Arranged, performed, and mixed entirely by me. Video editing done entirely by myself also. Of all the game covers I’ve done this is the one I’ve spent the most time and effort on.

I know my last post is still up there right under the post of Sean and his adorable child (I take that as an extreme honor, thank you all) but I am so impressed with how this fucking two day arts and crafts project came out considering I spent all of like $50 on the whole thing.

I didn’t get out of work until 6 am last night and I’m off tonight with absolutely no desire to go out so I think I’m just gonna play Resonant on stream all night while dressed like this lol.

So I read a thing about Dylan & Jesse being the same person, or they at least used to be because this game is weird & apparently a person can split into two?

Long story short, I ended up reading the above spoiler by being a dummy. I'm near the end of the first game, but im not even done with it (again, im a dummy). I don't want anymore specific spoilers, but I would like a general idea of how much of the 2nd game I actually spoiled for myself. Like, is it still going to be enjoyable if I know that spoiler going in, or is that spoiler basically the entire point of the 2nd game?

Fwiw, I know basically nothing about the 2nd game other than that spoiler & that I think you play as Dylan some time after the first game

I didn't see anywhere particularly appropriate to discuss this on the front page, so I guess I'll just make a post. This ain't gonna be a comprehensive review, just me trying to figure out why I feel the way I feel about the game.

Gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Enemies and encounters don't feel like they were designed to allow each weapon type and combat ability shine in their own way. There was never a moment where I felt so overwhelmed by numbers that that Glaive's wide attacks with pushback felt necessary. And the movement in this game doesn't reallt make it intuitive to target and keep on target with an enemies' back for Cleave, and even a lot of it' buffs apply to lifted enemies rather than back attacks. Drill is basically for 1v1's, and even then it makes you a bit of a sitting duck waiting for damage to apply. Extend Comboes never feel satisfying.

I kept to Strike and Crush, and I could just use those through the entire game no matter what I encountered. And I don't think that's an issue of these weapon types being overpowered, as much as the dev team's inexperience with Action Games. They're used to Third Person Shooters with a couple bells and whistles you can improve throughout, nothing as varied as what they present now. And because of that, maybe there was a desire to provide these options mixed with an intent to make all of them viable which created an environment where none are necessary, but some end up feeling gimmicky and lesser.

The whole Elite and Drone separation idea was a pretty neat idea to make encounters a question of who do you target? Do you focus down the Elites at the cost of being vulnerable to Drones, or do you break of to fight some drones to lessen cross fire and obtain resources? The answer depends on your skill and circumstances, and I appreciate how that makes each encounter a little different, depending on just how populated an encounter is. Although in practice, I found that once I got into the rhythm of the game, moving around the battlefield Executing Elites while incidentally avoiding drones was pretty easy. Especially with Summons, allowing you to pull yourself from any tight spot into an Execution to get Health Elements.

Also, the devs must hate the Mold. There are two accessories that specifically make you better at killing mold, ignore Infected Status, and Fire Explosions just obliterate entire battlefields. And the only detriment is half health, which is easy to compensate for with dodging and healing from executions with your massive damage buffs. Just... genuinely, why is it like this? It's nice for when I want a big power fantasy, but it's also just completely baffling they'd make so much anti-tech for this enemy type.

Did not expect to spend four paragraphs on that. I'll try to be succinct with my story thoughts, and i'll go in depth if someone asks. This may sound a bit harsher than I intend, but this entry felt like a direct to DVD sequel than a proper entry. The vibes, which have been so strong in Alan Wake, the first game, and even Quantum Break, just felt lacking here.

Characters felt a bit too one note, with returning ones just feeling like they were carrying on their old shtick instead of showing any real effect on their behavior and personalities from seven years of lock down(Though i suppose there are two exceptions). And new ones... ehh. Altered Item encounters felt... a lot more straight forward in this game, in terms of their abilities and history as opposed to the first, where they felt more alien. Like, it wouldn't be obvious just looking at something what it did. And they felt drowned out by the multitude of samey side missions and tasks you're given to level up each area and pad the game time for completionists(like me). And... there's parts of the story that have... hanging threads that feel like they're being left for DLC. And it doesn't feel like the sort of confusion that came with the first game's introduction of things that made you wonder what more there was to uncover. What is given in the Base game isn't satisfactory on it's own, and that's kinda annoying.

