Review for Close to the Sun. PC game, the video game came out on 02/05/2019
In line with NERO's experiences and in continuity with Lantern regarding the use of the Unreal Engine, with Close to the Sun we can say that we have reached the test of maturity for Storm in a Teacup and for its Creative Director Carlo Ivo Alimo Bianchi. The theme of Icarus that aims too high until it reaches the sun and fails is predominant in the work of Storm in a Teacup and, on balance, is configured as prophetic also in relation to the title, as the ambition to depart from a classic story-driven adventure for PC - trying to insert more action or survival-horror elements - has definitely penalized the work.
Science has failed
To understand what works and what doesn't in Close to the Sun we must necessarily start from the plot, which has always been the strong point of Storm in a Teacup's works. The incipit, not very original, includes several interesting ideas: we are in a dystopian 1897 with decidedly steampunk colors, in which we impersonate the journalist Rose Archer on her way to reach her sister Ada on the Helios, an imposing laboratory ship whose existence is due to the genius of Nikola Tesla. Our trip is justified by a letter sent by Rose's sister with a request as mysterious as it is peremptory. Our short crossing, useful for familiarizing yourself with the simple game controls but not corroborated by a tutorial phase, leads us to a turned off and apparently abandoned Helios.
We will soon understand that inside the Helios what it looks like (initially, based on the first clues and documents recovered) an act of paranoia and madness by Nikola Tesla, competing with the other great energy scientist Edison, soon reveals something different. In fact, a quarantine is underway following various sabotage attempts but the truth is that the blood and corpses present on the Helios suggest very different scenarios. In direct communication with Ada, through a futuristic transmitter provided as an attachment to the letter received, we will try to make our way through the vast halls of the mammoth ship. Our aim will be to reunite with our beloved sister but, in the meantime, we will interact with some, and very few, characters who will help us or will try to stop our search.
The well-researched story supports a classic first-person view adventure characterized by puzzles, documents and dialogues that enrich the plot and subplots that unfold over the short experience developed by Close to the Sun. Over 4- 5 hours of play, however, we will discover that the interesting script, characterized by some important twists, proves to be too predictable and anticipated both by certain dialogues and, above all, by the various documents recovered. The final surprise, therefore, could be clear right away. Beyond the aforementioned problems and in addition to the absence of a cast with adequate charisma and characterizations, except perhaps exclusively for Tesla, Close to the Sun lacks the suspense and anxious anticipation of discovery that should characterize an overtly horror experience.
Run for your life
As a result, our great expectations are all placed on the cover: in fact the Unreal Engine has been exploited properly, with a not indifferent technical attention to detail, thanks to the large and various game environments that give an excellent visual impact. Even in this case, however, we record ups and downs due to the models of characters and enemies, decidedly subdued compared to the rest of the sector: a real shame because lights and shadows, special effects and textures are really of a high level.
However, this great work has not been properly exploited for what, in addition to the plot, should characterize a work of this type: the gameplay. We are faced with a classic story-driven adventure, as already mentioned, but from the early stages of the game it is clear that something at the level of the control and interaction system did not go the right way. At first glance, you notice a sensitivity, playing with the controller, definitely excessive, combined with an imprecision especially with regard to the pointer when we are going to try to activate levers, open doors and analyze documents.
This however represents the lesser evil, in that Storm in a Teacup's choice to insert elements markedly action triggered a self-injurious process. In truth, the action phases are really small, five or six at the most, and they are all aimed at escaping from unbeatable enemies, trying to guess the fastest path in the frenzy of the race. The antagonists are incredibly fast and are ridiculed by an unbelievable chase system in which our character is mechanically followed without freedom of escape or being able to deceive the antagonist. The fear or rather the panic that arises from these chases represent the culmination of the horror imprint given to the title, but they soon turn into purely frustrating elements due to, and here we arrive at the confirmation of the problems mentioned above, of commands not suitable for the purpose. The addition of the button to look behind would seem a compelling idea to increase the pathos of the chases, but unfortunately it is an unnecessary and harmful action during our escapes. Another regret if we dwell on the fact that the disturbing scenarios shown in the halls of the Helios, together with some decidedly guessed jump scare, the soundtrack, the effects and the well-curated dubbing could be more than enough elements to justify the horror key behind. a Close to the Sun.
We could easily overlook this problem in the presence of challenging and difficult puzzles, but this is not the case. All the puzzles present and in which we will come across are easily solved since the solutions are in most cases under our eyes, and only on rare occasions will it be necessary to backtracking to continue our journey through the many environments present at the interior of the Helios. We certainly cannot say that the previous titles of Storm in a Teacup had accustomed us to different puzzles, especially thinking about what we indicate in the review of NERO, but in that case the strong plot had swept away any doubts about the complexity of the work. By showing their muscles with the Unreal Engine and showing the great safety of their technical means, Close to the Sun is really the Icarus who aimed too high but fell because blinded by the Sun, and without considering that its heat would have melted the wax that supported the appearance of its wings.
Close to the Sun is the best work of Storm in a Teacup for the massive use of the potential of Unreal Engine but at the same it represents a misstep due to a wrong gameplay and not suitable for a horror adventure of this type in which the action phases clash with the long sessions of investigation, exploration and solving of the puzzles. The plot behind the title is well-finished and structured but it cannot stand the work alone because it is at times not very incisive and all too predictable, waiting for an epilogue announced by many parts. All this leads us to consider Close to the Sun as a title just more than enough despite the premises and expectations were very different after its announcement.
► Close to the Sun is a Horror-type game developed by Storm in a Teacup for PC, the video game was released on 02/05/2019
