Closer To Home

About

"Closer To Home" is a narrative-driven adventure game where you play as a young author returning to their hometown after a long absence. The game explores themes of memory, identity, and the complexities of small-town life as you reconnect with old friends and confront the ghosts of your past. As you navigate the town and its inhabitants, your choices will shape the outcome of your story, making for a unique and personalized experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

98%

Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews

story4 positive mentions

atmosphere2 negative mentions

Closer to Home offers a unique and surreal experience, blending engaging storytelling with imaginative puzzles and a captivating art style.
The game effectively evokes feelings of confusion and exploration, allowing players to immerse themselves in its bizarre world and narrative.
Despite its short length, the game provides a rich experience filled with emotional depth and memorable moments, making it a worthwhile play.

The navigation and map design can be convoluted, leading to frustration as players may get lost or struggle to progress.
Some players found the story difficult to understand, which may detract from the overall experience for those seeking clarity.
Technical issues, such as frame drops and limited control options, can hinder gameplay and affect immersion.

story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
The story in "Closer to Home" is a complex and immersive experience that intertwines with the game's spatial navigation, encouraging players to explore and uncover its mysteries at their own pace. While some players find the narrative psychedelic and challenging to grasp, it ultimately offers engaging themes that provoke thought about reality and existence. The unique art style and environmental storytelling enhance the overall experience, making it a captivating journey despite occasional confusion in quest progression.
- “The story is inherently connected to how you navigate said spaces - getting lost in them, trapped in them, seduced by their morbidity.”
- “Its gripping story will leave you wondering even after you've seen all it has to offer.”
- “Engaging story that makes you think about the nature of your reality and life.”
- “But I don't understand the story at all; maybe that's intentional, I don't know.”
- “The interface in itself is pretty unfriendly; just interacting with this game can be a point of confusion, let alone trying to make progress following quest lines that don't make sense.”
- “That said, I didn't particularly get a good sense of personality early in the game; I think some of the darker tones later in the story are easier to follow.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The graphics of the game are praised for their unique and coherent art style, which effectively enhances the chilling and grotesque atmosphere, contributing to both the horror and humor elements. While the visuals are striking and immersive, some players noted that clearer design could improve navigation and highlight points of interest. Overall, the game's original artwork and visual storytelling are considered standout features that elevate the overall experience.
- “Really interesting little quirky psychological horror game with some great music and super interesting visuals.”
- “The art style is coherent and perfect for a chilling, grotesque setting that also got many laughs out of me.”
- “The original visuals alone make it worth it, but you'll get much more in the story and puzzles.”
- “The visuals could have been cleaned up a bit so it's easier to see the points of interest.”
- “Aesthetic is not the problem; it's more about the pacing of the game and how I actually experience it.”
- “Surreal games often rely on their visuals to carry the experience, but this game lacks sufficient strangeness in its dialogue.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The gameplay is praised for its innovative mechanics, including a unique skate mechanic and a mind-bending reality/dream transition that challenges players to think outside the box. Players find the puzzles engaging and the overall experience both thrilling and occasionally disturbing, with movement mechanics that enhance exploration. The integration of dark themes, such as death and suicide, adds depth to the gameplay, making it a memorable and immersive experience.
- “Amazing mechanics, fun puzzles, and an overall great game.”
- “The gameplay is engaging, had me squealing like a girl many times, sometimes out of fun and sometimes out of terror.”
- “Genuinely disturbing and scary at times with fun movement mechanics and interesting spaces.”
- “There's also a certain mechanic (stabbing yourself to move between reality/dreams) introduced which requires you to bend the world's established rules in a way you haven't seen thus far to progress, and almost led me to think I'd found a particularly bad ending until I guessed my way to finding the solution.”
- “Death, particularly suicide, is a prominent and required mechanic to progress through the full game.”
- “And you learn to exploit this mechanic to traverse the game’s maps.”
music
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The music in the game is highly praised for its quality and ability to enhance the abstract, dreamlike atmosphere, contributing significantly to the overall experience. While the soundtrack is described as fantastic and fitting, some players feel that more music could have been incorporated to better support the game's tone. Overall, the music is a standout feature that complements the unique art style and engaging story.
- “The maps, sketches, and notes in the game have a really cool style that fits the more abstract and dreamlike atmosphere the game is going for, plus the music is genuinely so good.”
- “Really interesting little quirky psychological horror game with some great music and super interesting visuals.”
- “I could not recommend this game enough, the story is amazing, the art style is unique and really freaking cool, the soundtrack is fantastic.”
- “The overall tone of the game is all over the place; it has a certain ambiance to it, but sometimes I feel like it needed more music.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional impact of the game profound and difficult to articulate, often likening the experience to reading a personal diary of a stranger. The sense of longing and the feeling of being on the verge of uncovering deeper secrets contribute to an unforgettable emotional journey.
- “Made me feel like I was reading the diary of a person that I will never meet.”
- “Throughout the whole experience, I felt like there was something greater I was missing, or a secret that I was always this close to finding. Regardless, the way this game made me feel is unforgettable.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a unique blend of abstract and dreamlike elements, enhanced by stylish maps, sketches, and an exceptional soundtrack. Players note a mix of melancholy and suppressed darkness, drawing comparisons to titles like Yume Nikki and The Purgo Box, as it navigates between lighthearted moments and disturbing undertones, ultimately leading to a descent into madness.
- “The game gives me off-brand Yume Nikki vibes, although the themes I am getting from the atmosphere are very different, somewhere between melancholy and suppressed darkness -- the narrative having both lighthearted moments and very disturbing undertones, similar to a game such as The Purgo Box, eventually degrading into complete madness.”
- “The game gives me off-brand Yume Nikki vibes, although the themes I am getting from the atmosphere are very different, somewhere between melancholy and suppressed darkness. The narrative has both lighthearted moments and very disturbing undertones, similar to a game such as The Purgo Box, eventually degrading into complete madness.”
- “The maps, sketches, and notes in the game have a really cool style that fits the more abstract and dreamlike atmosphere the game is going for, plus the music is genuinely so good.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is characterized by a mix of intentional design choices and occasional bugs, which some players find intriguing. While the rough edges may deter those seeking a polished experience, fans of obscure exploration games may appreciate the unique atmosphere created by these glitches.
- “The mix is quite interesting, and for those who like it obscure and don't mind rough edges and a few bugs, it gets a curious recommendation!”
- “To be fair, this type of game deconstruction is an intentional element in these exploration games. You are meant to be lost and go around hugging walls; sometimes it's not very clear if the glitches are accidental or just part of the scenery.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highlighted by unique and engaging character designs, particularly noting the appeal of characters like Ribbit. The game features a variety of strange enemies and collectibles that enhance the overall experience, contributing to a fun and interactive environment.
- “Very cool character design. I love Ribbit!”
- “Very strange and unique enemies and character design, with a lot of fun collectibles and interactables.”

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