CONTROL Resonant Who Do You Play As: Dylan Faden

You Play as Dylan Faden

If you are wondering who you play as in CONTROL Resonant, the answer is Dylan Faden. He is Jesse Faden’s younger brother, previously held by the Federal Bureau of Control, and he becomes the game’s central playable hero.

That change matters because Resonant is built around Dylan’s more aggressive, melee-focused powers. Instead of replaying Jesse’s established journey, you experience the crisis from someone shaped by years of containment, Hiss influence, and uneasy cooperation with the FBC.

Character	Role in CONTROL Resonant	Playable status
Dylan Faden	Main protagonist searching for Jesse and fighting supernatural threats in Manhattan	Yes
Jesse Faden	Dylan’s sister and the former protagonist of CONTROL	Appears in the story
Zoe De Vera	Dylan’s FBC contact and companion voice	Not playable
Caspar Darling	FBC scientist connected to Dylan’s past	Not playable

Dylan is not simply a replacement with Jesse’s old abilities. His fighting style emphasizes close-range weapons, charged attacks, supernatural skills, and movement powers that help him navigate a distorted version of Manhattan.

Why Dylan Is the Protagonist

Dylan’s history gives CONTROL Resonant a personal stake from its opening. He and Jesse were separated after the Ordinary incident, and the FBC kept Dylan under its Prime Candidate program for years. The agency viewed him as a powerful parautilitarian, but its treatment of him left him distrustful, isolated, and volatile.

By the start of Resonant, Dylan has awakened after a long coma. Jesse is missing, portions of Manhattan have become disconnected from normal reality, and several paranormal forces are competing for control of the city. Dylan agrees to help, but the FBC still treats him as a risk and monitors him closely.

Story element	What it means for Dylan
Jesse’s disappearance	Gives Dylan a direct reason to cross the altered city
FBC containment history	Explains his distrust of the Bureau and uneasy alliance with it
Hiss threat	Brings back the force that previously influenced him
The Patterning	Introduces a new reality-warping danger opposed to the Hiss
Mold outbreak	Creates a third hostile presence across Manhattan

Dylan’s perspective also makes the story more uncertain. Jesse entered the original CONTROL as an outsider looking for Dylan. In Resonant, Dylan is the one trying to find Jesse while dealing with an organization that once controlled nearly every part of his life.

His character is intentionally more vulnerable and conflicted than Jesse. He has exceptional paranormal potential, but he is still learning how to use his freedom, powers, and relationship with the FBC. That tension carries into both dialogue and gameplay.

How Dylan Plays

Dylan is controlled from a third-person perspective, but his combat differs substantially from Jesse’s gun-and-telekinesis approach. CONTROL Resonant focuses on fast melee combat, weapon forms, dodging, status effects, and active abilities.

Early on, you choose an Aberrant Form for Dylan’s regular attacks. These weapons support different play styles, so your best choice depends on whether you prefer speed, balanced damage, reach, or crowd control.

Main weapon form	Best use	Play style
Strike twin blades	Fast attacks and critical-hit potential	Mobile and aggressive
Cleave	Reliable damage, especially from behind enemies	Balanced melee
Scythe	Wide swings and longer reach	Safer crowd control
Hammer secondary form	Slow but heavy charged damage	Burst damage
Drill secondary form	Strong single-target pressure	Boss and elite enemy damage

Dylan can also equip active paranormal abilities. These consume power, so combat is not only about attacking quickly; it is about choosing when to defend, apply status effects, summon help, or finish a vulnerable enemy.

Useful early combat priorities include:

• Learn the dodge timing, since Dylan does not rely on a standard parry.
• Match weapon damage types to enemy defenses.
• Use blunt attacks to crack hard Mold armor before switching to sharper weapons.
• Build Falter on enemies to create damaging openings.
• Experiment with fire and infection effects against groups.
• Save power for abilities that fit your current weapon setup.

Several major powers come from defeating Resonants, powerful bosses found across the game’s zones. After these fights, Dylan may have to choose between different rewards. You cannot freely unlock every option in a single first playthrough, so test an ability before committing when possible.

Ability type	Example	How it helps Dylan
Defense	Shield	Blocks damage and can bash foes
Projectile offense	Barrage	Throws rocks to pressure enemies
Fire damage	Ignite or Inferno	Adds burn and increases damage potential
Summoning	Volatile Anomaly or Growth	Creates allies or hazards
Crowd control	Push or Ground Slam	Moves enemies and creates openings
Enemy conversion	Command	Turns non-boss enemies into temporary allies

Finding Jesse Across Manhattan

Dylan’s main objective is to locate Jesse while containing the supernatural disaster spreading through Manhattan. The city is not a normal open world: each district has been transformed by paranormal influence, and traversal changes as Dylan gains new abilities.

Downtown is heavily affected by the Hiss, while The Park is overwhelmed by Mold. Other areas are shaped by the Patterning, which can turn buildings upside down, shift gravity, and force you to rethink where the ground actually is.

The world opens up shortly after the introduction, allowing you to pursue story missions, zone activities, side quests, collectibles, vaults, and Resonant bosses in different orders. Optional content is worthwhile because it provides talent points, gear materials, traversal upgrades, and additional context for the strange objects and people caught in the crisis.

Activity	What Dylan gains
Main missions	Story progress, major unlocks, and direction toward Jesse
Resonant boss fights	New power choices and stronger world-state cycles
Vaults	Traversal abilities that open previously unreachable spaces
Side quests	Narrative encounters, rewards, and unusual Altered Item-style scenarios
Zone activities	Zone experience, local rewards, and talent points
Exploration	Chests, materials, collectibles, and shortcuts

As zones level up, they unlock practical benefits such as better item access, additional chests on the map, and special challenges. However, defeating a Resonant can also begin a new Resonant Cycle. Enemies become more dangerous, combat encounters return, and new enemy types may appear in earlier locations.

That system gives you a reason to decide when to fight a boss. If a zone is already difficult, you may want to finish its side activities first. If you need a new power immediately, defeating its Resonant may be worth the increased pressure.

Traversal becomes much more flexible as Dylan unlocks abilities such as Reach, which lets him launch toward designated points. Later powers can alter how he moves through gravity-defying areas, including spaces where roads, walls, and skyscrapers no longer follow ordinary directions.

FAQ

In CONTROL Resonant, who do you play as?

You play as Dylan Faden, Jesse Faden’s younger brother. He is the main playable protagonist throughout CONTROL Resonant.

Can you play as Jesse Faden?

Jesse appears in CONTROL Resonant’s story, but Dylan is the confirmed main playable character. A broader playable role for Jesse has not been officially confirmed.

Why is Dylan looking for Jesse?

Jesse goes missing after the events that lead to Manhattan’s paranormal crisis. Dylan’s search for her drives the main story alongside the fight against the Hiss, the Patterning, and Mold.

Does Dylan fight like Jesse from CONTROL?

No. Dylan’s gameplay is more melee-focused, using transformable weapon forms, charged attacks, dodge-based defense, elemental effects, summons, and supernatural active abilities.

Can Dylan unlock every ability in one playthrough?

Not necessarily. Several Resonant bosses offer a choice between powers, and selecting one can leave the others unavailable until later progression or New Game Plus.