Control Resonant's City Is A Slog Compared To The First Game's Unforgettable Office Building

Key Points:

• Control Resonant, Remedy's latest game, struggles initially with a lackluster setting and pacing, making the first half feel like a slog compared to the original Control's tight and confident design.
• The original Control's setting, The Oldest House, is a brutalist office building that effectively blends mundane environments with escalating supernatural weirdness, creating a unique and memorable atmosphere.
• The Oldest House's liminal space concept parallels the Backrooms creepypasta, using ordinary, drab surroundings to heighten the impact of surreal and unsettling elements gradually introduced throughout the game.
• Control Resonant shifts its setting to a generic, glitched version of Manhattan, which lacks distinct architectural character and feels repetitive and lifeless, detracting from the immersive experience established by Control.
• Remedy Games is known for strong, distinctive identities in its titles, often drawing heavily from inspirations like Twin Peaks, but Resonant's uninspired urban environment marks a departure from the studio's usual creative strengths.