Close to the Sun

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Close to the Sun is a story-driven horror game that takes place at the turn of the 20th century on a mysterious ship complex created by Nikola Tesla for the sake of knowledge. In this alternative version of history, his scientific breakthroughs have already had a major impact on the world. You’re a young journalist looking for your sister and, as you approach this enormous and glorious complex for…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 347 reviews

story137 positive mentions

gameplay15 negative mentions

Excellent story with a captivating premise that keeps players engaged.
Stunning graphics and art direction, creating a visually immersive experience.
Atmospheric sound design and music that enhance the overall mood of the game.

Frustrating save system that only saves progress at the end of each chapter, leading to potential loss of progress.
Gameplay can feel slow and clunky, particularly during chase sequences that require precise navigation.
The ending leaves many plot points unresolved, making it feel incomplete and unsatisfying.

story
339 mentions
40 % positive mentions
55 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The story of "Close to the Sun" is generally praised for its intriguing premise centered around Nikola Tesla and a retro-futuristic setting, with many players appreciating the atmospheric storytelling and character connections. However, numerous reviews highlight that the narrative feels incomplete, with unresolved plot points and a rushed ending that leaves players wanting more. While the visuals and voice acting receive acclaim, the gameplay often detracts from the storytelling experience, leading to mixed feelings about the overall execution of the plot.
- “Most will call this a walking simulator, but for those who enjoy a nice story driven by great characters in an amazing retro-futuristic visually stunning world, this is the game for you.”
- “The design and presentation of the ship that you explore is visually captivating, the voice acting and music were appropriate, and the story was intriguing.”
- “The story is fascinating, without a demand to carve out character sculptures; I just listen to their conversation through a first-person narrative voice.”
- “Unfortunately, the actual story never delivers on the potential of its setup and worldbuilding.”
- “I was disappointed that many of the mysteries raised in the story never seem to get resolved by the end of the game.”
- “The story, as typical for these kinds of games, leaves a lot unexplained and especially the ending feels highly unsatisfying.”
graphics
134 mentions
60 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals, intricate environmental design, and strong artistic direction, often drawing comparisons to the aesthetic of the Bioshock series. While many players appreciate the beautiful art deco style and atmospheric settings, some have noted issues with character models and performance, including frame rate drops. Overall, the visuals are considered a major highlight, enhancing the game's immersive experience despite criticisms of gameplay depth.
- “The graphics are astonishing, voice acting is good, but the story is a bit vague, and I finished the whole game in 4 hours (while taking my time and not rushing).”
- “Close to the Sun benefits from striking visuals, strong artistic direction, beautifully detailed environments, and particularly great voice acting from its lead actress.”
- “The visuals are truly outstanding in this game.”
- “Aside from the visuals and the premise, this game really isn't worth playing.”
- “The game has several moments in each chapter where I walked through a door and I presume the new area was loading its graphics and my game just froze for a solid 10-15 seconds.”
- “What one wins on the graphics, one loses on the blandness of gameplay.”
gameplay
97 mentions
14 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been widely criticized for being simplistic and often frustrating, primarily resembling a walking simulator with minimal puzzles and clunky mechanics. While the atmosphere and graphics are praised, many players feel that the gameplay fails to match the quality of the story, leading to a lack of engagement and enjoyment. Overall, the game is seen as more focused on narrative and aesthetics than on delivering a satisfying gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is mostly walking simulator type gameplay with some chase sections sprinkled in as well.”
- “Amazing graphics, smooth gameplay and great story, what more can you ask for!”
- “Gameplay is wandering around a spooky place opening doors and finding bits of the story - which I love.”
- “The gameplay is terrible; it's not scary, and the mechanics of using items are annoying.”
- “Another game designer thinks saving the game is for cowards, and showing the player a huge cog indicator after 15 minutes of gameplay without saving is a great design decision.”
- “The gameplay feels wrong, as the movement and exploring are slow like for an adventure, but there are no adventure elements.”
atmosphere
85 mentions
61 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, immersive sound design, and a captivating art deco style reminiscent of titles like Bioshock. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a tense, eerie environment that enhances the storytelling, despite some criticism of gameplay mechanics and pacing. Overall, the atmosphere is described as rich, engaging, and a key element that draws players into the experience.
- “Close to the Sun is a gripping, atmospheric adventure that excels in its storytelling and visual design.”
- “The atmosphere is well-developed and surprisingly creepy, peppered with the occasional tasteful jump scare that nicely leverages the game's Rapture-esque setting.”
- “It's captivating, interesting, intriguing, beautifully atmospheric, and had me on the edge of my seat from chapter 1.”
- “But everything is submerged in a gloomy atmosphere, where darkness and death conquer the scenes.”
