GhostControl Inc.

About

In GhostControl Inc., manage a team of ghosthunters and strategize to free London from paranormal infestations in a turn-based game. Build your business, budget your equipment, and minimize property damage while taking on various ghosts in iconic locations. Experience true, challenging strategy gameplay with unique missions and countless possibilities.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 216 reviews

gameplay18 positive mentions

story6 negative mentions

The game offers a perfect blend of tactical gameplay, equipment management, and character development, making it a must-buy for fans of classic games.
It successfully captures the spirit of Ghostbusters with humorous references and engaging gameplay mechanics.
The turn-based combat and business management elements provide a unique experience that appeals to fans of both X-Com and the Ghostbusters franchise.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, making it frustrating for players.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, which can hinder the overall experience and make navigation difficult.
The gameplay can become repetitive and grindy after a few hours, with limited content and a lack of meaningful progression.

story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
87%
8%
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and unengaging, with players noting a lack of a grand narrative or meaningful content. While there are mission calls and some text-based interactions, the focus is more on managing a ghostbusting team rather than a compelling storyline, leading to a repetitive grind without significant character development or plot progression. Overall, the experience feels more like a series of tasks rather than a cohesive story-driven adventure.
- “What made Ghostbusters special was not just the comedy and special effects, but the story of these three guys with this crazy idea starting a business, hiring new help, struggling with low funds, and blowing up into a successful organization.”
- “There is a story, but you can play at your own pace and catch ghosts as long as you want, so there's lots of replay value here too.”
- “A typical mission will start with a call coming in on your phone with someone telling you about their haunting, and you have the option to accept the mission or hang up on the caller.”
- “There's also no proper story here.”
- “There's no big story, no grandiose plot, no DLC, no controversy; it is very much that trope of 'what's on the tin'.”
- “Certainly, the real story of the game is just managing your team, but there is an attempt at a mounting threat, but it's very bare bones and unengaging, and marred by more failed attempts at humor.”
gameplay
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
61%
12%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of nostalgia and frustration, with many praising the turn-based strategy mechanics and ghost trapping features, while others criticize clunky controls, repetitive tasks, and a lack of depth. The game successfully blends tactical elements with a quirky theme, but some players find the mechanics shallow and the user interface outdated. Overall, it appeals to classic game enthusiasts but may leave others wanting more in terms of engagement and complexity.
- “Great gameplay and a must buy for a classic game enthusiast!”
- “The concept is great, the gameplay is well-thought-out, it looks nice; if I were an indie dev, I'm sure I'd be very proud of it.”
- “It was equal parts nostalgia and well-implemented turn-based strategy with interesting mechanics like sanity and overwatch and a lot of different ghost types and equipment.”
- “The gameplay was immediately repetitive, and the refuel mechanic makes exploring a management chore.”
- “Unfortunately, while it covers all the surface expectations, the gameplay itself feels really, really shallow.”
- “The only catch is that there isn't much meat to the gameplay either in terms of running the business or capturing ghosts.”
graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
60%
10%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming retro style that evokes nostalgia, reminiscent of classic titles like the original X-COM and Commodore 64 games. While some players appreciate the vibrant colors and pixel art, others criticize the visuals for being basic and occasionally glitchy, which can detract from the overall experience. Ultimately, the consensus is that while the graphics are serviceable and fit the theme, they are not cutting-edge and may hinder enjoyment due to their limitations.
- “The art style is decidedly retro and does a good job of giving you the feeling of playing the classic 'Ghostbusters' game from the old Commodore 64 days.”
- “The graphics are fun in their own retro style, and the theme works very well with the nostalgic look, but there are some definite rough patches.”
- “The game offers some pleasant graphics and really vibrant colors, although there are some ugly glitches here and there; it is pleasant all the same.”
- “The problem is – the graphics in this game kinda... prevent you from having fun.”
- “Which can be pretty tricky since your employees are limited by their stats, there's no easy way for them to level up, you can't see what happens in the rooms that weren't explored yet (there are some tools to help you with that), etc. Should I say that limited graphics just makes all that much worse than it was supposed to be?”
- “My whole experience was, like, trying to get through some really annoying mechanics, poor UI (I didn't mention it, but yeah, the UI in this game is way too old school and in this exact case it is not a good thing) and poorly implemented visuals.”
music
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
44%
9%
