Remedy Entertainment recently held an extended gameplay reveal event for CONTROL Resonant, giving their first real look at how the sequel actually plays. CONTROL Resonant is a sci-fi action-RPG and the direct sequel to CONTROL. The game is set to launch in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Mac.

The story picks up seven years after the events of the first game, putting players in control of Dylan Faden, the brother of original protagonist Jesse Faden. Dylan is forced to confront his past and step up as the situation continues to spiral. His handler throughout the game is Zoe De Vera, a Federal Bureau of Control field agent who also serves as a key emotional anchor to the story. Returning characters like Simon Arish, the Head of Security, also appear alongside new FBC faces.

Moving the setting from the Oldest House to a warped version of Manhattan is one of the bigger shifts from the first game. Gravity Anomalies play a direct role in both traversal and combat through abilities called Reach and Shift. The world is laid out in distinct zones rather than as a fully open world, and each zone is filled with main missions, optional World Quests, hidden encounters, and various other activities. An improved map system has also been put in place to help players get around. The FBC has a presence throughout the city, including a central Field Office that develops as the story moves forward.

Combat is designed around keeping players aggressive and in constant motion. The core loop ties everything together in a cycle: landing melee hits restores ability resources, abilities can stun enemies to set up executions, and pulling off those executions temporarily boosts melee damage. It keeps the momentum going and pushes players to stay engaged rather than play cautiously. The melee side of things is anchored by Dylan’s weapon, the Aberrant, a shape-shifting weapon that shares a psychic link with Dylan and transforms into multiple forms during a fight.

The game’s major boss encounters are called Resonants, powerful entities born from individuals who were transformed by paranatural forces. Each Resonant has its own unique abilities and is directly tied to story progression. Defeating one rewards Dylan with new combat powers, making these fights meaningful on both a narrative and gameplay level.

Progression in CONTROL Resonant centers on build crafting, made up of three main components. The first is supernatural combat abilities, which are earned by defeating Resonants. Some Resonants offer a choice between multiple abilities, letting players lean into a particular specialization. The second component is weapon forms, the Aberrant can shift into different melee forms, each with varying speed, reach, and combat roles. Players can set a Primary Form for core attacks, a Secondary Form for tactical options and chargeable attacks, and a Combo Ender for powerful finishers at the end of attack chains.

Forms can be mixed during combat and upgraded through dedicated trees. The third component is talents, which are passive modifiers that build synergies between melee and abilities. Not every talent can be unlocked in a single playthrough, which Remedy says is intentional in encouraging players to come back and try different builds. Remedy also confirmed that what was shown is not the full picture, and more build crafting systems will be revealed closer to launch.

When asked about the ceiling for player expression and how deep the combo system goes, designer Sergey Mohov explained that the main driver for player expression comes from the RPG elements and the way weapon attacks and supernatural abilities can be combined.

“The main means of player expression has to do with RPG elements and combining weapon attacks with supernatural abilities. There are combos and ways to combine attacks with abilities, and a lot of synergies between them especially with the talent system.”

Creative director Mikael Kasurinen echoed this, pointing to the melee-to-ability resource loop as something embedded into the whole system.

Central to all of this is a space called the Gap which is a dreamlike, metaphysical location connected to Dylan’s mind where players unlock, select, and swap out abilities and build configurations. It can be entered at any time outside of combat, making it the main hub for managing progression. Outside of combat systems, players will also be able to customize Dylan’s appearance through outfits, hairstyles, and headgear.

CONTROL Resonant is targeting a 2026 release across all announced platforms. Remedy has been transparent that everything shown during the event was at alpha quality, meaning features and details are subject to change before the final version ships. Further reveals focused on characters, story, and additional systems are planned for a later point in the promotional campaign.