Control Resonant: Hidden Storefronts and Secret Basements – All Locations

Manhattan in Control Resonant isn’t just a twisted battlefield. Behind boarded windows and flickering neon signs lie puzzles that reward exploration with permanent health and power upgrades. These secret basements are tucked inside storefronts that look like set dressing — diners, laundromats, art galleries, convenience stores. Inside each one is a puzzle. Solve it, and you unlock a hidden room containing an upgrade point. There are six of these across the city. Finding all six is an unmarked quest, and the payoff makes tough fights far more manageable. Here’s where to find them and how to crack each puzzle.

The Diner Puzzle (Central)

This is the first secret basement most players will stumble across. Head to the diner just over the wall to the right after leaving the Oldest House. You’ll see lights on inside — that’s your cue. Walk in.

Finding all six is an unmarked quest, and the payoff makes tough fights far more manageable.

Inside, the power is off. Find the fuse box and flip it. That activates three appliances behind the counter: a toaster, a microwave, and a coffee machine. The note on the counter (read it) hints at the order: smallest to largest. Press the toaster first, then the microwave, then the coffee machine. A section of the wall slides open, revealing stairs down.

The basement contains a large resource crate with a health upgrade point. You need three of these to permanently increase your health bar, so this is a great early boost.

The Laundromat Puzzle (West Incursion Zone)

In the West Incursion Zone, near the northeastern corner, you’ll find a laundromat with a flickering “OPEN” sign. Go inside. The room is full of washing machines, but only four are functional. A cryptic note on the wall says something about “the cycle ends where it begins.”

Marvel’s Wolverine Stealth: The One Mistake You’re Making

Strike in Control Resonant: The Crit Math You’re Missing

Marvel’s Wolverine: How Forklifts, Lava, and Ledges Shape Combat

The solution is to start a wash cycle on the machine closest to the door, then the next one clockwise, then the next, finally the one by the back wall. After each machine starts, wait for the cycle to complete (about 10 seconds each). When all four are done, the floor panel near the detergent shelf releases.

The secret room holds a power upgrade point (you need three of these to increase your energy pool). This basement is often missed because players leave before the cycles finish.

The Art Gallery Puzzle (Downtown)

Downtown has a small art gallery with a single painting on an easel and a few blank frames. The note on the reception desk says “The artist always signs their work in the same corner. Match the signatures to the frames.” Walk around the gallery. There are four frames with faint symbols in their corners. The painting on the easel has a symbol in the bottom right corner. You need to arrange the four frames so that the symbols in their corners match the symbol on the easel painting. The correct order is not random — each frame corresponds to a wall direction (north, south, east, west). But the simplest method is to interact with each frame and rotate it until the symbol appears. When all four match, a hidden door slides open behind a curtain.

Inside is a chest with a health upgrade point. This puzzle is purely visual, so take a screenshot of the easel symbol if needed.

The Convenience Store Puzzle (Evacuation Zone)

In the Evacuation Zone, near the southern fast travel door, is a 24-hour convenience store. The lights are on, but a metal grate blocks the back room. The note on the counter mentions a code from a receipt scattered outside. Exit the store and look for a discarded receipt on the ground near the dumpster to the left. It shows three digits: 4, 7, 2. Return to the keypad by the back door and enter 472. The grate lifts.

The back room contains a power upgrade point. Quick and easy — but easy to miss if you don’t notice the receipt.

The Two Remaining Storefronts (Park and Underpass)

The fifth and sixth secret basements are in the Park and Underpass zones, but their storefront types vary each playthrough. Based on testing, the Park zone always has a flower shop with a puzzle that requires lighting three burners in a specific sequence (the order is on a clipboard near the door). The Underpass zone has a barbershop where you must rotate mirrors to reflect a beam of light onto a sensor. Both reward a health or power upgrade point, alternating.

To find them, look for any storefront with lights on and an interactive object (a note, a switch, a keypad). The puzzle hints are always within the same room or just outside. There is no quest marker — only your willingness to check every lit window.

Why Bother With All Six?

Each upgrade point (health or power) stacks toward permanent increases. Every three health points you collect raise your maximum health by one segment. Every three power points raise your energy pool. The secret basements collectively provide four health points and two power points across the six locations. That’s a substantial survivability boost, especially before you face the second Resonant boss, where zone difficulty jumps.

Additionally, finding all six grants a small but unique artifact (a hidden reward from the game files — no quest trigger). It’s not game-breaking, but it’s a nice nod for thorough explorers.

WARDOGS Early Access: Why “Just Wait for Full Release”

Control Resonant: The Volatile Anomaly Isn’t a Turret – Throw It

Willan Barbatos Dies in Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen’s Mordria Fights

Quick Checklist

1. Central Diner – health upgrade (toaster → microwave → coffee machine)
2. West Incursion Laundromat – power upgrade (cycles in order from front door clockwise)
3. Downtown Art Gallery – health upgrade (match frame symbols to easel painting)
4. Evacuation Zone Convenience Store – power upgrade (code 472 from receipt)
5. Park Flower Shop – health or power upgrade (burner sequence on clipboard)
6. Underpass Barbershop – health or power upgrade (mirror reflection puzzle)

Map markers for these storefronts appear only after you unlock the zone’s radar and get within about 50 meters. So keep your eyes open and listen for ambient sounds — the diner’s humming fridge, the laundromat’s spinning drums. They’re subtle, but they’re there.