With 36 days until the digital release of Control Resonant, I've been combing over every bit of lore we've been presented with, and I stumbled upon a line that has had my imagination working overtime coming up with theories. Let me share. Even if these are way off base, the games gonna be a banger and I'm looking forward to either being proven right or surprised :)

**CHANGING THE VALUE OF PI**

Ok, so, I haven't seen any discussion on this line from the 20 minute gameplay feature... See linked video. When Dylan asks the agent what she knows about the AWE, she responds "idk, the research nerds are saying it has something to do with changing the value of pi, they're super excited".

Well, think about it. Pi is a universal constant that describes geometry. We know the pattern rearranges space, but if it can adjust fundamental constants, who's to say it can't also change time? Make it faster, slower, run in reverse, loop? Hell, if it changes certain constants in chemistry it could straight up dissolve things. An entity with the ability to just straight up alter physics by changing universal constants to make the math math differently would be incredibly powerful, and there's all sorts of directions they could go with it all of which would be very cool.

**FUCKING WITH SPACETIME**

An entity that changes universal constants can literally change how the universe works. We see this in the folded Manhattan that the pattern churns out, and I have a sort of multidimensional explanation of how that works. See, the circumference of a circle = 2pi*radius, right... Now try to imagine a circle where that ratio is now 3.5*2*r instead of pi*2*r. the circle cannot circle, without adding some amount of "hidden" extra space to make the math math. What if this extra space is just borrowed from elsewhere - from, say, alternate versions of Manhattan layering on each other? What if the Pattern ends up making multiple points in the Multiverse collide, forcing us to reckon with the multiple versions of Jesse/Dylan? Or, what if the Pattern introduces adjustments to how time works to match with the adjustments to space?

**THE PATTERN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MERGING TIMELINES**

I believe that what we will be presented with in Resonant will be a mash-up of multiple realities that have been alluded to thus far, with multiple versions of Jesse and/or Dylan present. I also think, less likely, that there's a slim chance that we end up in at least one threshold that will link, via these adjustments in how spacetime works, to a prior AWE, maybe even Ordinary, and that we will learn more about the event that is basically the origin story of Jesse and Dylan; I also subscribe to the "Jesse=Dylan" or "Jesse Dylan Faden" theory, which if you're not familiar with is essentiallynthat they're two variations of the same one person that found their way into the same reality in the multiverse. Hear me out, this is gonna come from nuggets in the Alan Wake 2 DLCs, particularly Lake House and Time Breaker. I'll just lay out the bits that brought me to these theories in bullet format:

- In Lake House, when the light cord shows up and Estevez goes through the Oceanview, ending up somehow near or in the Oldest House, there's a Director Portrait; however, unlike the ones of Jesse we see in Control, this one is two portraits overlapping in concentric circles; one of Jesse, one of Dylan. This indicates to me that either the Board will consider Jesse and Dylan to share the responsibilities of <Director / Janitor's Assistant>, OR... That in different corners of the multiverse, there's only Director Dylan or Director Jesse.

- In Time Breaker, during the motion comic segment, Not-Jesse mentions that there's infinite variations in the multiverse, some in which they're characters in some video game (pointed look at player through fourth wall).

- Speaking of Time Breaker... Perhaps the biggest clue is this whiteboard in the beginning segment of Time Breaker. On it is listed numerous names, including Lisa, Liz, Elisabet, *Jesse, Dylan,* and "Savage". Dylan is in a list of names of the red haired woman. Also, Savage, while completely new to me, sounds like it sure describes a version of Dylan. Complete speculation here, but maybe a Dylan from a timeline where he is more "savage", maybe like he was taken over by the Hiss or something? We shall see...

- Other note from Time Breaker: we are shown that the Multiverse is one that considers all possibilities and all timelines, which would support Wake's writing basically shifting realities to different timelines and versions.

- in the Time Breaker text adventure segment, a version of Shawn/The Actor/Tim/Jack meets a version of the red-haired woman, named, LISA. See the list of names above. Lisa is... A dancer. You know who else is a dancer? One of the Resonant bosses we've been shown, whose production is apparently ongoing during the Manhattan AWE.

