I really love how the Oldest House in Control manages to feel epic, claustrophobic, otherworldly, surreal & mundane all at once.
Boring offices, epic machinery, test labs, janitor closets meld together in some kind of twisted Escher-esque maze with a splash of Metroidvania thrown in. There is so much detail packed in, too.
It's one of the best sci-fi settings this side of Death Stranding, imo.
Game: Control
16 Comments
Your Jesse looks interesting.
I agree about the oldest house though.
If you like this setting, check out a podcast called “Tanis”. Feels like the same universe and you can enjoy it while doing non-play-Control mundane life things 🙂
Serious Midgar vibes
its not sci fi.
Love it! About to start my 4th play though.
I have a personal fan theory about the oldest house. If gods come into existence because people start believing in and worshiping them, then perhaps when humans built the first house they began worshiping it as something sacred which in turn lead to a house god coming into existence. The oldest house is a god itself, taking whatever shape humans need. When it was found by first Director it took the form of an office building with basements and storage for the people trying to capture and control all the anomalies.
Ishimura says no.
Am I the only person that didn’t like this game? I gave up around when >!your brother shows up!<
Control 2 is my most anticipated game in development! Just loved everything about the first one.
Absolutely love the entire aesthetic. Really need to sit down and do another playthrough of it
The oldest house tickles something so deeply satisfying in my fantasy brain. It’s so fun. It can be anything and that’s alright.
“We took SCP and made a game with depth about it.”
Best part is that unlike all the dogshit fanfic expanded-universe that SCP is nowdays, Control remembers that a mystery is the most intriguing when it remains unexplained.
The explanation behind what’s in that reactor and powering the whole thing is quite a dark twist as well. Love this game, it’s a top 10 all time favorite of mine.
The combat left something to be desired but I was otherwise completely enthralled by this game. I love those sorts of stories where not everything gets fully explained and you’re left to fill in the gaps yourself. Where did the Oldest House come from? Was it always here and the Bureau moved in or did it create itself out of necessity? Who/what is the Former? Who/What is the Board and How/Why did they contact us? If they’re extra dimensional beings why do they have such an interest in our little planet? Does the Astral spike exist simultaneously in the same place in every dimension, like a pin driven through a stack of papers?
Midgar?
This is a fantasy shot.