GhostControl is not a licensed Ghostbusters game, but it looks dangerously close to one. It also looks like the only Ghostbusters game I have ever wanted to play. It evokes XCOM , which developer Bumblebee calls out specifically as an influence, along with FTL and Theme Hospital .
Set in a London rendered with pixel art, GhostControl's gameplay is divided into two familiar phases. There's the managerial phase, in which you hire hunters, invest in research, and buy equipment and cars, including one that looks like just like the Ecto-1 Cadillac . Then there's the tactical phase, in which you clear out the haunted locations with your team in turn-based combat.
One cool little touch that makes it different from XCOM is that any damage you incur on the house will actually be deducted from your pay, so there's a incentive to play carefully. Mess the place up really bad and you might even end up losing money on the contract. It seems like GhostControl is full of these small, Ghostbus—I mean, ghost hunting specific touches, which is a really good fit for the genre.
GhostControl was successfully funded on Kickstarter back in July for around $20,000. You can buy it now for $18 (£11) for Windows 8 on the Windows store . I know, I don't want to buy it from the Windows store either, so let's all go ahead and vote for the game on Steam Greenlight .