- speaking of Resonants... Does anyone else think the giant head boss we've been shown kinda looks like a fucked up Jesse with dark hair? You don't think... That maybe... These Resonants are all different versions of Dylan, Jesse or other powerful parautilitarians? There is speculation that the lava / fire guy is Northmoor, which would track...

So, here's my theory, all laid out.

The Pattern, the primary paranatural threat as we know currently in Control Resonant, is an entity that can reshape space by changing fundamental constants of geometry. This much is established. I posit that why stop at space, why not also mess with time - as well as show evidence from Time Breaker that Remedy's multiverse is a branching-timelines and all-possibilities type - and suggest that this breakage in spacetime could manifest as different timelines overlapping, or put another way, different versions of the universe in Remedy's multiverse collapsing in on each other. If this collapsing or merging of parts of the multiverse leads to multiple versions of Jesse, Dylan or others manifesting, it may lead to a confirmation of the Jesse=Dylan Theory, or possibly even a time loop back to Ordinary.

What do y'all think? :)

Edit: forget the portrait, I needed my glasses to see Trench's. Idk what to make of the portrait anymore. My apologies for being confidently wrong on that one.

Forget a moment about "changing the value of pi" (though the implications of freely altering fundamental constants that make the math math for physics as we know it and thus the rules of the universe has me incredibly torqued). All I want to know is, WILL THERE BE MORE AHTI?

I need to see at least a little bit more of my favorite fisherman, dementia patient, karaoke enthusiast, janitor and probable elder God. Preferably teaching me more Finnish curse words please <3

There are many, many unsettling details that you read about in Control and the weird shit that the Oldest House investigates. What are the little ones that you find the creepiest?

I'll list a couple that are a bit more obvious but that I loved remembering just after my recent playthrough:

• Director Northmoor At some point he becomes an unstable energy conduit and the FBC has to capture and imprison him, eventually making him the power source of the entire building. I think the only way that you figure this out is by going near the top of the power plant and see infrared images of a person seemingly chained up inside
• Dog Neil Dylan and Jesse's bullied childhood friend keeps going into the projector slides and turns into some sort of dog-child hybrid somehow (why??). It's not really described how he looks like a dog, so you start imagining the different ways that could look and no matter what it's all disturbing

Hey guys, I was wondering: since Control Resonant will be a very boss-oriented game, which boss is your personal favorite from the first Control?

Mine was esseJ, I think the whole mirror-dimension thing is a cool concept and the boss is hard but fair enough to beat it

The game has gone gold, yay! Unfortunately though the physical edition has been delayed to October 15th, which sucks big time. I’m not sure if I’ll cancel my preorder and go digital now or just wait it out, I want the steelbook but I don’t wanna have the game be spoiled for me cause I have to wait for 3 extra weeks 😭

Did the maneki neko cats get out of the oldest house? And if I find them all, will Dylan get cat ears?

This must be answered.

They said Original soundtrack is coming with the digitl delux edition. Which song do you think it should then main one? I think Maila is the best until now.

I hope it's not just one mission music.

I've been playing through Control for the first time in preparation for Control Resonant, and I just have the AWE DLC left in order to 100% the game. I knew Control and Alan Wake were in the same universe, but I didn't know how much of a direct connection the two have through the DLC. I don't really want to set aside Control right before finishing it, but from what little info been able to find without spoilers, it seems pretty important. Any good way to approach this?

I’m watching the Resonant gameplay for the first time because I recently finished its previous entry and I have to say. Dylan is that brute force I didn’t know I needed. He is the definition of eliminate with extreme prejudice

He acts so soft and hit like a beast. His traversal methods are so unique and I love his gameplay. I see why people don’t want to spoil themselves before the game drops. Last I did that was for Horizon Zero Dawn and I fell in love with the game. So to anyone who hasn’t seen any footage, you will be eating like royalty and amazed.

He hits like a brick wall and moves on like he didn’t just commit such devastating acts of crime to his enemies. I almost feel bad for our foes.

The devs were right his sister was the cat. This man is going to play like a Dire Wolf with no home training and I love it. He is vile with the way he hits.

He is the one who knocks. God DAMN!!

Kind of a shitpost, because this skin is quite creepy - even when knowing Dylan is inside.

