Control Resonant Dev Remedy Ditched Yellow Paint to Encourage Player Discovery

The director of Control Resonant has shed light on how the team approached exploration without resorting to intrusive hand-holding tactics like yellow paint.

In recent years, many gamers have grown weary of excessive guidance in games. Yellow paint, which blatantly marks the path forward, is a prime example. Critics argue that such heavy-handed navigation aids can be distracting and strip away player agency. Marvel's Wolverine, for instance, faced backlash for its "fart gas" – a blue mist that Wolverine could sniff to locate objectives. Insomniac later added an option to disable it post-launch.

Remedy, the studio behind Control Resonant, takes a different approach. Their open-world game features zones that players can explore freely, and it's not always obvious where to go next. Director Mikael Kasurinen explained on the Dropping Frames podcast (via Kotaku) that it was crucial for players to feel they were unraveling the game's intricate world on their own, rather than following flashing arrows. He emphasized that active participation is key to fully experiencing the world.

"It's so important that the players feel like they're the ones figuring it out," Kasurinen said. "It's the job of us as creators to… I mean, it is a crafted experience at the end of the day, right? You have to find the right balance between 'here's the world' and 'here are the different themes and elements that you have to pay attention to.' But it has to feel like it's on you to make a decision on what to do with those elements that you see within the world. If it feels like it's like 'go here,' it's not anymore a decision for the player. Somebody already decided for you."

The director acknowledged that this approach might alienate players seeking a more guided experience, but for those who engage deeply, it will be more rewarding and interesting.

"People will be coming back to this game, exploring, trying to kind of find out things and so on," he added. "It's not something that you kind of go through, you did what you were told, and you're done. It feels like, no, I made some choices in this game and you have that little little question: Did I make the right choices? And I want that f***ing question. I want people to think like that. I want them to kind of, you know, doubt, go back, check again, see what they could do differently, because that's life. That's what makes it sticky and interesting."

Another developer shares Remedy's philosophy: Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons studio Invoke. Dominic Guay, General Manager at Invoke Studios, told IGN at gamescom 2026 that they avoided waypoints to encourage genuine exploration. Their open-world single-player action-adventure minimizes hand-holding by removing traditional quest markers that guide players from one story beat to the next. While a compass appears at the top of the screen (which can be turned off), players must figure out where to go by exploring, talking to NPCs, and thinking ahead.

"We wanted them to engage with the world, to figure things out and feel that when they found things, it was based on their actions and not just blindly trusting a waypoint," Guay said.

IGN's Control Resonant review awarded it an 8/10. We said: "Even when combat's sharp edge eventually dulls, Control Resonant is a great addition to the Remedyverse. While its story follows a more standard framework, its gravitational pull is in the inventive world built around it and the humanization that grounds the paranatural intrigue."