Close to the Sun

Time is a river. A common metaphor used to describe how time flows in a single, unending direction. But Close to the Sun, a first-person, story-driven horror game from developers Storm in a Teacup, challenges that notion. In fact, there are multiple instances throughout its brisk story where you will find the exact antithesis of that metaphor scrawled across the walls in blood. This acts as a jumping off point for many of the dense, science-fiction themes Close to the Sun attempts to encompass. These topics have been explored in games before, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room to investiga...

Close to the Sun is one of the best examples of the “walking simulator” style of adventure game I’ve seen in quite some time. It does a wonderful job of blending the visual style of BioShock with the tense atmosphere of Outlast and slow-paced world-building of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. While the sometimes-obtuse puzzles and slow pacing can cause frustration and repetition, this is a harrowing and thoughtfully designed adventure from start to finish.

It’s short, beautiful, has solid writing and voice acting, and a thoroughly creepy atmosphere.  There isn’t much music, I think the game’s entire soundtrack is a single song that’s a few minutes long.  Most of the time you will be hearing the creaks and groans of the ship, occasionally intermingled with the screams of its inhabitants.

So we all know a bit of Greek mythology. From Prometheus, the titan who stole fire to give it to mankind, punished by being tied to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver every single day to Atlas, the titan forced to hold up the heavens for eternity. Okay, maybe you don't want to be a Titan. You could always be Icarus, son of legendary craftsman Daedalus - the inventor and builder of the labyrinth which contained the Minotaur of Crete. Daedalus build some wings for him and his son and, giving a warning, told him not to fly too low, for the feathers would get damp from the sea. Nor should h...

The mystery unravels at a decent pace in Close to the Sun but limited gameplay, some flat characters and a fairly uncompelling narrative make it passable at best.

To say that Close to the Sun heavily evokes BioShock in its opening chapters is a massive understatement. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Arriving at a seabound utopia - established as a place where the great minds of the time can flex without being restrained by their governments - you find it in total disarray, with a variety of nasty fates having befallen a large portion of its residents. While Close to the Sun switches fictional businessman Andrew Ryan for real life scientist Nikola Tesla, and the underwater city of Rapture for gargantuan cruise liner the Helios, the parallels are...

Granted, the chase sequences are frustrating and the story falls a bit flat, but there's some wonderful attention to detail in Close to the Sun's environments, and tension is present even in the game's calmest moments.

Close to the Sun manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The early parts of the game establish a genuinely interesting narrative and world before the later parts throw most of this away in favour of repetitive and dull chase sequences. The narrative remains interesting enough to keep you playing and there's some strong character development, but the ending comes as a relief rather than a reward. It isn’t a disaster but it is a missed opportunity.

Close to the Sun has a great premise and gorgeous graphics. However, the execution falls short due to the short plotline, use of jump scares, and clunky movements.

Close to the Sun is a few steps shy of a great narrative-driven horror, but its trite gameplay expels the magic its environments worked to create.

And so there you have it, Close to the Sun is a game that’s only remarkable for its scenery. And it’s a shame, really, as the Helios could have carried a great tale. As it is though, while there’s nothing about Close to the Sun that’s broken, there’s nothing compelling enough to make it worth your while, especially with its short run time and lack of replayability.

Close to the Sun is a lackluster and subpar example of first-person immersive horror. It fails to realize its potential by relying on cheap scares and gore without strong atmosphere and narrative to back it up. You can find better.