GhostControl Inc. Community-Team #1. Jul 21, 2015 @ 2:31am.Immense. joy. I absolutely loved everything about this game. I actually found it because of interest in another title, Chroma Squad, which is pretty much to Power Rangers what GhostControl is to Ghostbusters. Both are very awesome turn-based strategy games that appeal to. Background information: The developers of GhostControl Inc. Are big fans of classic games such as GhostBusters, the original XCOM, Theme Hospital and FTL. In it's classic pixel art retro style the game comes with outstanding original graphics and a funny story line.
Manage a team of ghosthunters and free London from paranormal terror in turn-based battles. Develop your own strategy and build your business well.
Let's be honest - a ghost in your house can be a real pest. For centuries we have accepted hauntings as unexplained phenomena which we can do little to stop. Side affects of living in a haunted home can include sleepless nights, headaches, smog everywhere and in some cases even physical damage in the house.
Enough is enough, with your help we intend to put an end to these paranormal pests. Build, manage and develop your own team of talented ghost hunters.
With the income from your team's work you can equip them with some amazing gadgets, but manage your budget with care not everything is as useful as it may appear. Hunt your customers ghosts down - property damage should be kept to a minimum. Take on the ghosts, follow the map, take in the lovely sites and stunning landmarks.
Features
- True, challenging turn-based strategy gameplay
- Loads of ghost hunting with various equipment
- Team management and strategic investment decisions
- A London city map with famous landmarks
- Tons of humour in text messages and game action
- Original game music soundtrack
- English and German text and voice overs
- French and Spanish text localization
GhostControl Inc. Backstage Some data
London Map pixeled in 786,432 dots with several well known buildings like Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral and many more.
Different level settings like apartment, office, graveyard, The Tube or restaurant will create different challenges for the player.
About 150 ghost hunter portraits for „Harry Frankle', „Hazel Nuts' or „Roger Rapid' - some of them depicting well known gaming celebrities.
About 20 hours of game play.
18 different ghost types and numerous variations with nifty AI. Challenging boss fights with special scripting and a story line for each of them.
More than 58 achievements.
Alarm phone calls start a mission with a unique dialogue systems that creates about 70,000 unique dialogues. On top 800 hand written crazy phone call lines for surprises and to develop the story line.
More than 350 funny context sensitive shoutouts that pop up in speech bubbles and as audio, recorded with female and male voices of professional voice actors.
Over 100 hidden references to other classical video games, movies or books are hidden as text or graphics in the game.
We have created over 90 devices of which most are actually useful in the game and a few dozen are actually pretty useless, but funny.
About 100 news messages are sent to the in-game smartphone to tell players about the story line or some absurd 100% made up stories that the player may or may not read. Also presenting 20 manufacturers of ghost hunting equipment in company profiles.
Original music score composed by Sound Of Games.
Over 100 hand crafted original sound effects.
Be the hero of the day and save the city!
Background information:
The developers of GhostControl Inc. are big fans of classic games such as GhostBusters, the original XCOM, Theme Hospital and FTL.
In it's classic pixel art retro style the game comes with outstanding original graphics and a funny story line.
| Status | Released |
| Publisher | Application Systems Heidelberg |
| Author | Application Systems Heidelberg |
| Genre | Strategy |
| Tags | business, Comedy, control, ghost, humor, hunting, london, Management, Turn-based |
| Average session | A few hours |
| Languages | German, English, Spanish; Castilian, French |
| Inputs | Keyboard, Mouse |
| Accessibility | Subtitles |
| Links | Steam |
Available on
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I'm doing my best to resist the urge, I swear. Every fiber in my being wants me to bellow 'who you gonna call' even though this isn't officially a 'Ghostbusters' game. While the latest 'Ghostbusters' video game satisfied my ghostbusting itch, I have to admit that I missed the ability to actually run my very own ghostbusting business. That leads me to 'GhostControl Inc.', a game that admittedly looks and feels like the pop culture icons we all know and love. I've thought long and hard about how to describe this game, but the best I could do is to say that it is a cross between 'Ghostbusters' for the Atari 2600 and 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown'. The former may not be recognizable to the lot of you, but the idea that both 'Ghostbusters' and 'GhostControl Inc.' conveys is generally the same. Before I go any further, I'd like to thank the folks at Application Systems Heidelberg for providing me with a free press copy.
