[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-control-resonant-swaps-guns-for-swords-at-summer-games-fest-demo":10,"sections":35},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":24,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":25,"tags":26,"sources":30,"feedback":34,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":34,"total_tokens":34},401,"control-resonant-swaps-guns-for-swords-at-summer-games-fest-demo","Control Resonant Bets the Franchise on New Combat","Remedy's Control sequel ditches gunplay for hack-and-slash combat, and early demo impressions suggest the experiment is still finding its footing.","Control Resonant, the follow-up to Remedy's acclaimed 2019 supernatural shooter, is swapping guns for blades.\n\nShown at Summer Game Fest this month, the game departs from the original Control's core formula - a service pistol augmented by telekinetic powers - in favor of melee-focused hack-and-slash combat. Hands-on time with an early demo found the concept interesting but the execution unconvincing. The design pivot is real and significant: where the original built its identity around a specific feel of gunplay fused with supernatural abilities, Resonant appears to be building from a different foundation entirely.\n\nThat choice carries genuine risk. Control's audience connected with it precisely because of that gun-and-powers feel - iterating on the formula, as Remedy did with Alan Wake 2, is one thing; replacing it wholesale is another. Genre shifts mid-franchise are notoriously hard to land: they can reinvent a series or simply confuse the people who made the original a hit.\n\nEarly demos at summer showcases are rough cuts, and games routinely ship better than they play in June. But \"interesting concept, not sold yet\" is the honest read - and that gap between concept and conviction is exactly what the next year of development has to close.","[\"gaming\",\"remedy\",\"control-resonant\",\"summer-game-fest\"]","2026-06-08T15:45:15.000Z","2026-06-08T16:11:44.777Z","2026-06-18T06:21:54.206Z","published",null,[],"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.xyz.onl\u002Farticle-images\u002Fcontrol-resonant-swaps-guns-for-swords-at-summer-games-fest-demo.webp","gaming",[25,27,28,29],"remedy","control-resonant","summer-game-fest",[31],{"name":32,"url":33},"PCMag","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcmag.com\u002Fnews\u002Fcontrol-resonant-summer-game-fest",0,{"sections":36},[37,42,47,52,57,62,67,72,77,82,87,91,96,101],{"name":38,"slug":39,"count":40,"latest_published_at":41},"AI","ai",2602,"2026-07-18T18:30:00.000Z",{"name":43,"slug":44,"count":45,"latest_published_at":46},"Security","security",315,"2026-07-17T19:30:00.000Z",{"name":48,"slug":49,"count":50,"latest_published_at":51},"Deals","deals",179,"2026-06-29T20:02:07.000Z",{"name":53,"slug":54,"count":55,"latest_published_at":56},"Policy","policy",169,"2026-07-17T19:49:53.000Z",{"name":58,"slug":59,"count":60,"latest_published_at":61},"Hardware","hardware",126,"2026-07-16T20:09:48.000Z",{"name":63,"slug":64,"count":65,"latest_published_at":66},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",94,"2026-07-16T16:29:46.000Z",{"name":68,"slug":69,"count":70,"latest_published_at":71},"Software","software",72,"2026-07-17T09:42:05.000Z",{"name":73,"slug":74,"count":75,"latest_published_at":76},"Science","science",66,"2026-07-10T10:29:37.000Z",{"name":78,"slug":79,"count":80,"latest_published_at":81},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",60,"2026-07-16T16:59:13.000Z",{"name":83,"slug":84,"count":85,"latest_published_at":86},"Startups","startups",42,"2026-07-16T16:30:35.000Z",{"name":88,"slug":25,"count":89,"latest_published_at":90},"Gaming",41,"2026-07-09T04:00:00.000Z",{"name":92,"slug":93,"count":94,"latest_published_at":95},"General","general",29,"2026-07-10T22:28:58.000Z",{"name":97,"slug":98,"count":99,"latest_published_at":100},"Reviews","reviews",20,"2026-06-24T12:00:01.000Z",{"name":102,"slug":103,"count":104,"latest_published_at":105},"How-To","how-to",6,"2026-06-16T09:00:00.000Z"]