Stay Close
- October 14, 2016
- Blind Bird
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Stay Close" is a horror-adventure game where players navigate through a dark and eerie town while avoiding supernatural beings. The game features a unique "stay close" mechanic, where players must stay near objects and walls to avoid detection. With a focus on stealth and exploration, players must uncover the mystery behind the town's curse while avoiding becoming the next victim.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique co-op horror experience that can be fun with friends.
- The atmosphere and graphics are decent, creating a spooky environment.
- Some jump scares are effective, providing genuine moments of fear.
- The game is very short, with only a couple of hours of gameplay and limited content.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that hinder the overall experience.
- The riddles and mechanics can be frustrating, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- gameplay103 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant bugs, poor mechanics, and a lack of depth, leading to a repetitive and often frustrating experience. While some enjoyed the cooperative elements and found the monster mechanics interesting, others criticized the game for being too short and lacking engaging content, with many finishing it in under two hours. Overall, the gameplay feels unfinished and shallow, with players recommending it primarily for cooperative play rather than solo experiences.
“The cooperative mechanics work well and are pretty interesting.”
“The jumpscares are good, and the mechanics of overcoming each enemy type is interesting, though hard in some parts.”
“I actually really enjoyed the game and the mechanics for each monster!”
“The gameplay is boring.”
“Super laggy (even the running animation looks like it's 2fps while the rest of my game was running at 200+), constant map glitches, gameplay was cut short due to the first teleport section not teleporting, thereafter falling through the map, and not being able to respawn.”
“Broken AI, missing collision, too much collision in some spots, a flashlight that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, the sprint isn't useful at all, and on top of that there are enemies in certain spots that you can't sprint past anyway.”
- story102 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for being minimal, confusing, and largely irrelevant to the gameplay, with many players noting that it lacks depth and coherence. While some found the initial premise engaging, the overall narrative is described as forgettable, often reduced to solving riddles that do not contribute meaningfully to the plot. Many reviews suggest that the game feels incomplete, with a short playtime and repetitive missions that detract from any potential storytelling.
“The story is good and the gameplay is challenging but still easy.”
“I watched gameplay on this game and at first I came in not expecting much, but it was a very well put together great experience. The story isn't huge, but there's just enough playtime and content to keep the fun going and satisfy your thirst for a good adventure.”
“It's a good game with a good storyline, really enjoyable.”
“The story is nonexistent and confusing.”
“The most you get for a story is some guy named Cyrus giving you riddles found off Google and a missing couple that they never shed light on.”
“The story is laughable at best, with horrible text written.”
- graphics51 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the visuals as "nice" and "well-optimized," particularly for an indie title using Unreal Engine, while others criticize them as "horrendous" and misleading compared to promotional materials. Many users report issues such as blurriness, darkness in certain areas, and graphical bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, while some find the graphics acceptable or even impressive for the game's budget, others feel they fall short of expectations.
“The graphics are quite nice and the game runs very smooth.”
“Graphically it's just a great and very nicely optimized game.”
“The unreal engine 4 graphics look amazing!”
“The graphics are shite and the gameplay is bland.”
“The ingame graphics are much much worse than the trailer suggests.”
“Graphics are horrendous, especially the shadows.”
- humor25 mentions
- 96 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally appreciated when played with friends, often leading to laughter and enjoyable moments, particularly due to its quirky characters and absurd situations. However, many players note that the humor can be inconsistent, with some finding it unfunny or overshadowed by bugs and a lack of polish. Overall, while it offers a fun co-op experience, the humor may not be enough to compensate for its shortcomings, especially given its short gameplay duration.
“Very funny game, go play this with friends. It's very enjoyable and I had much fun with friends. I'm excited for chapter 2 because at the end it said chapter 1.”
“A lot of screaming and laughing due to broken AI and terrible dialogue, but omg it's worth it.”
“Imagine the hilarious, yet horrifying sight of seeing your partner run down the stairs, right past you and back out the entrance door!”
“I bought this expecting a funny and scary experience, but it was unfunny and a bad experience.”
“The humor fell flat and felt forced, making the game more tedious than entertaining.”
“I was hoping for clever jokes, but instead, I got tired clichés that didn't land.”
