In CONTROL Resonant, melee hits restore Power for Combat Abilities. Those abilities can stun an enemy and open an execution, and the execution briefly raises Dylan’s melee damage. Learn that sequence first: connect with the Aberrant, spend Power when an ability can create an opening, then follow the execution prompt. Assist Mode can change a troublesome part of combat without disabling trophies or achievements. This pre-release guide uses Remedy’s published combat details; the game is scheduled for September 24, 2026.
The melee, Power and execution loop
The Aberrant is Dylan’s transforming melee weapon. It has Primary and Secondary Forms as well as Combo Enders. If Power is low, land melee hits before trying to spend another Combat Ability.
Watch the enemy after an ability connects. A PlayStation hands-on report describes pressing L3 on a stunned foe to execute it on PS5. The report does not establish the PC or Xbox input, or say that one ability always creates an execution. Wait for the prompt and check the enemy’s state before pressing the follow-up.
Choose Primary and Secondary Forms whose speed and reach let you connect safely, then use a Combo Ender when the enemy leaves an opening. Remedy has confirmed these form categories, but it has not published a best pairing for the opening hours.
The Gap: forms, abilities and Talents
Outside combat, enter the Gap to work on Weapon Forms, Supernatural Combat Abilities and Talents. Talents strengthen the relationship between melee attacks and abilities. Major Resonant encounters grant Combat Abilities during the story, and some rewards involve a branch. Remedy says one playthrough cannot unlock everything, so do not plan an opening build that assumes every branch will be available.
If abilities feel scarce, check whether your two Aberrant forms are getting enough melee hits before changing a Talent. If the forms connect but several enemies keep interrupting you, Enemy Aggression in Assist Mode addresses that pressure directly.
Assist Mode for a specific combat problem
You can turn Assist Mode on or off during play. Its presets are starting points, and individual settings can be tuned in easier or harder directions. Use the setting that matches what you can see going wrong:
| What keeps happening | Setting to try | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Several enemies attack before you can read one move. | Lower Enemy Aggression. | Reduces pressure from enemies attacking together. |
| You see an attack but miss the precise dodge timing. | Widen Perfect Dodge Window. | Gives you more time for a Perfect Dodge. |
| Projectiles are too fast to track. | Lower Enemy Projectile Speed. | Slows incoming projectiles. |
| A mistake costs too much health. | Lower Incoming Damage. | Reduces damage Dylan takes. |
| Enemies take too long to stun. | Raise Outgoing Falter. | Breaks enemy posture faster. This is separate from Outgoing Damage. |
| You can survive, but fights take too long. | Raise Outgoing Damage. | Increases the damage Dylan deals. |
| Ability use feels too sparse. | Raise Power Recovery Speed. | Restores the resource for Combat Abilities faster. |
| Melee attacks miss when your positioning is slightly off. | Raise Enhanced Melee Magnetizing. | Makes melee positioning more forgiving. |
For story-focused play, the available options also include Immortality, One-Hit Kills and One-Hit Falters. Remedy has not supplied final slider ranges, preset values or a complete explanation of these three options, so follow the labels and behavior shown in your installed version.
For a harder fight, raise Enemy Aggression, shrink the Perfect Dodge Window or raise Incoming Damage. Change one setting at a time and try the encounter again. Remedy says Assist Mode does not block trophies or achievements.
Zones, fast travel and the Gap
Remedy describes Manhattan as several visually distinct Zones, with fast travel between them and a return to the Gap available at will. That gives you a practical rhythm outside an encounter: follow the current story or side route in a Zone, return to the Gap when a new form or ability changes your options, test the build there, then travel back. The Gap also supports crafting Artifacts, according to Remedy’s PS5 feature overview. Check what your current materials and unlocks permit before spending them.
Published ability examples include Barrage, which launches projectiles, and a Volatile Anomaly, a turret-like ally that can be thrown and detonated. Regain Power with melee, then choose the ability whose effect fits the encounter. Remedy has not published a universal opening loadout or every unlock order.
Official details: Remedy’s combat and build breakdown, Assist Mode explanation, PS5 and Gap overview, and the Steam release listing.