Control’s “Resonant” Turns New York Into a Dream‑Like Backrooms Nightmare

When Remedy Entertainment announced the "Resonant" expansion for Control, I expected another tidy stroll through the Federal Bureau’s dim hallways. Instead, I was thrust into a version of New York that looks like it was stitched together from an office‑cubicle nightmare and a glitchy VR demo.

It starts innocently enough – you arrive in what looks like a downtown street, neon signs buzzing, traffic humming. But the moment you step past the curb, the city seems to lose its edges. Buildings tilt, streetlights flicker, and a low hum—almost like the buzz of fluorescent tubes—fills the air. It’s as if the whole borough has been caught in a looping glitch, and you’re the only one who can see it.

What really sells the vibe is the design. Remedy has leaned into that “Backrooms” aesthetic – endless, monochrome hallways that stretch beyond sight, elevator shafts that seem to descend forever, and office cubicles that feel eerily familiar yet utterly alien. The space feels alive, breathing, and occasionally, oppressively claustrophobic. You can hear the faint rustle of papers, the distant clack of keyboards, and the echo of a far‑off office chatter that never quite resolves.

Gameplay-wise, nothing has been thrown away. The combat still feels satisfying: you can still yank the Director’s tools from your belt, summon telekinetic blasts, and turn the environment into a weapon. But the new setting forces you to adapt. Enemies hide behind filing cabinets and pop up from vents you’d normally ignore. Some of the more mundane objects now act like portals, warping you from one hallway to another, which can be both thrilling and disorienting.

Audio plays a huge role, too. The soundtrack is a low‑key synth‑drone that oscillates between calming and unnerving, punctuated by occasional static bursts that feel like radio interference. It’s not just background noise; it tells you when you’re about to walk into something dangerous, or when you’ve finally found a rare quiet corner to catch your breath.

Of course, there are moments where the ambition overshadows the polish. Some corridors feel a tad too repetitive, and at times the lighting can be so dim you’re squinting at enemies that should be glaringly obvious. Still, those quirks add a certain charm, a reminder that this is an experimental playground rather than a fully‑baked city.

All in all, "Resonant" is less a straightforward add‑on and more a love‑letter to the weird, uncanny corners of gaming culture. It captures the essence of the Backrooms – that feeling you get when you think you’ve left the office but somehow never really left at all. If you enjoy a little existential dread with your telekinesis, you’ll likely love this warped Manhattan.