Control Resonant Reviews Praise Remedy's Genre Pivot, But Some Find It A Step Back
Reviews for Remedy Entertainment's new game, Control Resonant, are in, with many praising its bold changes but some finding it doesn't quite match the studio's recent highs, per multiple outlets.
The sequel swaps protagonist and genre, following Dylan Faden with a melee-focused, action-RPG style, as reported by VGC and Kotaku. VGC notes Dylan wields a shapeshifting melee weapon called The Abarrent, with telekinetic abilities returning in a new form. Kotaku describes the combat as a "twitchy melee action RPG" more akin to Devil May Cry than the first Control's third-person shooter roots.
Critics highlighted the game's stunning art and boss design. VGC's review calls the visual leaps from the first game "staggering," citing a massive, jawless woman's face as just the "tip of the iceberg." Polygon's summary of other reviews mentions critics praising scenes of a folding New York City skyline and "jaw-dropping" enemy designs.
However, not all reviews were uniformly glowing. Polygon's summary indicates some critics were less impressed with the pivot. It cites Eurogamer's Alexis Ong calling the melee combat merely "serviceable" and criticizing the move away from the Oldest House setting. ComicBook's Michael Leri scored it 2/5, criticizing the combat as restrictive and lacking the expressive combo depth of genre leaders, per Polygon.
Polygon's own reviewer, Willa Rowe, found it a step back from Control "in nearly every regard," citing rote open-world activities and a missing "Remedy magic." Despite the divided critical reception, outlets like VGC and Kotaku celebrated the studio's willingness to radically reinvent its sequel formula.