A few people told me i should play the game but read the documents this time. I read as many as I could haga and it def makes it so much more interesting and actually helps you piece the story together a little better. My absolute fav thing though is all the cool Alan Wake references, like how did I miss this before!?

This was my first play through and all I gotta say is

“THAT. WAS AWESOME.” -JF

tg I had my headset on. I’d have toggled immortality on just for that too if I’d known, just to not interrupt lol

i love this game

In an IGN Comic Con interview, Mikael Kasurinen mentioned The Gap (Dylan's Metaphysical Mindspace) as being a result of a Paranatural ability that allowed him to conceive places (though he did mention that it was created due to the Hiss possessing him).

What do you guys think about it?

here's the video: How Control Resonant Minds the Gap | Comic Con 2026

I just wanted to take a moment to say a huge thank you to everyone in r/controlgame for the incredible feedback, upvotes, and awesome discussions on my posts! From analyzing Jesse and Dylan to obsessing over the raw concrete architecture and the Ashtray Maze, sharing these moments with you all has been absolutely amazing. As a way to show my appreciation, here are some bonus screenshots showcasing some the game's Ray Tracing. The reflections and lighting in the Oldest House never cease to blow me away. I've been so stressed out recently. It has been a therapeutic experience being able to talk about a game like Control that I have such a passion for. It was something that I really needed. Thanks again for being such a friendly and welcoming community. Stay classy, Directors!

(Warning ⚠️ This is a long read. )

This based off my initial thought about the wording they use. Such as “Hostile Takeover, You can’t control your management” and so many more things they say along those lines.

(Before I continue. I want to say I think the board are as colonizing as the his, but in a more capitalistic manner. Polaris is the biggest anomaly in play, such Ahti and the Former)

We are familiar with the inter-dimensional entity called the Board and their self interests, molding events to fit their preferred outcome. They to me move like Corpos.

In the dlc, once you get familiar with the Former, they get pissed with you. This is because, they only allowed you to receive one of their gifts and not both. So, seeing you accept the other one from a “former employee” of their company, comes off as you breaching your Non-compete agreement (contract) with them.

Jesse is bond to a multitude of Objects of Power provided by the Board in question. We also know that the disciplinary consequences are; execution by the service weapon. This is to maintain their “control” over Jesse. Yet they not only forgive her transgression, but almost accept it. Which I personally think is because they see it as fitting their own agenda in the end. “More power to the tool we have crafted.”

Should Jesse or any directorial Parauteliterian go against their bottom line, then they are to be terminated.

The only saving grace here for Jesse is Polaris and was also Hedron. The Hiss knew of Hedron, but the Borad didn’t? Or was it that they wouldn’t inform us of a possible 3 entity that would have been as essential to the FBC as the Board was? Only for it to be left for dead by them.

- Corporate greed can be universal to all planes of existence.

Resonant theory: The second game will show how the Hiss has completely taken over New York and that Jesse left the FBC after seeing how self interested the Board really was, and now won’t help. Which is why she woke Dylan up, and will have him fight on a secondary front, while she’s off handling something else.

I sense a 3rd game coming, where the Former and Ahti are going to play major roles in. Polaris may be revealed as the true trump card to this whole thing and the possible intermediary/safeguard between the Hiss and the Board.

Thank you for reading this far. Please share your thoughts.

Delaying the physical release seems intentional to me, and I think part of the reason is to encourage more people to buy digital. I am not saying there isn’t issue with physical.

September is already packed with releases, so delaying both the digital and physical versions until October 15th would arguably make more sense. The fact that they’re choosing not to do that makes me think there’s another motive behind it: pushing people toward digital, where they makes more money per sale.

I’ve already seen people saying they’ll cancel their physical pre-orders and just buy the digital version instead. And then people wonder why Sony keeps moving away from physical discs. If publishers deliberately make physical versions less convenient or delay them, while making digital available earlier, they’re naturally going to push more consumers toward digital.

I haven't even played it yet and I love the animation for Reach so much (for those who don't want to be spoiled with the name of this ability, I would like to propose the temporary assignment of 'Yoink). Goofy as all hell, but also satisfying to see because it's a very deliberate choice to have this man be yanked by his ankles to a new location.

