Management was only the start. The paranatural realm established in Treatment Leisure’s sci-fi motion journey thriller will get a full sequel in Management Resonant on PlayStation 5, which leaves the confines of the mysterious Oldest Home and ventures right into a world of terrifying entities, mind-bending cityscapes, and an unfairly incarcerated man with unbelievable talents who simply needs to search out his sister.
I went hands-on with the total recreation forward of its September 24 launch to find how unusual issues actually get in a warped and damaged Manhattan. Spoiler: bizarre doesn’t even cowl it, in the very best approach.
A narrative which resonates
Not accustomed to Management? By no means worry – Resonant has a helpful recap trailer to get you in control, informed from the angle of the primary recreation’s protagonist, Jesse. And given her youthful brother is simply simply discovering this new, unfamiliar world, he’s the proper vessel for any exposition it’s essential perceive the sport’s story.
Management Resonant retains the surreal, horror tinged sci-fi tone of the primary recreation, however amps it up with a strong story of people that fall via society’s cracks. This doesn’t refer to simply Dylan, but additionally different characters who’ve been discarded or deemed unworthy. It’s an emotional theme mirrored via Dylan’s relationship with Jesse, and his handler Zoe, however you’re given the prospect to make your mark on Dylan’s shy persona by selecting a few of his dialogue in particular conversations.
In truth, certainly one of my favorite parts of Management Resonant’s story are the elective mini-quests the place Dylan can recreate a scene primarily based on a reminiscence or childhood thought utilizing related objects within the atmosphere. In a single occasion, via rescuing a few inanimate cats, I crafted a feline picnic space that Dylan drew, talking to part of his tragically misplaced childhood.
The reluctant hero
In distinction to the assured and decided Jesse, Dylan is shy and hesitant, partly resulting from spending years each in a coma and incarcerated by the FBC. However as an interesting counterbalance, Dylan’s powers give him much more mobility than his older sister, which is acceptable given he has the bigger atmosphere of Manhattan to discover, filled with huge streets, excessive rooftops, and even gravity distorted Inception-like areas the place the town has folded in and on high of itself.
Holding down the X button elevates Dylan excessive sufficient to achieve the summit of among the metropolis’s shorter buildings after a double soar, and a faucet of the Circle-mapped dodge button lets him air sprint. And by urgent Circle twice, Dylan may sprint so rapidly he leaves an afterimage path in his wake. That’s to not point out the unlockable traversal talents gained by way of ‘Jesse Quests’, just like the tremendous helpful Attain grappling hook.
All of which is important with regards to surviving encounters with the freakish Hiss entities that roam the town. However what makes Dylan relatable is that regardless of his huge energy, he possesses a childlike awkwardness that grounds his interactions. Even when utilizing his spectacular talents, he staggers, wobbles, and even clumsily topples over after lengthy falls; a stark distinction to the standard 3-point stance ‘superhero landings’ we’re all used to.
Fight tailor-made to your model
In the case of fight, Management Resonant doesn’t spare your errors. Very like its predecessor, aimlessly lurching into fights rapidly leads to a blood-red recreation over display screen. Dylan’s paranatural talents are much more melee slanted than Jesse’s, which implies battles in opposition to the Hiss are sometimes face-to-face (that’s once they really possess a face), and require a variety of dodging, and fast, highly effective and exact strikes.
Whereas utilizing a bus shelter, deserted vehicles and different elements of the Manhattan atmosphere as cowl is an enormous a part of protecting Dylan alive, his offensive capabilities and combos are key. Management Resonant’s dense and versatile improve paths for the disarmingly charismatic protagonist are central to Dylan’s whole vary of assaults.
The primary and secondary types of his shapeshifting Aberrant weapon could be enhanced with standing results together with burn and infect, in addition to perks similar to higher cooldowns and elevated injury to combo finishers. Additional to that, Dylan’s bonus Fight Potential can change up your techniques as properly, whether or not it’s a defend, a barrage of projectiles, or an ally fashioned by way of ambient junk within the atmosphere, every that includes some good resistance on the Adaptive Triggers to offer them a way of bodily weight.
Fight Skills eat Energy, which could be regained by way of melee assaults, so battle is all about technique, stability and utilizing L3 as a lot as doable to activate chainable execution strikes on shocked foes.
With a default of six whole first and secondary Aberrant to select from, there are dozens of loadout combos to personalise Dylan with, which could be unlocked, modified and examined by visiting the mysterious Hole, a limbo-like hub accessible by holding down on the Directional buttons. Add that to the alternatives accessible within the a number of talent timber, and Management Resonant expands massively on the fight choices of its precursor.
Missions for every type of participant
Though the substantial and twisted Manhattan is yours to discover, Management Resonant isn’t fairly an open world. True, it’s a shift from Jesse’s journey via the workplace constructing confines of the FBC headquarters, , however the recreation well provides you digestible and centered sandboxes to discover, aided by quite a lot of mission targets. These ranged from being fight pushed, similar to clearing an space of Hiss or investigating a lacking individual, to serving to assemble and fixing a machine, with Zoe’s radio chatter audible by way of the DualSense Controller’s speaker throughout related duties.
Handily, the sport additionally allows you to prioritise your missions, so I not solely had the selection to progress the primary story, but additionally concentrate on trying to find Jesse or partaking in aspect tales. There are even arcade cupboards to unlock in every zone, the place you may reward Dylan’s expertise by way of timed challenges.
The openness doesn’t scale back the horror and thriller parts that made the primary recreation so memorable, both. There are many disturbing and creepy moments that generally even closely shudder the DualSense Controller – from hallucinatory soar scare visions and sudden booming bulletins from The Board, to actuality warping taxis and the ground-shaking arrival of misshapen enemies that had me pondering twice about my decisions. Really, whereas I’m on the topic…
The Resonants are deeply unsettling
Management is well-known for its Brutalist impressed structure and unforgettable artwork design, which carries over right here, however issues get delightfully bizarre with its Resonants, the usually colossal and intimidating boss encounters. The primary one was a large porcelain doll’s face utilizing taxis and girders to bludgeon Dylan, and issues solely grew to become extra unpredictable from there. One other confrontation shocked me completely by not being a standard boss battle in any respect. I gained’t spoil it right here, however you’ll comprehend it whenever you see it.
A PS5 must-play
There’s a lot to find in Management Resonant that, like Dylan, your world will probably be always flipped and challenged, and also you’ll take pleasure in each second. Put together to enter one of the vital surreal adventures of 2026 when it hits PS5 on September 24.
