I asked Control Resonant's gameplay designer all my burning questions — how the combat's 'melee focus' differs from the original, and why you 'haven't played anything exactly like' what you'll see in its 30-hour length

There are few games as eagerly anticipated as Control Resonant , Remedy Entertainment's upcoming action-adventure RPG.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p>There are few games as eagerly anticipated as <em>Control Resonant</em>, Remedy Entertainment's upcoming action-adventure RPG. After all, we've endured a long wait since 2019's <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/control-review"><em>Control</em></a> introduced us to the Lynchian world of the red-hued Hiss and the Federal Bureau of Control.</p><p>The good news is that the wait is nearly over — because Resonant arrives in less than two months. And the really good news is that it looks great; so great, in fact, that we gave it one of our <a href="https://www.techradar.com/gaming/techradar-gaming-best-of-summer-game-fest-2026-awards">Best of Summer Games Fest awards</a>.</p><p>So, what will the sequel bring to the table to stand out from its predecessor in a notable way? After playing a <a href="https://www.techradar.com/gaming/control-resonants-ray-tracing-is-a-heavy-demand-on-the-rtx-5090-but-its-an-absolute-delight-to-the-eyes">lengthy two-hour preview of <em>Control Resonant</em></a> recently, I had a chance to speak with the lead gameplay designer, Sergey Mohov, and put that question to him, among others. </p><h2 id="melee-masterpiece">Melee masterpiece</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:3840px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="uxBYs36p5XCsvPbYAHkk43" name="CTRL_R_Preorder_Combat_12" alt="A screenshot from the game Control Resonant showing Dylan Faden, The Hiss, the warped streets of Manhattan, and active combat" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uxBYs36p5XCsvPbYAHkk43.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="3840" height="2160" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Unsurprisingly, combat is the centerpiece in <em>Resonant</em>, just as it was in the original. In that game, you played as Jesse Faden, equipped with a trusty shapeshifting handgun and tasked with finding her brother, Dylan — who is now the main character in <em>Resonant</em>. </p><p>You could unlock several different ammo types that would essentially act as different gun types: shotgun, automatic machine gun, grenade launcher, and so on. Those were joined by various powers, some of which allowed players to levitate or hurl objects at enemies.</p><div style="min-height: 250px;"> <div class="kwizly-quiz kwizly-eBzpAe"></div> </div> <script src="https://kwizly.com/embed/eBzpAe.js" async></script><p>In <em>Resonant</em>, Remedy seeks to double down on that combat-heavy gamplay, but specifically with melee, using a shapeshifting weapon, the Aberrant, and other supernatural abilities. The result reminds me of the best hack-and-slash games, such as Capcom's <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/devil-may-cry-5-review"><em>Devil May Cry 5</em></a>.</p><p>Despite my hack-and-slash comparisons, though, <em>Resonant</em>'s combat was developed mostly with its predecessor in mind, and that's what both the preview build and Mohov's answers make clear right away.</p><p>"We actually have a pretty long and eclectic list of references, and they're not all video games," Mohov says. "If I had to name one game that this game [Resonant] is trying to be like, it would be the original <em>Control</em>. That's our number one reference for everything.</p><p>"With our creative director, we started figuring out what makes <em>Control</em>, <em>Control</em>? That was a big question, because we wanted to make a sequel that is spiritually and experientially similar to the first game, so it still feels like a <em>Control</em> game. But we also wanted to have more of this melee-focused, in-your-face, aggressive gameplay at the same time."</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:800px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="gUMvxWoRXcK3W99DEUzExF" name="Control Resonant" alt="Gameplay of Control Resonant Entity boss fight" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gUMvxWoRXcK3W99DEUzExF.gif" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="800" height="450" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)</span></figcaption></figure><p>While <em>Resonant</em>'s structure and identity draw primarily from <em>Control</em>, Mohov stresses that the Remedy team also wasn't shy about incorporating elements from other games as well.</p><p>"We use references for the individual parts of the experience. I'm a big fan of <em>DMC 2</em> and <em>DMC 3</em>, and PlatinumGames' titles. It's really hard to name one single reference, but I think if you play the game more, you'll notice that there are things that have been done in other games, but I don't think you can directly say Resonant is 'exactly like this other thing.'</p><p>"We learn lessons from all of these other projects to see what works and what doesn't, but I think you probably haven't played anything that is exactly like this."</p><p>Admittedly, the first <em>Control</em> was a game that I couldn't stick with throughout its runtime, mostly due to its somewhat convoluted storyline and combat being limited to Jesse Faden's shapeshifting gun.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:800px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="dmuULUSgvbUtEdRFXUXGv5" name="Control Resonant" alt="Secondary weapon forms in Control Resonant" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dmuULUSgvbUtEdRFXUXGv5.gif" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="800" height="450" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Remedy Entertainment)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Mohov confirms that the "core experience" in <em>Resonant </em>should be around "30 hours", while the completionist experience is expected to be within the "50 hours" ballpark. </p><p>That means it'll be longer than the first game, but with the impressive RPG elements on display, and with numerous weapon and skill types to choose from, it's an even more appealing experience than before — and one that doesn't require a full playthrough of the first entry.</p><p>"I don't think you have to play the first <em>Control</em> game to play Resonant," says Mohov, "but if you do, it will enrich your experience, especially narratively. We put in a <em>Control</em> recap, right at the top of the main menu, though, so you don't need to [play it]."</p><p>Walking away from my two-hour playtest and conversation with Mohov, I'm more convinced than ever that Remedy's step into a full melee-focused <em>Control</em> experience is going to pay off, and I can't wait to get my hands on it when it launches on September 24, on <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/ps5">PS5</a>, <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/xbox-series-x">Xbox Series X</a>, <a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/xbox-series-s">Xbox Series S</a>, and PC.</p> </article> ]]>