- stability19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 95 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay, including issues with animations, teleportation, and AI behavior. While some players find the game enjoyable despite these problems, many describe it as nearly unplayable due to its frequent crashes and frustrating mechanics. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game is in dire need of stability improvements before it can be fully recommended.
“The game runs great for me on a GTX 760.”
“I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which is impressive.”
“The performance is smooth and consistent, making for an enjoyable experience.”
“Super laggy (even the running animation looks like it's 2fps while the rest of my game was running at 200+), constant map glitches, gameplay was cut short due to the first teleport section not teleporting, thereafter falling through the map, and not being able to respawn.”
“It's so buggy, it's almost unplayable. The monsters kept spawning at close proximity to each other, making passing through small corridors feel impossible. Please, find a way to fix the problem.”
“Full of bugs and glitches and impossible to complete.”
- atmosphere15 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally described as creepy and intense, effectively creating a sense of dread and memorable scares. While some players appreciate the dark and immersive environment, others find it marred by repetitive elements, lackluster enemy designs, and inconsistent mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere is a strong point for many, though opinions vary on its execution and longevity.
“It's rough around the edges, but has genuine spooky atmosphere and some memorable scares.”
“The atmosphere is very creepy and dark... things will be just waiting for you around every corner.”
“The atmosphere in the game is great, and the feeling of walking into a flat literally felt like walking into a lion's territory!”
“It doesn't have crazy mechanics or music or atmosphere even.”
“Broken AI, terrible dialogue, boring atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is ruined by out of place riddles and two very generic looking monsters.”
- music15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the inability to adjust the volume, leading to an overwhelming experience. While some appreciate the atmospheric elements that the music contributes to the horror setting, others find it annoying and distracting, particularly due to the lack of audio settings. Overall, the soundtrack is noted to be minimal, with some players highlighting its effectiveness in enhancing the game's atmosphere, despite the absence of a more varied musical score.
“The concept is good and the atmosphere was okay for a horror, but the open world felt a bit too open; music helped slightly though.”
“Great atmospheric music.”
“Music is good and the whole environment seems decent.”
“Music and sound volume are way too high and cannot be adjusted.”
“Wont even let me go in the house, there's no setting to turn down the horribly loud music, so you gotta turn it down with your actual computer.”
“No audio settings for the game, music super annoying and had to alt + F4 due to me not being able to focus.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While some players report smooth performance and improvements following updates, others highlight persistent bugs and input issues that detract from the experience. Despite these concerns, many agree that the graphics are well-optimized, contributing positively to the game's overall performance.
“Graphically it's just a great and very nicely optimized game.”
“Great performance - the game runs smoothly.”
“Actually, this game is really optimized.”
“This game is poorly optimized and not scary at all.”
“The graphics are more than acceptable, although there is an immense blur when walking through the door in the lobby which just kills my performance.”
“Throughout our multiplayer experience, we faced input problems (yet easy to fix), repeated disconnections, optimization and refresh rate issues.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 64 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring repetitive runs through levels after dying. While the game starts off promising, it quickly devolves into a chore, diminishing the overall enjoyment and excitement.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Was playing with a friend, but even that couldn't redeem how much of a tedious chore it is to play.”
“Very tedious as you have to start at the beginning of the level and have to run all the way to do it again.”
“Maybe for the first 10 minutes it's a little chilling and then it just becomes tedious and boring.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 63 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with many players noting that it can be completed in just a few hours and offers little incentive to play again. While some find it enjoyable for a single playthrough, the limited content and repetitive gameplay lead to a consensus that it is not worth revisiting.
“It does well in terms of replayability and many more.”
“Worth it, but it has very little replay value.”
“This is a game I would only grab for $1, only for it to sit in my library and not be played, since this game has no replayability, and the story is just you solving riddles.”
“There are like 3 or 4 different enemy types and is more of a strategy game than a horror game. In the beginning, I was kinda scared, I guess, because I went into it with an open mind, but the biggest problem is there are only 2-3 hours of content (my experience) and no replayability.”
“Only downsides is it is quite short for the price I think, only took about 2.5 hours for me and a friend to complete with not much replay value.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the effort and passion behind its design, others criticize it as a cash grab, suggesting that the developers prioritized profit over quality.
“Clickbait cash grab out of 10.”
“Yes, it's another one of those 'horror' cash grabs.”
“The devs just wanted a quick cash grab.”
