CLOSE TO THE SUN Review for PC

Close to the Sun, by Award-winning global publisher, Wired Productions, and leading Italian game studio, Storm in a Teacup, is an adventure horror game that takes place in an alternate version of the late 19^th century. The player takes the role of Rose Archer as she navigates the Helios, a futuristic art deco ship created by Nikola Tesla. This is a decent description, but one thing that bothered me during my play-though was that it wasn’t really a horror game. Sure, it had a jump scare every now and then, and the setting was eerie at times, but would I call it a horror game, no. This is not a dig at the game, but to me it felt like more of a thriller than a horror game. I wasn’t screaming in terror, but I was tense. It’s not pee your pants scary, but it’ll definitely get your heart beating.

Gameplay:

            The gameplay was okay. I’m not a very big fan of this style of game to begin with, but its par for the course. The main character walks kind of slow, which makes sense given the genre. I don’t like going slow in video games, luckily there’s a run button in this one. Jumping feels a bit stiff, Rose can only jump over pre-determined obstacles, and whenever you press the space bar to do a random little hop every now and then, Rose loses all momentum whenever she lands. On top of the wonky jumping, Rose cannot walk over objects on the floor. If you’re walking around and suddenly come to a screeching halt, odds are there may be a dead body, or a suitcase, or a tissue, or an ant, blocking your path. It isn’t all bad though, even though the general walking around is a bit funky, the chase scenes are fun. You get to go fast, you get to dodge and weave around, you have to make sure to choose the right path, it’s really enjoyable. Just make sure to press the space bar for jumps and actions, if you rely on the left mouse click for the chase scenes then you won’t make it past the first obstacle. While in a chase scene, you can right click to look at the thing that’s chasing you, which I thought was a nice touch.

Story:

            The story is pretty good. There are some decent twists that, while they may be a bit predictable, are still enjoyable. I don’t want to give too much away, but I do have a minor complaint. It may be a minor spoiler so be warned: Who was Ludwig? I get that it’s a whole-time loop cycle deal but I felt like he just wasn’t explained. It’s odd that there are a billion collectibles throughout the game that give insights into who the major characters are, but there’s nothing about Ludwig. It just seems weird that the developers never went into any sort of depth with this major plot element.

Aesthetic:

            I’d argue this is the best part of the game. To say it is a Bio-shock clone is lazy. This game does its own thing, it has its own motifs, and it does them well. Close to the Sun is beautiful. It’s fun just to explore, and the game rewards that exploring with collectibles, too. I would love to put a screenshot in this article showing how pretty this game is, but unfortunately, I can’t. There is no screenshot functionality in the Epic launcher, and whenever I try to take a basic screencap I end up with a picture of the pause menu.

The music is inoffensive, and plays well with the mood. The voice work is good, but the sound can be wonky at times, for example: Radio voices are VERY LOUD, Rose talking to herself is nearly silent, and when it comes to environmental noise, you have to look at it to hear it. There are some invisible walls that take you out of the game and (spoiler) the time monster is kind of lame looking.

            Overall, it’s a decent adventure thriller game. The game shines in the looks department, and if you can deal with the stiff controls, there is a decent story waiting for you.

            7/10

Check Out the Close to the Sun Trailer:

Close to the Sun is available for PC via the Epic Games Store and slated to release later in 2019 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.