Close to the Sun Reviews
Close to the Sun is a harrowing and thoughtfully designed first-person exploration adventure that shows a twisted world in which Nikola Tesla's ideas came to life.
Close to the Sun manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The early parts of the game establish a genuinely interesting narrative and world before the later parts throw most of this away in favour of repetitive and dull chase sequences. The narrative remains interesting enough to keep you playing and there's some strong character development, but the ending comes as a relief rather than a reward. It isn't a disaster but it is a missed opportunity.
With interesting setting and characters, Close to the Sun starts as a piece of art, but it doesn't keep its premises due to hurried pacing and a bit superficial evolution of the story. Non trivial jumpscares and a good direction make this short game really a missed opportunity and only a decent horror adventure.
Review in Italian | Read full review
An interesting premisal that becomes less and less interesting while you advanced in this 4-5 hours horror adventure, that doesn't excels at anything.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Close to the Sun is a masterclass in atmosphere and storytelling, sadly let down by poorly-directed chase scenes that quickly grow repetitive and tedious.
Close to the Sun is a smart narrative adventure, but some of its elements ruin the tension of its well-crafted world.
Granted, the chase sequences are frustrating and the story falls a bit flat, but there's some wonderful attention to detail in Close to the Sun's environments, and tension is present even in the game's calmest moments.
I wish my adventure on the Helios hadn’t ended so abruptly and I feel a wee bit short changed, but I’d still be really pleased if they announced an add-on
Close to the Sun is a few steps shy of a great narrative-driven horror, but its trite gameplay expels the magic its environments worked to create.
It's a game that wanted to be Icarus and fly, ahem, too close to the sun, but couldn't even manage to get too far off the ground.
Storm in a Teacup did an excellent job in creating an intriguing and at the same time anxious setting, even if it's held back by shallow puzzles and pointless action sections.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Close to the Sun's bland narrative and lack of challenging mechanics, as well as being light on the scares, makes for a rather dull experience.
All things considered, though, I would heartily recommend Close to the Sun. With some fantastic world-building, an incredibly well detailed and atmospheric setting that's enhanced by a cast of interesting characters with great voice acting. The real issue comes from the lack of replay value, though for those who like to explore the world and story, there are reasons to go back.
Close to the Sun deserves praise for the world it builds and just how gorgeously rendered that world is.
Close to the Sun could've been a really cool adventure game, but boring riddles and predictable plot with a crumpled finale are like a cold sobering shower to the player.
Review in Russian | Read full review
While some nicely designed environments, and a scattering of enjoyable puzzles stop this ship from sinking without a trace, Close to the Sun doesn’t manage to reach the lofty heights of ambition it’s clearly aiming for.
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.
Close to the Sun has a huge potential. Supported by a technique of good quality, it however lacks dynamism. The fault of very slow movements and a gameplay that requires that we agree to walk to the discovery of clues more present to define an atmosphere, than to advance in the story. Not quite adventure game, not quite FPS either, it does not take clear enough direction to stand out. Nevertheless, it will satisfy the fans of the genre who do not have much to play at the moment.
Review in French | Read full review
The lack of interactivity and emotional connection, the ease of gameplay, and the almost total absence of replayability unfortunately prevent the Italian studio from flying high towards the sun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Storm in a Teacup's Close to the Sun has quite a few flaws, but its unique, Nikola Tesla-inspired setting provides lots to love.