Control Resonant Preview – Hands-On With Remedy’s Surreal Take On Stylish Action
Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac
Publisher:
Remedy Entertainment
Developer:
Remedy Entertainment
Release:
Much like the Oldest House, the Control franchise has rearranged itself into something different. The first game is a third-person shooter, but its sequel, Control Resonant, is a melee-focused action game more in line with Devil May Cry. Instead of exploring a single disaster-ridden building, players must combat the reality-warping Hiss across New York City. The previous hero, Jesse Faden, has gone missing, leaving her long-imprisoned brother, Dylan, to become the city’s savior. Fans of the first game may be understandably apprehensive, but after playing three hours of Control Resonant, I’m ready to embrace these changes with open arms.
Dylan Faden awakens in his cell inside the Oldest House after an eyebrow-raising setup that sees Jesse impaling him with what will become Dylan’s weapon, the Aberrant, and he steps into the aftermath of a massacre. The building’s blood-soaked halls are littered with the slain bodies of the Federal Bureau of Control employees who kept him prisoner since childhood. This quick but effective opening romp through the devastated headquarters brings me outside, where a mind-bending and nightmarish version of the Big Apple lies before me. This Hiss has somehow escaped, and these mysterious enemies are wreaking havoc on the outside world.
Remedy’s “open-ended” NYC (not open world) skirts the line between reality and a drug-induced hallucination. Suspended bodies obscure the sky; flocks of birds are frozen in time, flickering in and out of existence; buildings and cars appear unnaturally warped, and streets bend and curve at odd angles, including a 90-degree drop in one spot. It’s a surreal space to occupy, but Dylan’s supernatural traversal abilities, such as a double-jump, air-dash, and a boost jump that lets him briefly float, make climbing and leaping across the city a fun breeze.
Dylan’s chief weapon is the Aberrant, a metallic bar that transforms into whatever form he wills. I’m given one of three weapon forms to begin the game with: a one-handed axe boasting a medium speed and robust combos, dual sword-like weapons that offer faster-paced offense, and a long-reaching scythe adept at sweeping attacks. I chose the axe, but you’ll eventually unlock the remaining forms to switch between. As a stylish action fan, I slipped right into the familiar rhythm of hacking apart foes using simple melee combos, popping them skyward for air-juggles, and dodging attacks mid-offense before zipping back into the fray. I’m impressed with how swift yet impactful the action feels, and I appreciate how Dylan can quickly dash between multiple distant targets at once to manage often large crowds. The action is a step below the sky-high polish of a Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, but that’s hardly some big knock. I still had a blast cutting down scores of Hiss of all types, including a chaotic boss fight against a massive creature resembling a woman’s jawless, disembodied head.
Combat Abilities offer additional offensive or defensive skills. One allows Dylan to surround himself in rubble to form a shield, another lets him telekinetically throw rocks, and a third summons smaller entities to attack. A rechargeable meter restricts players from leaning on these powers too much, but that’s okay; Dylan has plenty more up his sleeves. You can use sidearms, such as turning the Aberrant into a whip-like weapon or a slower but mighty hammer, to weave into combos as well as have a more specialized attack to handle certain situations. The whip form was great for striking targets from further away, for example.
If that’s not enough, Dylan can also wield Combo Enders, special weapons that the Aberrant morphs into during the final sequence of a combo. This twist includes gauntlets that trigger rapid-fire punches and a glaive-like projectile that rotates around Dylan to strike multiple threats.
I enjoyed mixing my arsenals to create vastly different loadouts and offensive strings. I also appreciate that Remedy encourages players to change things up; some enemies are vulnerable to certain weapon attacks. Visiting The Gap, a hub space accessible anytime by holding Down on the d-pad, allows you to upgrade these tools using various skill trees, as well as craft perk-granting accessories called Artifacts. Each weapon’s skill tree looked robust, though you can respec skill points by spending a resource if you’d like to experiment with loadouts. Once you exit The Gap, however, you’re locked into your choices.
Despite its differences, Control Resonant retains the fascinating strangeness of the original. In a later chapter, I’m tasked by Zoe, an FBC agent who becomes Dylan’s uneasy ally and primary mission giver, to explore the depths of a sinkhole. The Hiss have turned it into topsy-turvy, kaleidoscopic layers of repeating apartments where I can traverse the walls and ceilings to engage in multi-angled fights reminiscent of the hotel battle in Inception. Later, I must follow the sound of a song jumping from TV to TV to escape a dollhouse-like maze of rooms. It’s weird as hell, which is all I really want as a big fan of Control. The exceptional character action is just the cherry on top.
Control Resonant launches on September 24 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
