Control Resonant Reinvents Action RPG Progression by Making the World Level Up Instead of You
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Remedy Entertainment's Control Resonant discards traditional character XP in favor of a zone-based leveling system where the open world grows more dangerous as you conquer it.
Remedy Entertainment is shaking up traditional action RPG design in Control Resonant by ditching standard character leveling in favor of a world-driven progression system. Instead of earning experience points for your protagonist, Dylan, the corrupted Manhattan zones you explore absorb that XP as you complete activities. Leveling up these districts yields territory upgrades like improved health drops and hidden loot chests, while also rewarding you with talent points for traditional character growth. This approach ties your power directly to the state of the game world, creating a distinct feedback loop that recontextualizes open zone exploration.
That evolving world pushes back just as hard as you do, thanks to a reactive difficulty system and expanded paranormal factions. Taking down major boss targets called Resonants grants powerful new abilities, but it also triggers global escalation, spawning tougher enemies and more dangerous encounters across the entire city map. Alongside evolved iterations of the Hiss and the Mold from the original game, a brand new threat called Patterning warps the Manhattan cityscape into algorithmic horrors. These distinct enemy factions demand varied combat tactics, forcing players to constantly adapt their builds, manage environmental hazards, and rethink how they approach crowd control.
Rather than relying on adjustable difficulty sliders, Remedy has built Control Resonant around a single finely tuned challenge level supplemented by optional assist modes. Boss fights function as strict skill checks designed to test different player builds, pushing you to experiment with ranged attacks, melee setups, and specialized artifacts. With non-linear objectives opening up after the early game, players face strategic choices about when to engage major bosses, balancing immediate power gains against the escalating chaos of a hostile New York.
Tags: Control Resonant, Remedy Entertainment, Action RPG, PC Gaming, Console Gaming
Original article: IGN South Africa