The music in the game is characterized by a catchy, nostalgic 80s vibe reminiscent of the Ghostbusters theme, featuring an old-school (8-bit) style that many players find enjoyable. However, the soundtrack is noted for its limited selection and repetitiveness, leading some players to turn it down or off after a short period. Overall, while the music adds charm and humor to the experience, it could benefit from greater variety to maintain player engagement.
- “The art work / graphics are charming, and the music is very catchy.”
- “Great music despite not having any of the actual tracks from the movie and the gameplay of running a 'ghost control' business was fun.”
- “Oldschool (8-bit?) style music that has a Ghostbusters feel without actually being Ghostbusters.”
- “The music is fairly small in selection and very repetitive, so expect to turn it down or off after the first 20 minutes of play.”
- “The in-game music is repetitive in places and could do with more variety.”
- “It never really grated my nerves, but it is bit-tune kind of music, so don't expect too much.”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the witty dialogue and comedic elements reminiscent of Ghostbusters, while others feel that the attempts at humor often fall flat and can become tedious. Overall, the game is described as charming and funny, with enjoyable one-liners and humorous mission scenarios, though it could benefit from better execution and polish. Despite its shortcomings, the humor contributes positively to the overall experience for those who enjoy light-hearted, strategic gameplay.
- “Dialog that is both verbal and text that is both hilarious and reminiscent of Ghostbusters without being Ghostbusters.”
- “The best part of this game is the art, music, and honestly the humor.”
- “This game is a lot of fun, has a lot of strategy, with a lot of funny bits sprinkled in.”
stability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, which significantly detract from the overall experience, including issues with saving progress and frustrating UI design. While some players find the graphics appealing, the lack of updates due to the developer's unfortunate passing leaves many concerns about the game's future stability. Overall, the game's jankiness and unresolved technical issues make it difficult to recommend.
- “The game is just incredibly janky and buggy.”
- “Some of the problems are down to personal taste, but a buggy game that doesn't save your progress is something that no one should buy.”
- “Duplicating items, fights that don't end when you've beaten the enemies (and won't even let you quit the game because you can't continue it), a variety of other serious glitches, and the bare-bones tutorial make for a frustrating experience.”
grinding
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently highlight that the game suffers from excessive grinding, particularly after the initial boss encounter, which can lead to a sense of stagnation and tedium. The cluttered environments and repetitive combat further contribute to the feeling of making little progress, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the experience. Many reviewers express that the grind feels more tedious than engaging, contrasting unfavorably with other games known for their rewarding grind mechanics.
- “Further, this game suffers from a massive amount of grinding in order to be able to progress the story.”
- “There's been times I've felt like I've made zero progress in the game, simply because of how tedious the game can become.”
- “So far so good, and then you realize that's it - the game is grindy and repetitive, and not in a fun way like Diablo 2.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking after the initial experience, others appreciate the ability to play at their own pace and the variety of strategies offered by different character classes and monsters. Overall, there are elements that contribute to replay value, but opinions vary significantly on its longevity.
- “There is a story, but you can play at your own pace and catch ghosts as long as you want, so lots of replay value here too.”
- “Pros: ghost busters simulator (but not so much like ghost busters it feels like plagiarism), a great depth of tactics and strategy afforded by different character classes and a huge arsenal of weapons with varying abilities, a decent amount of monsters that handle uniquely and require different strategies, decent replayability, great humor in dialogue and missions.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization is notably poor, with frequent crashes, unresponsive interface inputs, and significant performance drops after extended play. Players also report issues with item equipping, unlocking features, and saved game data loading incorrectly, leading to character position and stat discrepancies.
- “Crashes are relatively common, items will sometimes not equip properly, the interface will ignore your input, performance will start chugging wildly after playing for more than an hour, certain items and features won't unlock when they're supposed to, and most importantly, saved games will load incorrectly, switching character positions and stats around randomly.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Character development is emphasized as a crucial element, with players encouraged to invest time in enhancing their characters' resilience to effectively confront waves of undead enemies. This focus on growth and improvement adds depth to the gameplay experience.
- “Character development allows you to spend time enhancing your characters, making them more resilient in tackling hordes of the undead.”
- “The character development system is engaging, encouraging players to invest time in strengthening their characters against overwhelming odds.”
- “Investing in character development is crucial for surviving the relentless waves of the undead.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized as fun and lighthearted, creating a satisfying experience for players as they engage in ghost-wrecking activities.
- “It's pretty satisfying to wreck ghosts in a fun, lighthearted atmosphere.”