GhostControl Inc. (Windows, Mac, Linux)
For those of you who haven't played 'Ghostbusters' for the Atari 2600, you were presented with a world map that required the player to respond to ghost sightings as they came up. You'd jump into your trusty 'Ecto-1', be treated to a really crappy top-down view of the car driving on a road, and then try to capture the ghost floating around outside the building. 'GhostControl Inc.' takes the world map idea and builds upon it tenfold. Not only will you be responding to calls, but so will other AI competitors…something that the original 'Ghostbusters' game didn't have. Admittedly, there's not much depth in that department for they just seem to roam around and eliminate missions should you not get to them fast enough. As complicated as running your own ghostbusting business may sound though, all you'll really need to keep in mind is that you'll be busting ghosts for cash in order to grow your company.
Ghost Controls Phone Number
The world map just isn't a collection of mission markers…there's actually stuff to do. The hospital, for example, can be visited to heal your staff. The gas station allows you to, you guessed it, fill up your company vehicle with gas. The car dealership will let you buy new vehicles and the 'Traps R Us' store will let you purchase new equipment. You'll even be able to obtain a new HQ, if you so fancy. Of course, all of these things will require money, and you won't earn that until you start bagging a few ghosts. Not to worry, the difficulty will increase appropriately as you complete objectives, giving you some sense of direction as you make a bigger and more badass ghostbusting force.
Unlike the aforementioned 'Ghostbusters' game for the Atari 2600, these ghostbusting sessions are turn-based (hence my earlier 'XCOM' reference). Each crew member under your control will be alloted so many action points to use on their turn, whether it be to move, shoot, interact with objects, and so on. It's also worth mentioning that each crew member has a different set of stats and will be assigned a class accordingly. The 'bruiser' and 'shooter' class are ideal for combat, while the 'scientist' is better at using special equipment. You can hire and fire hunters at will, so you're free to customize your team as you see fit. Leveling them up through jobs is also possible, giving you a reason to care a bit more about your team as a whole.
It's best to organize your staff and equipment before heading out to a job.
Jobs can be a tricky business, though not for the reasons you'd expect. While it's obvious that the different ghost types in this game will require you to carefully plan out your actions, you're actually penalized for destroying objects in the environment. The more destructive you get, the less profitable missions tend to be. In a way, this makes sense…remember how pissed the hotel manager was in the first 'Ghostbusters' movie when the trio shot up the place? This gameplay mechanic forced me to be a bit more cautious than usual and added a tactical element that I didn't really care about in 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown'. Just losing a convenient spot for cover is one thing, but having the costs deducted from your paycheck is another thing entirely. My only real gripe with this mode is that I couldn't figure out how to rotate the camera, though you can shift-click to hide objects to see your team and targets a bit more clearly.
There is admittedly a learning curve, especially if you've never played turn-based combat games like 'XCOM: Enemy Unknown'. Getting used to how action points work and what kinds of actions spend them does take time. Luckily, there is a tutorial in-game to help you out, as well as a detailed manual (link below) that will brief you on everything you'll need to know. The manual even includes examples of movement with pictures to boot…that's not something I often see nowadays. Catching a ghost and maneuvering them over to a trap also takes some time to learn, though better equipment will make your life a bit easier once you get to that point. Different ghosts also have different abilities (teleportation, conjuring, dripping, etc.), so learning how to deal with these troublemakers will be yet another thing to get used to.
Once the light bulb appears over your head, you'll find 'GhostControl Inc.' to be an incredibly addicting experience. This game made me want to do better with each passing second, for the better you do, the more money you can potentially make. Like a kid in a toy store, I wanted to try out each piece of equipment I was introduced to, just to see what it did. I also enjoy a good business sim…that is, making money and feeling a sense of satisfaction when my company is succeeding through my decisions. While managing your finances is important in 'GhostControl Inc.', it is not overly complicated. You either have the money for gas or you don't. You either have the money to buy that shiny new toy or you don't. If you want more money, go bust some ghosts…it's all very simple.
Would I recommend 'GhostControl Inc.' to my fellow ghost hunters? In short, yes. While the graphics are nothing to write home about, it has a certain charm about it that makes me want to keep playing. 'Project Zomboid', while also not overly detailed in the graphics compartment, appeals to me in the same way and is addicting as hell. Besides the fact that I can't seem to put it down, 'GhostControl Inc.' fulfills my childhood fantasy of running my very own ghost hunting business nicely. For $13.99 (as of 1/30/14), that's not a bad deal…not bad at all.
Final Verdict: 8/10
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You can learn more about and purchase the game here:
You can help bring the game to Steam by voting for it on its Greenlight page, here:
Ghostcontrol Inc
Note – The game has since been 'Green-lit' and thus released on Steam:
Ghost Control Gate
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