When I first played Remedy’s Control, I thought it was such an amazing game that I instantly jumped right back into it after finishing it. At the time, I honestly did not know how Remedy could ever top it, but after seeing what the studio pulled off with the equally amazing Alan Wake 2, I have learned that you should never count Remedy out. Now they’re at it again with CONTROL Resonant.
And as fate would have it, During Summer Game Fest 2026, I was given a chance to play a small slice of the game and then left to do as I pleased. Believe me when I say that I made sure to try out everything I could during my time with it.
While I only got to experience a small portion of CONTROL Resonant, what I played was more than enough to make me feel confident about where Remedy is taking this sequel. It is already clear that this is not Remedy playing things safe, and that alone makes me even more interested in seeing how the full game comes together.
What’s New With CONTROL Resonant
As we have already seen, Jesse Faden is missing at the start of CONTROL Resonant. I was able to see why this happens and how it affects the game, but I am going to leave those details out because I do not want to spoil anything for anyone. What I will say is that these events kick off with Dylan Faden, Jesse’s brother, also known as “P6,” being freed after spending a very long time imprisoned and left in a coma-like state.
We see Jesse approach her brother and tell him that she has to do something before shoving an object into his chest, known as the Aberrant, a shape shifting weapon that Jesse entrusts to Dylan, which wakes him from his prolonged slumber. This also introduces the first important decision you will make in the game, which is picking your weapon. While Jesse was more of a ranged character in Control, Dylan is much more up close and personal using melee gameplay
Dylan Faden Brings A New Combat Style
During my hands-on, I was able to pick between several weapons, where I decided on the scythe. Once I made my choice, I was alerted that the Hiss had escaped the Oldest House, which meant Dylan had to deal with that mess while also finding his own way out.
Eventually, I made it outside and onto a city street where all hell was breaking loose. Local law enforcement had been sent in to deal with the Hiss, but they were no match for what was happening around them. They were hopelessly outnumbered and unable to do any real damage, which made the situation feel even more out of control. As Dylan makes his way toward freedom, he overhears a plea from a walkie-talkie belonging to an Agent Zoe, and for some reason, he feels compelled to answer her and agrees to meet up, which sends him straight into more trouble.
After that, I was left to dispatch the Hiss along the way. Since Dylan is a melee character, combat immediately feels different from the first Control, and that shift is likely going to be one of the biggest talking points around CONTROL Resonant. Dylan is able to string together several attacks on the ground, dodging behind enemies at the last second and performing air juggling, but that is only part of what makes him fun to use. It feels more like a PlatinumGames title such as Nier: Automata, which instantly clicked for me.
The combat has a nice variation and keeps it from feeling like you are simply going through the motions. At first, his attacks felt a bit low on damage, but after a bit of progression, I was able to add a secondary melee attack that could be charged and dealt much more damage. When used alongside his normal attacks and aerial combos, this gave Dylan a much-needed edge and made him far more efficient when dealing with the Hiss.
After taking down several enemies and making my way through some platforming sections, I eventually came across Agent Zoe. After some back and forth, she agrees to let Dylan help, even though the situation already feels completely hopeless. Afterward, I reached a section where Jesse made an appearance, but it was not quite her.
It felt more like a spiritual echo of Jesse, though she was still able to make contact with Dylan and provide a bit more story. From there, it was back to more combat, with the game slowly introducing more abilities, including a dodge, double jump, and the ability to float. All of these abilities were needed not just for combat, but also for getting past the tricky platforming elements that were built into the level.
As the level continued, harder enemies started to appear, forcing me to make better use of everything Dylan had learned up to that point. This is where CONTROL Resonant started to show how its combat, movement, and level design all work together instead of feeling like separate pieces. That was one of the more encouraging parts of the demo, because it made Dylan’s new playstyle feel like more than just a simple character swap.
The Resonant Entity Boss Fight
Closer to the end of the level, I came across the first boss of the game, the Resonant Entity. Using everything I had learned, I managed to defeat it, though it definitely knocked me around a few times while I was figuring things out. I do not know if every boss in the game will work this way, but during this fight, there were health thresholds on the boss’s health bar.
Once I did enough damage, I was rewarded with health, which was extremely helpful since the boss hit pretty hard. This happened twice during the fight, and both times, it gave me just enough breathing room to keep pushing forward. The boss itself was enjoyable and had that weird, zany, paranatural energy that made Control so memorable in the first place.
CONTROL Resonant Runs Smoothly On PS5 Pro
It is also worth mentioning that I played CONTROL Resonant on a PlayStation 5 Pro using Performance Mode, and during my time with the game, the frame rate was definitely stable. Sadly, I was not able to look through the settings or switch over to Quality Mode, as that part of the preview build was not ready or fully optimized just yet. Still, for an early hands-on build, I came away impressed with how well the game ran.
As someone who mostly plays games like this on PC, that surprised me more than I expected. I usually default to PC whenever I can, especially with games that lean this hard into action, visuals, and performance. But after playing CONTROL Resonant on the PS5 Pro, I am now wondering if I might end up playing this on Sony’s upgraded console instead of my PC when the full game is released.
Remedy Has My Attention Again
After I beat the boss, I was treated to more story elements, but again, I am not going to spoil any of that. I was also asked if I wanted to keep playing and see a later level, but I politely declined. As much as I wanted to keep going, I would rather experience the rest of CONTROL Resonant when the full game is in my hands.
What I played was enough to instill confidence that CONTROL Resonant is going to blow my mind, much like the first game did. While the combat is simple enough to get a handle on, chaining attacks, combining abilities, and making use of the new skills you acquire is what is going to make the game stand out. And while my time with CONTROL Resonant was limited, I can already see the potential in Dylan’s playstyle.
I will admit that I was a bit unsure when it was mentioned that Jesse was no longer the star and that CONTROL Resonant was moving toward a melee-focused character. After playing it, however, I am not even close to being frustrated by that decision, because Dylan feels different enough to justify the change while still keeping that unmistakable Remedy weirdness intact. If this preview is any indication of what Remedy has planned, then CONTROL Resonant could end up being something very special.
