Is Control a Horror Game?

[Captain MintyPepperMint]

The horror elements seem to slowly creep in as the game goes on, though I have not finished it. Thoughts?

[Sunsetter]

I wouldn't call it horror, more supernatural with horror elements

[Turuk Makto]

It has psychological components but to me there was no horror involved. This might be subject to the observer though.

[envirovore]

I wouldn't call this game a horror game, though the ambient audio does do a good job of building tension and dread.

[Du-Vu]

Originally posted by Samael:

I wouldn't call it horror, more supernatural with horror elements

Pretty much. There's some sense in which a lot of the enemies you're fighting are zombies, it's dark and there are a few deliberate jump scares, and the game is a big nod to the creepypastas of SCP. It's still more of an action game, and you're basically a superhero by halfway through, but it's got some horror ambience. It knows its horror.

[LiDAAR]

I am playing this game rn completed the main story
Now doing side missions and dlc's
At times when the area is very dark sometimes enemy spawn out of nowhere
Was kind of jumpscare to me 🥲
Other than that it's a very good game
Kinda getting stranger things vibes

[Captain MintyPepperMint]

After playing more I agree it is not really a horror game, but there are horror elements.

Originally posted by LiDAAR:

Kinda getting stranger things vibes

Totally stranger things! Is also retro while being modern simultaneously.

[LiDAAR]

Originally posted by MintyPepperMint:

After playing more I agree it is not really a horror game, but there are horror elements.

Originally posted by LiDAAR:

Kinda getting stranger things vibes

Totally stranger things! Is also retro while being modern simultaneously.

imagine if remedy gets the rights to make a stranger things game :P
and we get a control dlc

[bearsboi]

psychological horror absolutely

[Keifu]

For those that remember....this is X-Files: The Video Game

[Cyiel]

Originally posted by Keifu:

For those that remember....this is X-Files: The Video Game

That's exactly what i was about to say : it's as much an horror game than X-Files was an horror serie.

[Weaver]

It has horror elements, but almost always in Horror the protagonist mostly or totally helpless and trying to simply survive. Horror makes you a Victim.

Control you are quite the opposite. Jesse doesn't cower, she doesn't run away. She fights back. She takes, ahem, Control.

[Captain MintyPepperMint]

Originally posted by Weaver:

Horror makes you a Victim.

Control you are quite the opposite. Jesse doesn't cower, she doesn't run away. She fights back. She takes, ahem, Control.

This is a really really good point. Jesse is absolutely not the victim. Thank you for pointing this out.

[Kweeb]

It's a thriller

[Thornok]

no this is no horror game

it is more like a scifi action game without spaceships and more like x - factor maybe although that might be a bad descripton, still it is no horror game.

[SpectreWulf]

Control is hugely inspired by the SCP Universe lore.

Which itself contains lots of existential dread and Cosmic Horror.
If you are aware of these, then you would see Control heavily implemented this in its lore.