Close To The Sun

Close To The Sun was reviewed on a PS4

Close To The Sun takes place in an alternate universe in which Nikola Tesla won the war of the currents and as a result, he is the head of Wardenclyffe, a company that supplies electricity to half of the world. Being the world’s wealthiest man, he did what every billionaire would do and built the world’s largest vessel, Helios, as a haven for the greatest scientific minds of the world. Sounds familiar?

It’s clear from the get go where Close To The Sun got its inspiration from. Most of its plot points, as well as its visual style, are inspired by the 2007 masterpiece, Bioshock.

The first time you step foot into Helios, you’ll get an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. If you put a screenshot of Helios next to a screenshot of Bioshock’s Rapture, you’d have to squint and focus really hard to find any differences between the both of them. So does Close To The Sun succeed at stepping out of the colossal shadow of Bioshock? Or is it nothing more than a simple clone? Read on to find out.

What is Close To The Sun?

Let me start by mentioning that Close To The Sun, unlike Bioshock, doesn’t have any combat. It’s a First Person Horror game with a heavy focus on exploration and atmosphere. Your time during the game will be divided between exploring, solving puzzles and going through the occasional awkward chase scene. While the chase scenes break up the pace a bit, it’s still largely a pure exploration game. The sense of tension and horror comes from the emptiness and desolation of the ship, particularly in the first few hours.

You play as Rose Archer, a journalist who received a mysterious letter from her sister, urging her to come and visit her aboard the Helios. As soon as you step foot in the giant ocean liner, you discover that things have gone awry. It’s under quarantine, Tesla believes that Edison’s spies are responsible for whatever happened aboard the ship and disemboweled, disfigured bodies are everywhere.

While the graphics are serviceable, a few locations in particular stand out and look absolutely stunning; thanks to the gorgeous art direction and beautiful visual style of the game. Helios is truly a sight to behold. It’s unfortunate though that later chapters lose some of that charm as they take place deeper within the ship. These chapters are set in the repetitive and drab hallways of the lower levels of Helios. Replacing the grandiose and majestic theaters and museums with boring and ugly laboratories and engine rooms.

All Aboard!

The game’s immersive setting and animations are often abruptly interrupted by its lackluster writing and subpar voice acting. The voice acting lacks any urgency and every character talks as if they’re in a rom com movie instead of an actual life-threatening situation. The voice actors are talented, that’s obvious but it’s just that the script wasn’t well written.

There was also plenty of opportunities for developing the main characters but the game doesn’t take advantage of them. Rose and her sister were one-dimensional and their relationship felt undercooked. The game’s plot line often relied on tired and old clichés and tropes. Time anomalies, deranged scientists and the essential mysterious killer that butchers people with knives while muttering incomprehensible phrases.

There’s quite a few notes and newspapers to collect that enriches the game’s environmental storytelling. You’ll get to learn all about Tesla’s paranoia and his obsession with Edison. You’ll also get to learn plenty about the Helios and the people that lived aboard it. The developers did an amazing job at fleshing out the world, it’s a shame that the same effort wasn’t poured into the main storyline or into the characters themselves. One certain area that stood out was a museum that showcased several of Tesla’s inventions, where you can activate the displays and learn all about them. It was a nice addition to the game and it allowed to further flesh out Tesla’s character.

Time Is Not A River

Close To The Sun’s biggest weakness though is its lack of direction. It tries to be too many things at once. It’s not scary enough to be a horror game, the puzzles are a walk in the park and its level design is too linear and doesn’t provide enough exploration opportunities. It felt as if the developers’ priority was simply to make a game that’s inspired by Bioshock, and all other aspects came second to that. On a more positive note though, due to its somewhat short length of 4-5 hours, the pacing was as smooth as butter. Unfortunately, the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying.

Overall,

Close To The Sun is a mixed bag. While it was enjoyable, it wasn’t a memorable experience. Unlike Bioshock, there’s no iconic “A Slave Obeys” scenes here. In all honesty, Close To The Sun is an average game, it doesn’t do enough to set itself apart from the other walking simulators on the market. Also, usually, walking simulators or exploration games like these ones rely on character development or a meaningful narrative to create a worthwhile experience, Close To The Sun lacks both. Exploring Helios though is an absolute treat. It’s a grandiose, elegant and charming setting that’s immersive and the game does a great job of building it up as a real and lived in place.

All in all, would I recommend Close To The Sun? Yes, it’s a good game, but only if you’re starving for a game of this sort, or maybe if you really REALLY miss Bioshock and its Art Deco style.

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Special thanks go to Wired Productions for providing us with a review code.

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You should play Close To The Sun if you

• Are itching for an exploration game
• Don’t mind the weak writing
• Would love a tribute to Bioshock
• Don’t mind the awkward chase scenes
• Would love a good walking simulator
• Love the idea of an alternate history

Close To The Sun Score

7/10