Close to the Sun Reviews

Close to the Sun is ranked in the 23rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.2 / 10.0
Jan 3, 2024

Short, sweet, and a solid yarn.  Close to the Sun takes an interesting alt-history setting and is pretty enough to put up with occasionally clunky gameplay.  It’s short at only 3 hours for a full playthrough, so it’s worth giving it a try if you have any interest in the premise.

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7.1 / 10.0
Oct 15, 2020

A good lineal adventure. It lacks in the horror part the suspense Will keep on your toes, the story keeps you tangled and presentation is functional

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7 / 10
Jul 26, 2020

Close to the Sun successfully crafts a tense narrative and world through visual storytelling.

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6 / 10.0
May 5, 2020

Close to the Sun has a great premise and gorgeous graphics. However, the execution falls short due to the short plotline, use of jump scares, and clunky movements.

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Unscored
Jan 31, 2020

It’s a relatively stress-free handful of hours that can be spent instead in a state of wonderment.

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5.5 / 10.0
Dec 22, 2019

Conceptually at least, Close To The Sun is actually a really intriguing game. Combining elements of Bioshock, Sherlock Holmes and first person horrors, Close To The Sun attempts to capture the same wonder found in those titles but fails to really capitalize on that as well as it perhaps should. Admittedly, the opening few chapters are pretty good at building up the tension but soon after the game devolves frustratingly into a series of chase sequences and puzzle-platform sections that don’t always work well with the narrative.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2019

Close to the Sun doesn't have the most complex gameplay, but it has a genuinely interesting premise that draws you into a darkly intriguing mystery.

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7.5 / 10.0
Dec 5, 2019

Close to the Sun is an experience that I enjoyed but I also found myself wanting a bit more out of.

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Generación Xbox
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Nov 29, 2019

In short, a title that will surprise old and new. A story of mystery and terror that will not leave anyone indifferent.

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Lee Mehr
Top Critic
4 / 10
Nov 28, 2019

Leave it to a game focused on Nikola Tesla’s boundless imagination to seldom demonstrate the same kind of inventive spirit.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2019

Horror-adventure Close to the Sun pairs an emotionally-engaging narrative with arguably one of the most stunning and memorable game worlds of 2019. Pity about the frustrating gameplay choices and story decisions that ramp up in the final third of the game. They cast a shadow over the accomplishments that preceded them.

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Nov 14, 2019

If you like first-person adventure games of the horror and mystery variety then you'll definitely enjoy Close to the Sun.

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5.8 / 10.0
Nov 14, 2019

At the end of the day, Close to the Sun is the exact opposite of what its name implies. It's not aiming for the sun, and while that also means it doesn't get burned by it, it's such a safe distance away that it doesn't feel like it's even trying. It's unfortunate to say for such a pretty, atmospheric game, but the superb presentation and a decent story are contradicted by slow gameplay that doesn't deliver the satisfaction that the setup deserved. Even at a highly reduced price, Close to the Sun had a lot of promise but ultimately fails to create a memorable experience due to its unengaging and bland gameplay.

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83%
Nov 13, 2019

Close to the Sun’s level design is broken into chapters with some clever placed collectables enhances the need to explore and the willingness to find out where the story is going. This very nature will ensure that you won’t put this stunning game down, until it’s finished. Just like a good series on Netflix, you will find yourself binge playing, it’s that good. A true work of art!

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6 / 10.0
Nov 6, 2019

I don’t know how simply I can put this: Close To The Sun is brilliant. I’ve already gone back to play it and I’m still getting caught out by the jump scares and the wrong-turns when being chased. It’s bloody fantastic. The game encompasses all of the best parts of survival horror games, brings to life alternate realities with adaptations to non-fictional characters such as Tesla and his wacky inventions, and really grips you with the storyline. If you haven’t already got hold of it, go and get it. However, I can’t just let the graphical deficiencies slide, so as much as I like the game and I do recommend it, I’ll be giving Close To The Sun a Thumb Culture Silver Award!

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3.6 / 5.0
Nov 4, 2019

Close to the Sun is certainly an enjoyable journey, one that does include some jump scares and horror moments along the way while exploring what is a bit of a disturbing view on an alternate timeline.

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Nintendo Life
Ross Keniston
Top Critic
5 / 10
Oct 30, 2019

Taking clear inspiration from the seminal BioShock series, Close to the Sun promises much but delivers a somewhat lacklustre exploration of a world 'enhanced' by Nikola Tesla's fascinating vision. The horror is ramped up with a tense and unsettling atmosphere, but cheap and repetitive jump scares lower the tone and the rudimentary puzzle sequences provide little in the way of real challenge. To make matters worse, the Switch is far from the ideal system to contain such a visually striking game; while the Helios remains a sight to behold, there's little here to warrant jumping aboard.

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6.5 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2019

For anyone that plays lots of games, Close to the Sun is sadly not going to impress. While the aesthetics, graphical fidelity, sounds, and backstory does have the means to intrigue a lot of people, I feel that the average avid gamer will drop off after the first hour.

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70%
Oct 29, 2019

A very competent, well-made survival horror adventure with clear BioShock inspirations, Close to the Sun is a smart and compelling game marred only by some ill-advised showing of naff monsters.

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5.5 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2019

A frequently beautiful and atmospheric horror effort boasting an evocative setting, Close to the Sun finds itself almost wholly undone by plodding exploration, eye-rolling puzzles and detestably sloppy chase sections that utterly fail to exploit the game's strengths.

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