Control Resonant holds 84 on Metacritic from 60 critics and 84 on OpenCritic from 63 critics, with 84% recommending it. Critics almost unanimously praise the art direction, story and audio; the criticism lands on repetitive melee encounters and shallow RPG systems. Scores range from a perfect 10 to a 4/10, which is an unusually wide spread.
The scores
| Outlet | Score | Takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| VGC | 10/10 | The genre gamble pays off; standout cast and art direction |
| GameSpot | 9/10 | Semi-open-world character action done well |
| DualShockers | 8.5/10 | A major step up in scope |
| IGN | 8/10 | "Hard to escape its gravitational pull", but repetitive late |
| Insider Gaming | 8/10 | Stunning art, compelling story, repetitive encounters |
| PC Gamer | 76/100 | Atmosphere lands, systems less so |
| PlayStation Lifestyle | 7/10 | The genre shift has not fully paid off |
| Eurogamer | 3/5 | Leaving the Oldest House costs it some magic |
| ComicBook | 4/10 | Melee combat "hollow, relentlessly repetitive" |
What critics agree on
The praise is remarkably consistent: art direction, level design, the story and performances, and the audio work. Even reviews that scored the game low single out the presentation as a strength.
Metacritic’s distribution reflects that overall positivity — roughly 93% positive, 5% mixed and 2% negative across 60 reviews. This is not a divisive game in aggregate; it is a game with a small number of very unhappy outliers.
What critics criticise
- Repetition in combat encounters and optional activities over a 30-hour campaign.
- RPG elements described as fairly basic despite the genre shift.
- Camera issues in tight spaces.
- Some cutscene direction called generic relative to Remedy’s usual standard.
- PC optimisation flagged by some reviewers, though upscaling addresses most of it.
The through-line is structural rather than technical: a shooter’s worth of encounter variety stretched across an action RPG’s runtime is where most complaints originate.
Why the spread is so wide
The 10/10 and the 4/10 are reviewing the same game through different lenses. VGC’s perfect score credits the genre gamble and presentation; ComicBook’s 4/10 judges the melee system purely as a character-action game and finds it wanting.
If you value atmosphere, world-building and narrative, the high scores are the better predictor. If you came for mechanically deep melee combat measured against genre specialists, the low scores are the warning worth heeding.
By platform
| Platform | Metascore | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | 84 | 63 |
| PC | 83 | 34 |
| Xbox Series X | 81 | 10 |
The gaps are small and partly a function of sample size — the Xbox figure rests on ten reviews. There is no evidence of a platform version being substantially worse in critical terms.
Where it sits in Remedy’s catalogue
At 84 it scores higher than the original Control’s 82, making it the best-reviewed game in the series, though Control: Ultimate Edition sits slightly ahead at 85. Coverage consistently frames it as falling short of Alan Wake 2, Remedy’s critical high-water mark.
In 2026 terms it is a strong release that did not crack the year’s top tier. User scores were not yet available at the time of writing, since they only accumulate after release.
Who this game is for
The consensus points to a clear audience. If you value art direction, world-building, story and audio, almost every review — including the critical ones — says you will find those here at a high standard.
If your priority is mechanically deep melee combat measured against dedicated character-action games, the low scores are the ones speaking to you. The complaint is not that the combat is broken but that it repeats across a roughly 30-hour campaign.
What changed from the original
Resonant trades the first game’s third-person gunplay for melee-led combat with the Aberrant, a shapeshifting weapon with multiple forms and separate upgrade trees. Resonance abilities are fuelled by aggressive play, and there is no traditional block to fall back on.
It also leaves the Oldest House for a zone-based Manhattan. Eurogamer’s 3/5 argues that departure costs the series some of its magic, while GameSpot’s 9/10 credits the same decision with giving Remedy room for a semi-open character-action game.
Technical reception
PC reviewers reported the game running well provided an upscaler is enabled, which matches Remedy publishing every performance tier with upscaling assumed and frame generation excluded. Some reviews still flagged optimisation as a weak point.
On console, PS5 offers 1440p/60 Performance and 2160p/30 Quality, PS5 Pro adds ray-traced Balanced and Quality modes with PSSR, Xbox Series X has 60fps and 30fps modes, and Series S is limited to a single 30fps profile.
How long you are committing
Roughly 30 hours for the main story per lead gameplay designer Sergey Mohov, about 35 for a thorough first run, and close to 50 to complete everything. That length is directly relevant to the repetition criticism.
New Game Plus ships at launch and carries abilities over, and talents and artifacts respec freely, so a second run can be built around a different playstyle without restarting progression.
Where to read the full reviews
Both aggregators link every counted review. Metacritic collects 60 of them with the score distribution visible, and OpenCritic lists 63 with its recommendation percentage alongside each outlet.
Given how far apart the extremes sit here, reading two full reviews from opposite ends is more useful than scanning a dozen scores. The disagreement is narrow and specific, which makes it easy to work out which side applies to you.
Scores can still move
Aggregates drift for weeks after launch as late reviews arrive. Our figures were captured on September 18, 2026, the day the embargo lifted, and the live pages are always the authoritative source.
User scores did not exist yet at that point either, since they only accumulate once the public can play. We do not estimate a user score from social sentiment.
Buying context
The Standard Edition is $59.99 and the Digital Deluxe is $69.99, with the Deluxe adding digital extras and, on PS5 only, 48 hours of early access from September 22. There is no Game Pass release, so no subscription route exists.
Pre-orders on every platform include the Hiss Corruption Outfit and Pickpocket’s Tool Artifact, with PlayStation adding the Occult Outfit. Physical editions, including the SteelBook, ship October 15.