Since its reveal back at The Game Awards last year, CONTROL Resonant has quickly become one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2026. Remedy Entertainment, the studio behind the CONTROL franchise, has been drip-feeding information about the game for a couple of months via blog posts and YouTube Shorts, with our first extended look at gameplay at the PlayStation State of Play on February 12th.
In a new blog post published on the official PlayStation Blog, Remedy Entertainment’s Senior Communications Manager, Miika Huttunen, shared some more details on CONTROL Resonant’s systems, “from combat flow and buildcrafting to how progression shapes your playstyle.”
Miika starts by touching on something that we already knew: while we will be playing as Dylan Faden as we traverse a warped Manhattan, the Federal Bureau of Control, or FBC, is still active, trying to contain the outbreak of malevolent forces that have escaped their HQ, the Oldest House. Dylan even has a handler, an FBC agent by the name of Zoe De Vera, and their relationship acts as the “emotional core of the experience.”
The interesting note that came from this is that the team at Remedy is adding a seamless dialogue system “that allows conversations to unfold during exploration, keeping you immersed in the world.” We assume this means that conversations between Dylan and other characters will pause during combat or other key moments, so players don’t lose out on plot beats and important info.
Next up is game and world design, with Miika clarifying that CONTROL Resonant is not open-world, but “divided into carefully designed zones, each with its own vibe, encounters, lore, and secrets.” The dev team does not want to give players anxiety by having a vast map cluttered with icons, and instead wants players to tackle things in their own way. There will be two types of missions to look out for: Dylan’s Journey, which is the main storyline of Resonant, and World Quests, which act as self-contained narrative stories, much like the side Investigations Dylan’s sister Jesse dealt with in CONTROL.
“Beyond these, you’ll find combat encounters, environmental challenges, hidden discoveries, and optional activities woven naturally into each area. Maybe you chase down an Altered Item or two… “
Alongside the change in setting and level design, CONTROL Resonant drops the ranged-focused combat that Remedy is known for, with Dylan wielding a shape-shifting object known as The Aberrant, which transforms into different melee weapons during combat. “It [the Aberrant] shifts between distinct Primary and Secondary Forms, along with powerful Combo Enders, allowing you to tailor speed, range, and combat role within a single build.”
Resonant’s combat is built on aggression, rewarding the player’s decisiveness and opening up more options as fights progress. Melee hits restore your Combat Ability resource, and abilities are used to stun enemies, making them vulnerable to executions, which in turn temporarily increases your melee damage.
That’s not to say that every player has to get used to staying in close combat, with Miika stressing the choices that players will have when crafting their playstyle. “For example, you might lean into a heavy close-range build or opt for a more tactical setup using summons like Mold Turrets, which attack independently and apply harmful status effects.”
Whatever way people choose to play, detailed stat breakdowns are available to make build performance transparent and readable.
When not in combat, players can enter the Gap, “a dreamlike space tied to Dylan’s psyche”, where you shape Dylan’s build; a nice quality of life change from CONTROL, which had you visit the game’s checkpoints to change Jesse’s loadout.
Dylan’s setup is built around three pillars: Weapon Forms, Supernatural Combat Abilities, and Talents. Weapon Forms are the different forms that the Aberrant can take, of which we have already seen a few, including twin swords, a large hammer, and a lance or spear, with even more shown off in the above gameplay trailer. Supernatural Combat Abilities are earned by defeating Resonants, powerful bosses Dylan will have to face, which are tied into the story and reward Dylan with their unique abilities upon defeat. Some Resonants even present choices that push the player towards a particular playstyle. Lastly, Talents amplify the synergy between abilities and melee attacks, giving players that extra level of customisation to their playstyle.
Possibly the most intriguing detail Miika shared was at the very end of the blog post, where they mentioned that “These aren’t the only systems at play, and not everything can be unlocked in a single playthrough — that’s intentional.” Sounds like players will have to go for at least a second playthrough to unlock everything CONTROL Resonant has to offer!
With the amount of information that we have about Resonant’s combat compared to other facets of the game, it seems as though Remedy Entertainment is doing its best to assuage any worries fans may have about the change to a more melee-focused combat system. But it also comes as no surprise that Remedy is keeping its cards close to its chest when it comes to narrative and worldbuilding.
The blog post finishes with the promise that the team will share more about the game’s story, characters, and the larger paranatural forces “in the months ahead”, so be sure to come back to the GSC for more CONTROL Resonant news in the future.
CONTROL Resonant is scheduled to release in 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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