Control Resonant preview: Remedy pivots to hack-and-slash action

Remedy Entertainment’s sequel, Control Resonant, shifts sharply from the telekinetic third-person shooter of 2019 to a hack-and-slash action game. The playable hero is new: Dylan Faden awakens as a living weapon shaped by the Federal Bureau of Control and sets out to find his sister Jesse, while The Oldest House remains infested with the Hiss.

Combat leans on melee tools rather than a shapeshifting gun. Players pick from weapons like a misshapen scythe, giant hammers, and metallic whips, add a secondary arm mapped to the other attack button (a drill in my demo), and slot in specials such as telekinesis, a ground slam, and a fire blast.

The result is a fast, fluid system that mixes aerial combos, dashes, and finishers to regain health — an offense-first flow that calls to mind PlatinumGames’ polish and the propulsive action of Doom (2016). There’s also a large skill tree and individual trees for each weapon.

control resonant, remedy entertainment, dylan faden, jesse faden, oldest house, hiss, hack-and-slash, melee combat, telekinesis, skill tree