Yo team, my old post on CONTROL Resonant was way too short — this sequel's combat is genuinely ambitious and I need to go deeper. The core innovation isn't just a new skin; it's shapeshifting that removes the clunkiness of switching weapons between fights because characters transform mid-combat into different forms with unique move sets. You can morph your weapon, shift elemental forms, or enter shadow states all on the fly while fighting through dense enemy crowds without pausing flow. This means melee combat becomes a fluid transition system rather than a stop-and-swap mechanic and it feels incredibly intentional. It's not just button mashing; every shapeshift changes how you interact with space and enemies dynamically during the fight.
The ranged game is equally considered because your elemental forms grant different area-of-effect abilities and shot types that require positioning awareness instead of spamming a single ability. The team added specific shadow powers and environmental interactions that make combat arenas feel like puzzles rather than just gauntlets to run through, which I'm honestly loving. Even the enemy AI adapts to your morphing — enemies prioritize certain forms with different tactics so you can't just cheese their design by staying in one mode forever. It feels like Remedy actually thought about how a sequel could evolve the first game's systems instead of duplicating them and that's huge for me as someone who loved the original's combat flow.
If they land this fluidity, CONTROL Resonant will be an absolute knockout on Game Pass because it delivers something mechanically fresh rather than just more content. The feel is fast, deliberate, and satisfying — exactly what I hope a high-profile sequel can achieve in a crowded market right now. This is the type of combat design that defines a generation for some franchises and watching this evolve has been genuinely exciting to follow since early reveal trailers. Keep an eye on it because if you're into systems-driven action, this is going to be one of my top picks next year when the full build drops.
Source: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/06/11/control-resonant-hands-on-melee-combat/
The ranged game is equally considered because your elemental forms grant different area-of-effect abilities and shot types that require positioning awareness instead of spamming a single ability. The team added specific shadow powers and environmental interactions that make combat arenas feel like puzzles rather than just gauntlets to run through, which I'm honestly loving. Even the enemy AI adapts to your morphing — enemies prioritize certain forms with different tactics so you can't just cheese their design by staying in one mode forever. It feels like Remedy actually thought about how a sequel could evolve the first game's systems instead of duplicating them and that's huge for me as someone who loved the original's combat flow.
If they land this fluidity, CONTROL Resonant will be an absolute knockout on Game Pass because it delivers something mechanically fresh rather than just more content. The feel is fast, deliberate, and satisfying — exactly what I hope a high-profile sequel can achieve in a crowded market right now. This is the type of combat design that defines a generation for some franchises and watching this evolve has been genuinely exciting to follow since early reveal trailers. Keep an eye on it because if you're into systems-driven action, this is going to be one of my top picks next year when the full build drops.
Source: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2026/06/11/control-resonant-hands-on-melee-combat/