Control Resonant is a great game — it’s even better when you read everything

One of the enemies, the Hiss Transporter, is a city bus that’s been corrupted by the Hiss and sends out drones to attack on its behalf. In his log about it, Rick describes the dynamic between the bus and its drones — which are seemingly once-human Hiss entities fused to bus seats — as “motherly.” Lydia calls him out on this in a separate document about a mold enemy called the Spore Mother. “(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),” she writes in an aside at the bottom. In another document, Lydia teases Rick, who she’s calling “Ricky” at this point, about beating him at chess and challenges him to a rematch.

Lydia is one of the best examples in Resonant of how funny Remedy’s writing can be, while Rick is much drier. But he’s also sweet and references Lydia often; in one log, he says that had he realized Lydia had emetophobia , he would’ve offered to trade some responsibilities with her so she could avoid the vomit-like attacks of the mold. (I have emetophobia myself, so I found this especially charming. Good on Ricky.) Then, in a document about a particularly dangerous Hiss variant that he came too close to during his observations, Rick finally lays it all 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 actually seen this note, because I’m still missing one singular enemy log . But I know she likes him back. In a late-game document, as the world is really looking doomed, Lydia adds an aside at the bottom: “(Hey Ricky, this is out of left field, but if we actually survive this, wanna grab a coffee sometime?)”

Remedy seeds little stories and fun details like these throughout the world of Resonant , not just in written documents. But reading, it turns out, was integral to my experience. I learned how to fight the game’s enemies a little better, and in the process, I was endeared to two characters I never actually met. There’s also a lot more to discover than just office romance — everything from an influencer’s view of Manhattan’s “inception ahh streets” to the FBC’s serious ethics violations — and so much of it enriches Remedy’s fantastically weird world.

I’m now determined to track down and kill that last enemy type so I can read Lydia’s final log, and I’m sure I’ll stumble upon some other documents I missed along the way. I can’t wait to see what I find.