The Stunning Brutalism of Control
Architectural Awakening: How Control Influenced My Novel
I'm currently working on an upcoming novel that explores corruption, the nature of reality, and the brilliant mind behind Bitcoin. I often find inspiration from unexpected sources, so when the acclaimed video game Control captured my eye recently with its haunting brutalist aesthetic, I knew it would influence the book.
Control's setting instantly pulled me in - a shifting supernatural office building belonging to a secretive federal agency called the FBC. This otherworldy realm defies logic, filled with strange artifacts, bizarre threats, and experimental technologies.
But beyond the paranormal phenomena, it was the cold, imposing concrete architecture that most vividly brought my own imagined headquarters for tech giant LinkUp to life. The repetitive modular façades, minimalist geometric sculptures, and restricted access sectors housing occult artifacts conveyed power structures both literally and symbolically.
So as my characters uncover reality-breaking conspiracies behind the doors of LinkUp's elite inner sanctum, I'll be channeling the uncanny atmosphere and striking visual impact of Control's setting that marked my creative vision. Architecture speaks volumes about the institutions and social dynamics it houses.
Let me know in the comments if you've also played this gem of a game and what other creative sources have inspired your work! Now if you'll excuse me, I have an occult conspiracy to architect...
Please let me know if you have any suggestions to better convey my excitement to incorporate its essence into my novel's universe. Here are some more beautiful images from Control.
While Control is visually beautiful and the components like shooting, haptics, etc are top notch, the game as a whole is frustrating and repetitive. From start to end you are always in the same atmosphere and that made it monotonous for me. That is one mistake I will avoid for my book. I am going to make sure that every chapter has a different vibe.
I would still encourage you to play Control, while the game doesn’t have difficulty settings, it has an “immortality” mod. I used that to complete the game.