CONTROL Resonant length: how long to beat the story
The studio publishes one range for the main story. Reviewers publish their own clocks, and each one counts a different amount of play. The table keeps them in separate rows so none of them passes for another.
| Source | Hours | What it counts | 0 to 55 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remedy, on the PlayStation Blog Studio | 25 to 35 | The main story, with more left over for completionists. The post gives no figure for that extra part. | |
| Rock Paper Shotgun Reviewed in Rock Paper Shotgun: CONTROL Resonant review Reviewer, PC | About 30 | Nearly thirty hours played when the review ran, with the postgame reached and side quests still unfinished. | |
| Pure Xbox Reviewer, Xbox Series X | About 27 | The reviewer says it took roughly 27 hours to complete. The review does not say how much of that was side content. | |
| Push Square Reviewed in Push Square: CONTROL Resonant review (PS5) Reviewer, PS5 Pro | About 25 | A campaign of about 25 hours. In a reply under the review, the reviewer says that included a fair amount of side quests and left a decent collection of them undone. | |
| Polygon, relaying an interview Reported by Polygon: report on how long the sequel runs Second-hand report | About 30, and about 50 | Second-hand: Polygon says the lead gameplay designer told TechRadar the core experience runs around 30 hours and a completionist run around 50. |
The studio’s own words
The figure comes from Remedy’s communications director, in a post about PlayStation 5 features: “The main story takes anywhere from 25 to 35 hours to complete, with plenty more for completionists.” Said in PlayStation Blog: Control Resonant: PS5 features detailed. That sentence is about the main story only. Everything else falls under the “plenty more”, and no hour count is attached to it.
Why the review clocks differ
The three review clocks include different amounts of side content. Push Square’s includes some, Rock Paper Shotgun’s leaves side quests unfinished, and Pure Xbox does not say. Read them as three points on the studio’s range, not as a ruling on it. The world itself is built from large zones with optional discoveries, so two players can reach the credits hours apart.
Rock Paper Shotgun also describes areas that level up as you clear side missions there, and says Dylan earns a skill point only when an area levels. A player who skips side missions, or turns fights easier or harder in the Assist Mode sliders, will not match anyone else’s number. Fight length also depends on the Aberrant forms you build around.
What New Game+ adds
A second run is a separate question, and the studio has not given an hour figure for it. Its announcement puts it this way: “New Game+ lets you start a fresh run while carrying over much of your progression from your first playthrough” Set out in Steam announcement: New Game+ Detailed. What changes on that second pass:
- A fourth Artifact slot: “You’ll also unlock a fourth Artifact slot”.
- More freedom with abilities, “including equipping multiple abilities from the same Resonant boss.”
- Content to go back for: “It’s an opportunity to revisit World Quests, bounties, and collectibles you may have missed” from PlayStation Blog: Remedy shares first details on New Game+.
- Traversal abilities do not carry over, because the studio ties them to story progression.
The studio calls the game a complete experience at launch. What it has said about content after that is on the DLC and Season Pass page.
Related
- Difficulty and Assist Mode, for the sliders that change how long fights last
- Aberrant weapon forms and whether it is open world
- What the reviews say, the FAQ and how Resonant compares with Control