I'm not usually a horror game player but I figured I'd give this a whirl. I finished it in just under four hours. It was.... Okay. Flip some switches, read some notes and OH SHIT ITS TIME TO RUN. Then repeat but maybe in a different order. Story was okay, not terribly interesting but did make sense given your character is thrown into a scientific environment but isn't a scientist.
This review contains spoilers
- I followed this game quite a bit pre-launch as it gave a very Bioshock kind of vibe
- While it clearly takes inspiration from that, it never quite goes the whole way
- Allusions to horror just end up as nothing or cheap jump scares
- Some of the plot points and themes feel a bit forced and not as clever as they try to be
- The lack of NPCs (except for Tesla and that guy who follows you in the game) makes it feel pretty empty - like it was never lived-in in the first place
- But all in all, since it took such inspiration from Bioshock, still a fun game
- While it clearly takes inspiration from that, it never quite goes the whole way
- Allusions to horror just end up as nothing or cheap jump scares
- Some of the plot points and themes feel a bit forced and not as clever as they try to be
- The lack of NPCs (except for Tesla and that guy who follows you in the game) makes it feel pretty empty - like it was never lived-in in the first place
- But all in all, since it took such inspiration from Bioshock, still a fun game
Close to the Sun is a game that knows what it wants to look like, but not what it wants to be. The story is serviceable, but never goes quite far enough to really be anything much more than a B-movie spy plot.
The gameplay is a walking simulator with some simple puzzles that - like the story - never quite push the limit to be anything incredibly interesting.
The best parts of this title are the quiet moments where you get to appreciate the aesthetic.
The worst parts are by far any time the game fails to explain something properly. Chapter 3 is a notable downfall where I wandered aimlessly looking for a room that I couldn't draw for you now it was so unremarkable.
The voice cast was good enough and allowed for some of the writing to shine through, but a fair assortment of plot holes, cringe dialogue, and characters offering puzzles instead of helping in dire situations distracted from the immersion.
I wanted to like this game more than I did, and I especially had hoped it could scratch a Bioshock itch that it's so clearly inspired by. Unfortunately, there were simply too many bumps along the road for me.
The gameplay is a walking simulator with some simple puzzles that - like the story - never quite push the limit to be anything incredibly interesting.
The best parts of this title are the quiet moments where you get to appreciate the aesthetic.
The worst parts are by far any time the game fails to explain something properly. Chapter 3 is a notable downfall where I wandered aimlessly looking for a room that I couldn't draw for you now it was so unremarkable.
The voice cast was good enough and allowed for some of the writing to shine through, but a fair assortment of plot holes, cringe dialogue, and characters offering puzzles instead of helping in dire situations distracted from the immersion.
I wanted to like this game more than I did, and I especially had hoped it could scratch a Bioshock itch that it's so clearly inspired by. Unfortunately, there were simply too many bumps along the road for me.
Il grosso problema non è rappresentato tanto dal game design derivativo (come perdonare un plot-twist così pigro?) o dalle dozzinali sequenze trial & error contornate da puzzle risolti in meccaniche a dir poco elementari. Il problema è che nel breve viaggio di Rose Archer non c'è nulla di rilevante, nessun sussulto o embrionale vagito di idee inespresse. Solo una sequela di situazioni già viste/vissute che finiscono laddove dovrebbe sussistere un nuovo inizio. Di cosa, non è però dato sapere.