58 / wfmag.cc Most of the environments in
Close to the Sun successfully
replicate the 19th century’s
Art Deco look and feel.ReviewRated
GENRE
First-person
horror
FORMAT
PC (tested) /
PS4 / XBO
DEVELOPER
Storm in a
Teacup
PUBLISHER
Wired
Productions
PRICE
£24.99
RELEASE
Out nowInfo
ReviewGreeks bearing rifts
top me if you’ve heard this one
before. A lone traveller gets an
invite to visit an Art Deco-laden
dystopia only approachable by sea.
Eventually, they discover that said
dystopia is an idealistic madman’s attempt to
act freely of any society plagued by judgement,
rules, or subjugation. The visitor’s only choice
from then on is to explore the environment while
unravelling the deeper mystery surrounding
them, and in doing so, learn more about how
they’re destined to fit into it.
You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s Rapture I’m
describing. $nd while, at first, it’s true that +elios
seemingly begs to be closely
compared against BioShock’s
dilapidated underwater
haven, Close to the Sun’s wildly
evocative setting ends up
being just as memorable for
reasons wildly different. &hief among these is its
emphasis on combat-free exploration, beautiful
environments, and cast of well-drawn characters.
This horrorfocused firstperson e[plorathon
is essential for anyone that enjoys fact merging
with fiction. 6et in an alternate timeline where
Nikola Tesla was able to escape his mentor
Thomas Edison’s shadow, he quickly founds the
+elios as a freighter where scientists can prosper
in their questionable but ambitious pursuits.
This being a horror game, it isn’t long before
Tesla and his cohort’s good intentions spiral out
of control, with you as journalist Rose Archer
soon stepping aboard and thoroughly exploring
the place in a bid to save your sister Ada.Despite being a development team of just
, the folks at 6torm in a Teacup have e[celled
themselves in creating a believable location
that stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes
of Firewatch’s Wyoming forest, Observer’s tower
block and, yes, that other one. Each of Close to the
Sun’s ten chapters sees you rummaging through
a different section of the once prosperous
ship, with everything from the on-board Grand
Theatre to Tesla’s private quarters feeling
appropriately lived in.
Close to the Sun might largely be a linear
adventure, but every area appears open-ended
enough that you never feel pigeonholed into
just moving from point A to
B. In games of this ilk, it’s
often too easy to end up
combing through sections
over and over again in search
of the right solution needed
to progress, but Close to the Sun’s puzzles (hunt
down key cards, find the right passcode, and so
on) never become obtuse enough that it detracts
from the act of sightseeing.
The biggest knock I can give to Close to the
Sun is that its story, while gripping, never really
amounts to anything. It’s a classic case of the
journey being better than the destination.
And this being just four hours, it’s one that wraps
up far too quickly – I wanted it to last longer.
Brevity aside, Close to the Sun breaks free of
any early comparison to its peers, delivering an
evocative firstperson adventure that represents
one of the best we’ve seen from the genre in
quite a while.Close to the Sun
S
VERDICT
Beautiful and tightly
focused, Close to the Sun
gives players a treasure
trove’s worth of narrative-
driven exploration.78 %
ReviewRated
HIGHLIGHT
Scattered throughout Helios,
you’ll find notes and photos that
recount and add texture
to the story of its inhabitants.
All help paint a picture of Tesla’s
scientific vision before things
went haywire, and in some
instances, they’re key to moving
to the next chapter.REVIEWED BY
Aaron Potter
“Puzzles never
detract from the act
of sightseeing”