A wide critic gap
GameSpot called Control Resonant Remedy’s “best gameplay experience ever.” Metro called the same game “a repetitive slog.” That’s an unusually wide gap for a sequel to one of the best-loved action games of the last decade, and almost all of it comes down to one decision: Dylan Faden fights up close.
Our consensus score is 83, which is OpenCritic’s Top Critic Average. The site lists 133 critic reviews, and 86% of critics recommend it.
| Outlet | Score | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| GameSpot | 9/10 | Deep, aggressive combat and a stunning Manhattan |
| IGN | 8/10 | Combat’s edge dulls, but Remedy’s touch pulls you in |
| PC Gamer | 76/100 | Magnificent hellscapes, too much middling combat |
| Eurogamer | 3/5 | Loses focus outside the Oldest House |
| Metro | 5/10 | A brave but foolhardy pivot to melee |
Remedy’s folded New York wins over most critics
Set seven years after Control, Resonant pushes the Hiss out of the Oldest House and into a Manhattan sealed off from the world. Lincoln Carpenter’s 76/100 review for PC Gamer says Remedy’s environment artists are “at the height of their powers,” turning brownstones and shopping districts into a “sprawling, dreamlike mazework.” Even Metro’s review credits level design that finally makes good on “the extreme weirdness promised by the original.”
Eurogamer is the exception on atmosphere. Alexis Ong’s 3/5 review argues that there’s “a discernible loss of focus” once you leave the Oldest House, whose shifting brutalist architecture did so much of the first game’s work. She thinks the sequel doesn’t truly hit its stride until Dylan is beneath the Oldest House.
The melee combat is the whole argument
Dylan’s weapon is the Aberrant, a shape-shifting chunk of metal that becomes quick clubs, a sweeping scythe or something in between. There’s no block or parry, just a dodge that opens a counter window, and every system pushes you to stay on the attack. For Mark Delaney at GameSpot, that’s the point. His 9/10 review praises builds that reward thought, and a power curve that’s “supremely satisfying because it invites–and then rewards–thoughtful decisions by the player.”
Everyone else has reservations, and they’re strikingly consistent. Michael Higham’s 8/10 IGN review says it plainly in its subheading: “Combat’s sharp edge eventually gets dull.” He found that “roughly half the bosses are spongy slogs” that come down to a war of attrition. PC Gamer’s Carpenter says basic attacks “don’t have the juice” and that the combat “can’t sustain Resonant’s 30+ hour playtime,” made worse by auto-targeting that flings his boulders at the wrong enemy.
Metro’s 5/10 review goes furthest, calling all the enemies “damage sponges to some degree” and the bosses “an absolute chore.” It also blames a camera that’s usually too far out to feel the impact of your hits. Eurogamer’s verdict on whether Control’s combat has improved is a blunt “not really.”
Remedy’s launch trailer gives a fair sense of the pace. If this looks like your kind of fight, the reviews suggest you’ll be happy for a long time.
Difficulty and level scaling make or break the middle hours
Several critics hit the same wall. Carpenter found himself underleveled when he beelined for the story leads that interested him, and had to go back and grind activities he’d skipped. Higham says Dylan felt “noticeably underpowered for most of the 30-hour journey.” Delaney calls the default difficulty “pretty tough” but points to an Assist Mode with custom sliders and presets, which is the obvious fix if you’re here for the story.
PC performance is a bright spot
There’s good news on PC. Delaney played for 45 hours on an RTX 4070 “without a single hitch,” and credits Remedy’s Northlight engine for carrying a lot of visual noise. Carpenter reviewed it on an RTX 4070 Super with a Core i7-14700K. Delaney does complain about navigation: he often got lost in the more elaborate spaces, and the map rarely bailed him out. That’s a welcome contrast with recent launches like Monster Hunter Wilds, where PC performance was the big caveat in reviews. On Steam, players rate Resonant Very Positive, with about 92% of more than 18,000 user reviews positive.
Buy it or skip it
- ✅ Buy if you loved Control’s world and lore. Most critics rate the setting as classic Remedy, though Eurogamer and Metro found the story weaker.
- ✅ Buy if you like aggressive character-action combat and building around a power curve. GameSpot’s 9 is for you.
- ✅ Buy if you’re on a mid-range PC. GameSpot ran it for 45 hours on an RTX 4070 without a hitch.
- ❌ Skip if spongy bosses and grinding to catch up on levels wear you down. IGN, PC Gamer and Metro all hit that.
- ❌ Skip if you wanted the tight, focused Oldest House of the first game. Eurogamer says the open map loses that.
Our take
We think 83 undersells how good the parts critics like really are, and slightly oversells how many people will love the whole thing. If you want Remedy’s world-building, Resonant is unmissable, and Assist Mode means the combat doesn’t have to stand in your way. If you’re buying it for combat, watch the trailer and be honest with yourself about 30 hours of it. Either way, it’s in a different league from the year’s genuine misfires, such as MindsEye. It’s $59.99 on Steam, with no discount at the moment.
Scores and price checked on OpenCritic and Steam, 18 October 2026.
