Control Resonant is a sequel — and also a starting point

The Verge preview says Control Resonant follows 2019’s Control in the timeline, but Remedy is positioning it as accessible without playing the original. Creative director Mikael Kasurinen describes the two games as complementary rather than tightly dependent, and the preview suggests Resonant’s opening act is built to stand on its own.

Remedy appears to be balancing continuity with a lower barrier to entry, a common challenge for narrative-heavy franchises. If successful, Control Resonant could expand the audience without alienating existing fans, reflecting a broader trend toward sequels that function as both follow-ups and soft entry points.

Chronologically, Control Resonant is a sequel to 2019's Control. But in most other ways, the games aren't directly connected. To developer Remedy, they're more like two sides of the same coin. When Resonant was first revealed last year, creative director Mikael Kasurinen said you can play the games in any order. The world of Control is reality-bending in lots of ways, but the general linear progression of time isn't really one of them - how would someone start with the sequel? It didn't click until I played Resonant myself. In a two-plus-hour preview earlier this week, I played the opening act of the game, as well as a later story mission … Read the full story at The Verge.