Space Control is one of those games that makes you happy to be a debt slave. It doesn’t ask you to save the galaxy; instead, it asks you to fold alien laundry, cradle screaming space babies, and cook something vaguely edible for a music festival. Moreover, it has a physics-driven, episodic structure that makes it stand out from the usual VR job-sim crowd. Yes, it has plenty of familiar “odd jobs” mechanics, but that’s what makes this genre thrive. The sense of chaotic, hands-on tasks with a genuinely funny undertone. Additionally, the cartoon violence and bite-sized missions offer a brilliant feeling of achievement.
MoonMonster Studios developed and published this narrative adventure sim. It is a single-user title where you must work off an enormous debt to a megacorporation that abducted you against your will. There are recruits to abduct and babies to babysit. You can also cook up questionable space snacks and throw, pull, tug and bounce almost anything you can get your hands on. As I said, it is familiar, but it does each of these things extremely well.
Space Control tells a delightfully unhinged corporate tale.
You’ve been abducted by Glorpo Inc, an intergalactic megacorporation with zero regard for consent and a lot of paperwork. Your goal is simple: work off your debt, one bizarre shift at a time. However, this isn’t a tale of grand heroics or a final boss battle. No, it is a story of odd jobs, dysfunctional co-workers, and a whimsically dystopian world that feels lifted straight from Futurama or Rick and Morty. Moreover, you must recruit new crew members, raise alien offspring, and somehow keep the whole operation from falling apart.
This is the most chaotic element of Space Control. It demands that you throw yourself into whatever ridiculous task is put in front of you. Your crew forms the backbone of the experience, and if you’re the sort who likes tidy objectives, you may find yourself thrown off balance. How you tackle each shift is largely up to you. This physicality makes for a refreshing change from the usual point-and-teleport VR adventure.
Almost everything is interactable.
I mention pulling and throwing because the physics are the beating heart of this game. Whether you’re wrangling a new recruit in the Abductorium, soothing a wailing alien infant at the Daycare, or flinging ingredients together at the GlorpoVision Music festival, the game wants you to get physically stuck in. These jobs all follow a similar shift-based flow, but each one has its own flavour of madness. This reflects nicely on your relationship with your alien crew as well.
I adore this sense of hands-on chaos, but it’s Melody, Widgett and Zorgle who make this game unique. Your friendly space companions bicker, banter and drag you along on wild adventures at every turn. Moreover, the writing leans hard into absurdist comedy, and it mostly lands. You get to choose how you handle each mess, and there’s a real sense of personality behind every alien you meet.
Space Control is beautifully unhinged.
I feel that the phrase beautifully unhinged is a contradiction in terms. After all, cartoonish visuals are hardly cutting-edge. However, Space Control makes it work well. The world is colourful, dystopian, and well constructed. There are sterile corporate corridors and rooms awash with alien absurdity. Moreover, customising and interacting with your surroundings was a joy. Although it isn’t photorealistic, it looks brilliant, and I appreciated the cartoony touches.
The audio is bouncy, silly, and full of character. There are moments of dry corporate menace, but it focuses on an upbeat, comedic edge to match the absurd atmosphere. This is complemented by the alien chatter, punchy sound effects, and sense of gleeful chaos.
Excellent VR mechanics.
Playing Space Control was a joy from the first shift. Despite the layers of physics interactions, it was easy to pick up. The game offers nice guidance to keep you on top of new tasks. Additionally, the controller layout is easy to follow, and I knew what I was doing in no time.
I can’t really put a precise timescale on how long this lasts, since it’s told across episodic chapters rather than one long campaign. Theoretically, more chapters could keep this world going for a while yet. However, if I had to put a figure on a first playthrough of the available content, I’d say you’re looking at a few short hours.
Space Control is funny, chaotic, and a little brief.
Space Control’s only real downside is its length. Several players have echoed this too, wishing for more chapters, more jobs, and more of Melody, Widgett and Zorgle. This may put some people off, but I like the tightly focused shifts and the lack of padding. If you love physics-driven VR comedy, you’ll enjoy the absurd humour, the brilliant voice work, and the constant sense of mischief. Accordingly, I think it is great, and I recommend picking it up here! Can you work off your debt to Glorpo Inc? Abduct new recruits, raise your alien babies, and cook up something questionable!
