Control Resonant serves as a follow-up to the 2019 title Control, maintaining the series' core premise of a bureaucratic agency managing otherworldly entities. The game environment is filled with extensive documentation that players can choose to read to gain deeper insight into the game's narrative and character relationships.

While the primary objective involves high-stakes threats to the world, the game distinguishes itself by grounding these supernatural events in the mundane reality of office paperwork. Critics and players note that while reading these documents is optional, it is essential for those seeking to uncover the game's more nuanced storytelling, including subplots and character-driven narratives. The game maintains the established tone of its predecessor, blending supernatural mystery with the aesthetic of an old-school government agency. The experience is characterized by a balance between active gameplay and passive discovery through environmental storytelling.