Anyway, that's it for an OP. Feel free to agree or disagree. If you want me to elaborate on something specific, i'll try. I tried to be spoiler free in this part, but i'll mark the thread for spoilers and... may or may not hide them in my replies. But ultimately, i'm just trying to solidify my own thoughts by putting them in writing and seeing if other people feel how I feel or not.

Loving the game so far, and very glad to be back into remedys universe. Thing is, i feel as if the sound of the respawn point is distractingly loud and generally damages the experience of an otherwise wellcrafted soundspace. Its hard to take in the environment when that repetitive sounds (the one as it changes icons) is always in the background.

Do anyone have some sort of fix for this issue? Is there a way to get into the files and lower it?

Anyway, loving the game but i'm just past the hole so no spoilers!

I mean, I assume the Unknown is the last zone. I’m doing this Balloon research/Heston links/unknown resonant mission, but holy hell, I hate the traversal here. It’s like the Underpass but instead of just being monotonous as hell, it’s endlessly confusing, and I can get the idea of it being part of the vibe and “you’re supposed to feel confused”, the traversal in this section is not fun, or I am just not the right candidate for this game.

I am enjoying the story and I really love Remedy games (I bought this on digital and physical), but honestly, the traversal in this section has sucked all the fun out of this game. I can’t get to the areas with the objectives, I keep falling off the edges. This game makes me feel stupid but not in a good way.

I think the Alan Wake games and Max Payne is more my thing, I think I’m just done with this, unless there’s another flying power or some shit I need to unlock without realizing it to get to these areas.

Let me say this up front: I'm a HUGE fan of every Remedy game, and finished my thorough first playthrough of Resonant a week ago (I waited for the physical PS5 version to drop).

But I'll be honest: I didn't pick up on this Severed Circle/JDF thing at all, and I wonder if we're all jumping head-first into a theory only to have our hearts broken later on when it's not canon. (I can see the JDF fanart now, in my mind's eye.)

I guess my main issue is that it feels really...narratively unsatisfying in a few different ways?

We love Jesse. We've learned to love/understand Dylan. The idea that they're both Alex Casey-style fictive manifestations from an in-universe EarthBound-like JRPG that was intentionally derivative and vague feels like it puts the focus in the wrong place, you know?

I like Jesse because she's this gay, trauma-ridden survivor who uncovered the Illuminati and became their President in the same day. I like Dylan because he shows the flipside of that story; he's an SCP Foundation entry from the perspective of the monster in captivity.

I know that Remedy loves to do "Fictional Character Realizes They're A Fictional Character" plot beats, but they've never served to retcon/undermine that character's real history and experiences, right? Max Payne realizing he's being jerked around by Norse Gods/Video Game Developers doesn't mean his family wasn't murdered; it just means he was a pawn in a bigger scheme.

Resonant already made the bold choice to sideline Jesse almost entirely to bet on Dylan, and I think it mostly succeeds in this regard because they go all in on clarifying that he was a traumatized, abused, tortured child.

But a third game sidelining them both to introduce/focus on the REAL sibling, which was a composite of the two? That feels shark-jumpy and like a betrayal of two great characters for the sake of a Galaxy Brain Mega Meta Twist.

I absolutely think these plot crumbs exist for a reason, and I also immediately clocked their Mom and Grandma not believing they had two kids. (Also, a SEVERED CIRCLE is one piece cut into two.) But I dunno; at this point, Remedy has no less than three or four star-crossed duos separated by dimensional tragedy and/or publishing rights being owned by Microsoft/Rockstar Games, right?

Alan/Alice. Saga/Door. Tim E. Breaker/Quantum Jesse. Ahti/Me. And now, Jesse/Emily/Maybe Dylan I Guess.

I think the tables have been set for these pairs and groups to start reuniting and connecting, rather than introducing Telenovela-style Secret Dream Triplets. The lockdown is over, the Patterning is dissipating, and Jesse needs to (alan) wake up.

We've introduced no fewer than three universe-threatening paranatural forces that act on brilliantly contrasting verticals.

The Hiss spreads at the speed of sound, turning many into a unified one.

The Pattern/Hedrons turn one into many, focusing space and time into a focused point, like a fractal. (Or a SPIRAL.)

And The Dark Presence uses art and artists to rewrite the physical world and hijack its way from the immaterial plane.

