Control Resonant Wiki
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Launch and datesRelease date and unlock time48-hour early accessPhysical release dateDemo and beta
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PlatformsPlayStation 5Xbox Series X|SSteam and Epic (PC)Game PassSwitch 2Steam Deck
PC and performanceSystem requirementsFrame rate and modesDenuvo and DRMLanguages and dubbing
Reviews and videoWhat the reviews sayThe review embargoOfficial trailers
Story and the first gameIs it a sequel?Play Control first?Resonant vs ControlThe premise, spoiler-freeDylan FadenJesse Faden
How it playsHow long to beatAberrant weapon formsDifficulty and Assist ModeIs it open world?Multiplayer and co-opDLC and Season Pass
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About
How it plays

CONTROL Resonant difficulty: sliders instead of Easy, Normal and Hard

The studio writes that “Instead of a single difficulty toggle, we wanted to hand you a granular control panel.” Said in Steam announcement: How We Built CONTROL Resonant's Expanded Assist Mode. The panel is called Assist Mode, and the pictures below are the studio’s own screens.

Where it lives

Assist Mode sits in Options, on the Gameplay tab. The game does not ask you to choose at the start. The studio says it deliberately kept these settings out of the opening: “We really want you to try the game first.” You can switch Assist Mode on or off at any point, and the studio says “we absolutely do not gate any trophies or achievements behind these settings.” Stated in Steam announcement: How We Built CONTROL Resonant's Expanded Assist Mode. Steam also carries an Adjustable Difficulty tag. Listed on Steam store page (appdetails API)

Options screen, Gameplay tab, with the Assist Mode entry highlighted and an explanatory note at the right
Options, Gameplay tab. Below Enable Tutorials, Enable Backwards Dodge and Disable Timescale Curves sits the highlighted Assist Mode entry. The note at the right says Assist Mode is only available from the in-game menu because it affects the current Save Slot, and that Assist options can be set differently per Save Slot. Screenshot: Remedy Entertainment, from its Steam announcement.

That note matters if you keep more than one save: the setting belongs to the slot, not to the whole install. The studio’s announcement says the same about timing: “You can enable and disable Assist Mode in the settings at any point during gameplay.” From Steam announcement: How We Built CONTROL Resonant's Expanded Assist Mode

Presets, then sliders

Assist Mode screen listing the preset row, six sliders at 100, four switches and Enemy Aggression, with preset descriptions at the right
The Assist Mode screen. The preset row offers Custom, Field Agent, Strategist and Ranger. Power Recovery Speed, Incoming Damage, Outgoing Damage, Outgoing Falter, Perfect Dodge Window and Enemy Projectile Speed all read 100, the switches are unchecked and Enemy Aggression is on Medium. The right-hand panel describes each preset. Screenshot: Remedy Entertainment, from its Steam announcement.

The studio says it wrote the presets as baselines drawn from how different groups inside the studio like to play. You pick one, then fine-tune individual sliders from there.

Field Agent
Story and exploration come first, and combat rarely puts you in danger.
Strategist
Fights stay fast and lethal for both sides, so precise play is rewarded and the slightest mistake counts.
Ranger
You can stand your ground and shrug off attacks, at the price of firepower.
Custom
What the row shows once you change any individual option.
Every control on the Assist Mode screen
ControlTypeWhat it does
Assist Mode EnabledEnabled or DisabledSwitches the whole panel on or off.
Assist Mode PresetCustom, Field Agent, Strategist, RangerLoads a set of baselines. Changing any single option returns the row to Custom.
Power Recovery SpeedSlider, 100 by defaultThe studio suggests raising it if juggling Dylan's abilities in a busy fight is too much.
Incoming DamageSlider, 100 by defaultA higher value means Dylan takes more damage from hits and other sources. A lower value cuts all of it.
Outgoing DamageSlider, 100 by defaultSet separately from incoming damage.
Outgoing FalterSlider, 100 by defaultHow fast you break an enemy's posture.
Perfect Dodge WindowSlider, 100 by defaultWidening it helps with reading a boss's wind-up. Shrinking it to a few frames is the hard setting.
Enemy Projectile SpeedSlider, 100 by defaultThe studio suggests lowering it if you struggle to read a boss's wind-up. The screens show it going up to 200.
Enhanced Melee MagnetizingSwitch, off by defaultEases positioning during melee.
ImmortalitySwitch, off by defaultThe studio calls this and One-Hit Kills the classics.
One-Hit KillsSwitch, off by defaultListed by the studio with Immortality as a classic.
One-Hit FaltersSwitch, off by defaultThe studio calls this its newest addition.
Enemy AggressionLow, Medium or High; Medium by defaultTurn it down if enemies swarming from off-screen overwhelm you.

The dials go both ways

The announcement puts it plainly: “Here is the biggest change from the first game: you can now use Assist Mode to make the game harder.” Written in Steam announcement: How We Built CONTROL Resonant's Expanded Assist Mode. In the first game, it adds, the sliders only lowered the challenge.

Assist Mode screen with the Incoming Damage slider highlighted at 280 and Enemy Aggression set to High
Incoming Damage is highlighted at 280, and its note says a higher value makes Dylan take more damage. Below it Perfect Dodge Window reads 60, Enemy Projectile Speed reads 200 and Enemy Aggression is set to High. Screenshot: Remedy Entertainment, from its Steam announcement.

Rock Paper Shotgun’s reviewer says the game is no Sekiro, though larger fights can get tricky, and calls the Assist menu impressively granular. Reviewed in Rock Paper Shotgun: CONTROL Resonant review. For the hours reviewers reported, see how long to beat.

Comfort options outside Assist Mode

Options screen, Interface tab, showing color palette adjustment, a Shift-Tunnelling switch and HUD toggles
Options, Interface tab. The color palette adjustment reads None. Under Motion Sickness the highlighted Shift-Tunnelling switch is unchecked, and its note says it adds a vignette when shifting to help reduce motion sickness. HUD toggles such as Hide HUD and Hide Tracked Quest follow. Screenshot: Remedy Entertainment, from its Steam announcement.

The same announcement lists more: changing hold actions to toggles, remapping controller and keyboard, switching off motion blur, depth of field, lens distortion, film grain and vignetting, separate volume sliders, a Hyperacusis Filter, subtitle size and speaker names, a color-blind mode, and independent axis inversion for mouse and controller. Listed in Steam announcement: How We Built CONTROL Resonant's Expanded Assist Mode. The weapon side of a build is covered on the Aberrant forms page.

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