Control Resonant shines even brighter when you take the time to explore every detail.
In Control Resonant, the fate of the world hangs in the balance, yet the dedicated staff of the Federal Bureau of Control are still buried under mountains of paperwork. I dove into every scrap of text I could find, and while reading is often optional, it’s where some of the game’s most intriguing details—and even romantic subplots—are hidden.
Set in the universe of Control Resonant and its predecessor, 2019’s Control, the FBC grapples with bizarre, supernatural objects and entities that defy logic. Despite the chaos, the FBC operates like a traditional bureaucratic agency, complete with a plethora of (often heavily redacted) reports, memos, and assorted documents to sift through. I enjoy reading, especially Remedy’s witty and often humorous writing, but the sheer volume of text was initially overwhelming.
At first, I skipped over documents that seemed non-essential, like the enemy logs, which are conveniently compiled in a separate tab and unlocked automatically after encountering each enemy type for the first time. I was too busy figuring out the game’s unique spatial challenges—especially in Resonant’s mind-bending version of Manhattan—and battling the various Hiss and mold enemies to delve into their backstories.
However, as I struggled with combat early on, I decided to check out the enemy logs I had unlocked to see if they could provide any insights. (There’s an assist mode to adjust combat difficulty, but I was too stubborn to use it. Remedy has since released a hotfix to address some combat balance issues.) The logs, compiled by the FBC’s “Threat Assessment Team,” proved helpful; they outline each enemy’s attack patterns and weaknesses, which can be tricky to decipher when they swarm you. To my surprise, the enemy logs also contained a charming workplace romance.
The Threat Assessment Team features Rick Patel, who documents the Hiss, and Lydia M.B. McPierce, who covers the mold and some later-game foes. Rick is serious and straightforward, while Lydia injects humor into her notes, often poking fun at the mold. Their contrasting personalities gradually reveal a budding romance through dozens of logs.
One enemy, the Hiss Transporter, is a corrupted city bus that deploys drones to attack. In his log, Rick describes the relationship between the bus and its drones—once-human Hiss entities fused to bus seats—as “motherly.” Lydia humorously calls him out on this in a separate entry about a mold enemy called the Spore Mother, stating, “(For the record, I was not the one who named this one ‘mother,’ that was Rick. I went to therapy and did the work precisely so I wouldn’t feel the urge to do that).” In another log, she playfully teases Rick, now affectionately calling him “Ricky,” about beating him at chess and challenges him to a rematch.
Lydia exemplifies Remedy’s knack for humor, while Rick’s dry wit adds a sweet touch. He often references Lydia, even noting that had he known about her emetophobia, he would have swapped responsibilities to spare her from the mold’s vomit-like attacks. (As someone with emetophobia myself, I found this particularly endearing.) In a log about a dangerous Hiss variant, Rick lays his feelings bare:
> I could have died. Another close call like that and it might just be the end for me. I don’t want to go without taking a chance on us, Lydia. Remember how we laughed at our ideal dates being the exact opposites of each other, how chaotic a pair we’d make? It doesn’t have to be just a joke. I think we could have something real together, you and I. What do you think? (Don’t worry, you can tell me over coffee what a coward I am for not doing this in person.)
I’m not sure if Lydia has seen this note, as I’m still missing one enemy log. But I know she reciprocates his feelings. In a late-game document, as the world teeters on the brink of disaster, Lydia adds a note: “(Hey Ricky, this is out of left field, but if we actually survive this, wanna grab a coffee sometime?)”
Remedy weaves little stories and delightful details throughout Resonant, not just in written documents. Reading became a crucial part of my experience; it helped me improve my combat skills while endearing me to two characters I never actually met. There’s a wealth of content beyond their office romance—everything from an influencer’s take on Manhattan’s “inception ahh streets” to the FBC’s serious ethical breaches—each enriching Remedy’s wonderfully bizarre world.
Now, I’m determined to track down that last enemy type to unlock Lydia’s final log, and I’m sure I’ll uncover other documents I missed along the way. I can’t wait to see what surprises await me.
