedy kept specific games in mind while building it.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice informs the melee feel, while Doom (2016) shaped the level design. Kasurinen singled out Doom’s fast-paced approach as a direct influence on how the sequel’s spaces are laid out, encouraging aggressive, momentum-based movement through warped environments. Enemies are built to keep up, sharing the same spaces as the player, jumping or flying between platforms, and using a range of paranatural attacks.
The Aberrant weapon and RPG builds
Dylan’s primary weapon is the Aberrant, a crude shapeshifting armament that changes form in combat. You collect resources to unlock different forms, including a signature giant hammer and a massive whip. There is no separate ranged weapon in the mix, so the Aberrant and its forms carry the fight alongside Dylan’s paranatural abilities.
Kasurinen describes Resonant as a full RPG, which leaves room for experimentation and, in his words, “broken” builds. That progression comes with a catch. Skill respec is a paid feature, with no free way to redistribute points, so choosing where to invest carries weight.
Key gameplay details confirmed
| Feature | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Primary weapon | The Aberrant, with multiple unlockable forms (hammer, whip, and more) |
| Ranged weapons | None; combat is melee plus paranatural powers |
| Bosses | Many are optional and can be tackled in different orders |
| Skill respec | Paid feature, no free reset |
| Romance | Not included |
| New Game+ | Included for replaying the campaign |
A longer runtime and larger world
Resonant is longer than the 2019 Control, and Remedy has designed its spaces to match. This is not an open-world game, but it is the most expansive project Remedy has built, made up of large, distinct zones filled with side activities, hidden encounters, and optional discoveries. Kasurinen has stressed that the locations were made very large.
The story holds its biggest surprises for the middle and the ending, and the second half is said to look completely unlike the trailers shown so far. Kasurinen went as far as calling the endgame content “unrecognizable from what we’ve seen so far.” Ahti returns, though with less presence than in the first game, and parts of the story connect to Alan Wake.
Note: You do not need to finish Control, the AWE DLC, or Alan Wake 2 to follow Dylan’s story. Resonant is built to stand on its own while still exploring the consequences of the first game.
Release date, platforms, and early access
Control Resonant launches September 24, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with a macOS version also planned. It is developed and published by Remedy Entertainment using the studio’s in-house Northlight engine.
If you want to start sooner, early access is tied to pre-orders and is exclusive to the PS5 version, leaving PC and Xbox players to wait for the standard launch. That’s the one platform split worth knowing before you commit to a pre-order, since the Aberrant-driven RPG design and its paid respec system reward planning your first run rather than rushing in.
