Control Resonant is over double the length of the original

Remedy Entertainment is making several big changes with Control Resonant, the sequel to 2019’s Control. That includes a new setting, protagonist, and combat system, to name just a few differences. Now Remedy has revealed the game will also differ greatly in playtime, with Resonant taking much longer to complete than its predecessor.

Lead gameplay designer Sergey Mohov told TechRadar that the “core experience” of Resonant will take around 30 hours to complete. For comparison, it takes roughly a dozen hours to beat the main story of Control. According to the site HowLongToBeat.com even a completionist playthrough takes under 30 hours on average. Mohov believes a completionist run of Resonant, on the other hand, will take around 50 hours. This alone reframes how much bigger Resonant is than its predecessor.

A major reason for such a difference in playtime is likely to be each game’s respective setting. Control is a constricted game, set entirely within the Oldest House. While the building was larger than it first appeared, most levels were contained to relatively small areas. Resonant will be set on the streets of New York City, allowing for a much greater scale and opportunity for exploration. While not strictly an open-world game, Remedy has said that Resonant‘s map is designed around open-ended zones that encourage more player freedom in how they tackle objectives. Due to this open-ended structure, there is likely to be more optional content to engage with away from the main story.

Even considering the grander scale of Resonant‘s world, it seems the core experience will require substantially more narrative to reach 30 hours. Remedy could absolutely deliver on a lengthy, sprawling narrative. The team has the chops. 2023’s Alan Wake 2 takes just about 20 hours to complete, and that is a pretty linear game. Even with the many changes Remedy is making with Resonant, the sequel is a deceptively faithful follow-up to the original Control. At least that’s the impression we got when we previewed the action RPG.

Control Resonant will be released Sept. 24 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X.