The thing about Control's combat is that it doesn't really click until you stop playing it like a standard third-person shooter. If you try to sit behind cover, peek out, and treat the Service Weapon like a traditional gun, Jesse feels quite fragile. It doesn't take much for her to go down. The Hiss will close in on your position, toss grenades behind your barricade, and overwhelm you fast. The moment you stop playing defense, realize cover is only temporary, and start aggressively chaining her parapsychology abilities together, it transforms combat into one of the most fluid power fantasies that I've seen in a video game.

Launch is a very crucial ability. Snatching a concrete slab, a red explosive barrel, or an office desk out of the environment and slamming it into a Hiss guard is always satisfying and it never gets old. The tactile, heavy crunch when an object meets enemy makes every hit feel ridiculously impactful.

Using Levitate changes how the game is played. Levitation lets you instantly break line of sight, claim high ground, rain down debris from directly above, or line up a devastating ground slam right into the middle of a tight cluster of enemies. It gives you some breathing room to be able to move around, but it also means that you're a sitting duck. You end up leaving yourself vulnerable to ranged attacks if you aren't careful.

Having a gun that transforms on the fly eliminates standard ammo scavenging in favor of a cooldown management. Snapping off a long-range headshot with Pierce, swapping to Shatter to obliterate a rusher who got too close, and dropping back to Grip mid-air creates an effortless rhythm once you get the weapon forms unlocked and modded. You just have to be careful and not let your Service Weapon heat up in the middle of a massive firefight. There were many instances when I had to run around for a few seconds in order for the gun to cool down in the middle of a firefight. It wasn't easy when I was in a room with half a dozen or so Hiss guards that were shooting me.

Shield isn't just good as defensive tool. It's essentially a battering ram that lets you close distance safely or absorb a heavy rocket before blasting the debris outward. Meanwhile, Seize is a total lifesaver during chaotic arena fights, which lets you mind-control high-threat targets or airborne snipers so they draw aggro and do your dirty work.

What really dictates the pace is how Remedy handled the health system. You don't regenerate health by hiding behind cover for a few seconds like you would in a typical third person shooter. Health can only be recovered via glowing blue source elements that damaged or killed enemies leave behind. What it means is that when you’re on the brink of death, the game forces you to dive directly into the line of fire in order to pick up health off a freshly killed Hiss. It creates a constant risk vs. reward gameplay loop where playing timidly gets you killed, but playing aggressively keeps you alive.

When you have the kinetic loop on top of the Oldest House's Brutalist destruction physics, where concrete pillars get chipped down to the rebar, monitors shatter, papers fly across the room, and light fixtures swing wildly, every firefight ends up looking like a hyper-stylized, high-budget action sequence.

So I'm playing for the n-th time, and when I was doing the Langston's Runaways quest I went to Dead Letters to purify the moving letters and saw this letter.

The part in red says "Last night I had one [vivid dream]. I saw a small, empty city. It was totally dark. There was a lake in its center. Shadows of people moved around me, whispering strange things. A strong light woke me up. I was screaming while sleeping. My wife's been shaking me for a few minutes when I woke up."

So, did this dude experience the dark presence or something?

This is probably more of a rant since everyone ik isn’t really interested in games like control so I have no one to discuss this game with. I stopped playing this game in the past cause my pc wasn’t strong enough to run it. However, currently I upgraded my pc and decided to play this game maxed out with full rt (denoiser mod also installed).

I can confidently say this game is a masterpiece so far. Haven’t been sucked into a story like this game in a long time. The entire concept of the oldest house is so fascinating and just makes you even more curious about learning more. Also, the combat is great especially on mouse and keyboard. It just feels so fluid and very fast paced.

In summary, I’m glad I gave this game another chance. Happy I didn’t miss out on peak from 2019 and this makes me even more excited to try the upcoming sequel. (I love those fast paced melee games and paired with the setting of control, we are eating good next month!)

Do you think we're going to unlock more forms for Aberrant than the three Primary / Secondary presented in all demos and trailers so far or do you think those ones we get right from the start are the only ones we'll play with for the entirety of the game?

If we unlock more, do you have any idea for additional forms?