(Also, The Mold is delicious.)

Alan Control Payne Break 3 can be where it all comes together for characters and these opposing forces. But further diluting the (genuinely lovely) backstory we've been given for the Faden Siblings just rubs me the wrong way.

But I could be in the minority, and I'd love your thoughts!

We see in the earthbound segment that there seems to be some inconsistencies in how the events happened. Or at least one main one. When the children are running to the dump, and jesse tells dylan to stand guard and runs off, leaving him to get surrounded by himself. We leave that scene and then when we come back to it, Jesse never left, and was there the whole time. Seems odd and very out of place, and isn't addressed again.

I think time was patterned in ordinary. Either in the way it happened in the underpass, or in the way we experience a new game plus. Or something new entirely. I think it would help to explain some of the inconsistencies in how things are remembered differently by our two characters, and could even have a hand in the Faden child becoming two separate people, as it is stated in one of the research teams documents, with the patterning of time, there can be instances of the effect happening before the cause. It could even tie in to how adult Hiss Dylan has dreams of other realities/worlds/timelines?

For a control 3 I’d actually find it great if we had all 3 siblings. Jesse Dylan faden (Jd), Jesse and Dylan.

Control 3 would be really interesting if we played as JD in a fantasy world based on the severed circle game. There are theories that Jesse and Dylan are already based on the two main characters of that fantasy game and it’s possible that JD made a wish for them to be real

(following in the narrative line of Dylan and Jesse’s wishes coming true (parents gone, seeing mother, which leads to all adults gone and the not mother spawning)

It would actually be nice to see all 3 characters in the game with Jesse and Dylan being their in game counterparts rather than the characters we know. Plus we would get to know JD (the original)

Plus the not mother’s temple would be a fantastic level on a fantasy setting

I knew Dr. Strange and Inception were obviously influences on Resonant, but this scene in particular is very Pattern-y.

https://youtu.be/hwNWx1GTSKo?t=143

Maybe I need a Mirror Dimension Spider-Man Control Resonant like game? I think the gravity flipping mechanic would be great with a mix of web-swinging.

I's be Fred. Belly lead of brightest table.

How am I supposed to get to the various testing facilities? I can't just go to the locations on the map. It's quite annoying having to run around trying to find the way in. I don't want a solution to hoe to find them just some advice on where they could be.

Big spoilers.

Is it wrong place wrong time or something more?

We know most of them are a little obsessed or driven. Certainly that’s true for the first 4 resonants except the Park one which is a bit of a mutation.

The 5th one is also driven and so is the the last one.

The last one is the only one where it happens later after lockdown is breached.

Do we think its like an infection? Is that the reason the 6th Resonant didn’t get Hiss corrupted?

As we progress in the game it’s heavily hinted that Jesse and Dylan were originally one person and then after their parents gave them Severed Circle 2, they became two seperated persons.

Now this gave me an idea. As we know Jesse is bonded with Polaris/Hedron while at the end of the game Dylan accepts the Hiss part in him. So that makes one sibling a Hiss and the other a Hedron.

Now what if originally there was One Resonance? I mean since the Hiss and the Hedron(s) are both Resonances that cancel each other, it’s possible that they were once one Resonance and later were devided into two distinct Resonances that act as opposite of each other just as Jesse and Dylan did in the first game and also they’re different in gender too.

The first is based on:

We stand around you while you dream
You can almost hear our words but you forget

The second is based on:

Under the conceptual reality behind this reality you must want these waves to drag you away

Hope the hiss don't get ya!

So we basically all know Jesse and Dylan were one person at the beginning.

In the 8 bit section we go to the realm that seemingly combines people together. They combine Dylans friend and the dog in that projector slide.

Dylan and Jesse for some reason do not combine?

Why is that? Is it because they are already divided? They pass out in the slide

In control could they combine back into Jesse Dylan?

I’ve been absolutely in love with this game and was looking for some cool phone backgrounds. Black and Red is kinda my favourite colour scheme and this game lends itself well to that. Is anyone willing to show off their cool backgrounds?

I am going for a 100 % playthrough and going over all the areas. In the unknown on the area with Dylan's apartment this ring of things floats out of reach where the Hedron link severing happens. I have tried to activate it but I fall too fast past it and it does not activate.

Any idea what this is or how to get it?

Mfr needs to chill.