- “The efforts to give the game a horror-appropriate visual atmosphere are poorly executed as well.”
- “There was some promise with the setting and atmosphere but the game just feels half-finished.”
music
38 mentions
47 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, while others noted its limited variety and brevity. Some standout tracks, including a commissioned song, were highlighted as particularly effective, contributing to the game's emotional depth. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received for its fitting ambiance, some players found it lacking in diversity and depth.
- “A walking simulator with an interesting premise, great atmosphere, and music design.”
- “The voice acting is great, the music is wonderful, and the soundscape is awesomely atmospheric.”
- “Amazing art nouveau architecture, a great story, and an incredible soundtrack that brought tears to my eyes!”
- “The music is very limited.”
- “Neither did the soundtrack due to its brevity and monotony.”
- “I found the music quite average and borderline annoying.”
optimization
23 mentions
13 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
39 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as inconsistent frame rates, stuttering, and lag, even on high-end hardware. Despite some players achieving decent frame rates, the general consensus is that the game feels unoptimized, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from its overall enjoyment. Many reviewers suggest that the optimization problems are a major drawback, impacting the game's smoothness and playability.
- “Also, during some sections of the game, but especially during those chases, my frame rate sank, and I'm certain it is due to optimization issues in the game engine.”
- “My only issue with the game is that it needs more optimization as I can run Doom Eternal just fine with more going on than this game.”
- “They also tank an otherwise well-optimized experience.”
- “The optimization was really poor.”
- “On the technical side, the game has massive performance issues.”
- “Main drawbacks are the optimization as the game doesn't feel smooth even at a 60fps lock, like it's chugging along and stuttering can be common.”
grinding
8 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with repetitive tasks like crawling through vents and linear exploration detracting from the experience. While some puzzles are fresh, the frequent chase scenes and unforgiving design contribute to a sense of monotony and dissatisfaction. The game struggles to balance atmosphere with engaging gameplay, leading to a generally unfulfilling experience.
- “Not even 4 hours if you don't hunt down collectibles, which can get tedious.”
- “I get that they were trying to be atmospheric, but it's just tedious.”
- “On its own, this would merely be tedious... but the devs insisted on throwing multiple chase scenes where you have to 'run' (just walking but they apply a blur filter over everything) away from something chasing you and since failure means instant death they're annoyingly unforgiving of the set design.”
replayability
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability due to its short length and lack of content, with many players expressing disappointment in the final chapter and the overall story comprehension. While the visuals and audio are praised, they do not compensate for the minimal incentive to replay the game.
- “There would be no replayability if one could finish it.”
- “The last chapter is especially a letdown, but overall it is an interesting game with little replayability.”
- “Although the visuals were amazing (was that actual ray tracing or just really well done lighting?), I cannot recommend it due to the obvious lack of content, replayability, and comprehensible story.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with many finding the character interactions, particularly between Aubrey and the main character, to be genuinely funny. However, some jokes fall flat, relying on clichés and groan-worthy lines, such as the use of techno-babble. Additionally, the exaggerated accents of certain characters, like Tesla, add a humorous touch, though they may come off as overdone to some players.
- “She is so cute and her lines are so funny to read.”
- “Especially the ones between Aubrey and the main character are pretty funny sometimes, in my opinion.”
- “You are quickly introduced to most characters in the story, who are all voiced well, except for maybe Tesla, who sounds kind of funny with his over-exaggerated Slavic accent.”
stability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits stability issues, including clunky controls and frequent graphical glitches, such as rendering problems and character model anomalies. These technical shortcomings detract from an otherwise immersive atmosphere and world experience.
- “So close to the sun in terms of atmosphere and world, but falls short due to somewhat clunky controls and occasional glitches.”
- “There are graphical glitches as well, particularly in rendering. I experienced a couple of instances where my character's head (or rather, lack of a head) came into view from above, even though I was in first-person.”
- “Glitches and issues.”
character development
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its quality, with users appreciating the depth and voice acting, though some express a desire for even more development. The overall narrative and aesthetic contribute positively to the experience, leaving players hopeful for a sequel that could expand on these elements.
- “The story, character development, voice acting, and overall neo-Tesla look of the game are amazing, and I wish there would be a second game, perhaps, as the ending kind of hints at it.”
- “I wish there was more character development, but this was amazing.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the game's unexpected depth, featuring a well-developed story and emotionally rich characters, complemented by impressive visuals that enhance the overall experience.
- “I wasn't expecting a fully developed story with deeply emotional characters, an intriguing storyline, and the visuals were awesome.”