Remedy Self-Publishes Control Resonant as New September Games Challenge Genre Conventions

HELSINKI — Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment has released *Control Resonant*, a $60 follow-up to its critically acclaimed 2019 game, and is self-publishing the high-budget title after securing full rights to the franchise. The release is among a varied slate of late-September games, from a corporate-satire brawler to a game played entirely through a settings menu.

Remedy acquired the *Control* franchise rights from co-publisher 505 Games in early 2024 for an estimated €17 million ($18.4 million). The deal gave the studio complete creative and commercial control over the franchise’s future. Its production budget rivals traditional AAA releases, but self-publishing lets Remedy operate independently of traditional publisher demands.

The sequel shifts from the brutalist, shape-shifting corridors of “The Oldest House” to an open-world setting. Jesse Faden, the protagonist of the 2019 game, gives way to her brother, Dylan Faden. Remedy has also replaced the morphing “Service Weapon,” central to the original’s third-person shooting, with a melee-focused combat system.

*Control Resonant* is available on Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox for PC. A macOS version is due on Steam and the Mac App Store later this year. Players looking for a more narrative-focused experience, or who are deterred by the combat difficulty, can use built-in accessibility options including invincibility and one-hit kills.

A different take on workplace power arrives in *Stick It to the Stickman*, developed by South African studio Free Lives and released by Devolver Digital. Free Lives previously made the patriotic run-and-gun platformer *Broforce* and the environmental restoration simulator *Terra Nil*. Its new physics-based, anti-capitalist roguelite brawler recently completed its early-access phase.

Players control an interchangeable, minimalist stick-figure employee fighting up the floors of an office building to depose the company’s chief executive officer. Whether the employee wins or loses, the cycle begins again with a new hire, making high turnover part of the gameplay. The game’s satire targets corporate bureaucracy and labor exploitation.

Office supplies and martial arts supply the combat: players can use staple guns and projectile coffee mugs, as well as flying kicks and mystical energy strikes. Skills can be unlocked and upgraded, while an overworld map brings in outside conflicts including labor protests and law enforcement interventions. The game is available on Steam and fully verified for Valve’s Steam Deck. Its usual price is $12, with a 50 percent launch discount through October 1.

Physics-based animal games popularized by House House’s *Untitled Goose Game* and Double Dagger Studio’s *Little Kitty, Big City* have another entry in *Doggy Don’t Care*. Developed by Rohan Nowell and published by Rotub Games, it belongs to the “cozy chaos” subgenre, combining low-stress aesthetics with disruptive, physics-based objectives.

Players take control of Charlie, a domestic dog left home alone, and cause household havoc to earn mischief badges. Tasks include knocking over household objects and carrying out a simulated diamond heist; players can also unlock custom outfits called “pawjamas.” Designed for casual play, the game is verified for the Steam Deck and available on Steam for $15, with a 10 percent introductory discount through October 8.

The week’s releases also include *Video Game Menu: The Game*, an experimental project from solo developer and publisher Sebastian Gioseffi. It was featured in the “Out of the Box” digital showcase, an exhibition for avant-garde and non-traditional game designs. The title parodies the “Fake OS” subgenre, in which narrative experiences unfold entirely inside simulated computer interfaces.

There is no traditional gameplay: the experience takes place entirely within a satirical settings menu, where configuration options deliver the narrative. Adjusting an “emotional depth” slider shifts the text from basic action tropes to tragic dilemmas. Enabling “gore” makes blood splatter across the user interface whenever a setting is toggled. The menu also includes an arbitrary score generator and an interactive “airplane mode.”

*Video Game Menu: The Game* is available on Steam and Itch.io for $4, with a 10 percent discount on Steam through September 30.