Imagine a timeline where Nikolas Tesla, one of the pioneers behind electric power, completely revolutionized 19th century technology. He builds a huge ship where scientists of all kinds can experiment freely.
That's the premise behind Close to the Sun, a mysterious first person investigation game that launched on PC earlier this year - and is also arriving on PS4 and Xbox One later. Earlier today Italian developer Storm in a Teacup announced that it would come to Nintendo Switch sometime in 2019. You take control of Rose, a journalist who tries to find her lost sister, as she tries to uncover the mystery of a giant, abandoned ship.
Close to the Sun resembles BioShock in almost every way. It's visuals and design, story, and characters feel eerily similar to Irrational Games' Andrew Ryan and his sunken city. There is a bigger emphasis on investigation and puzzle solving over combat though. Critics gave Close to the Sun average reviews when it launched on other platforms in March, praising its atmosphere and story but questioning some awkward gameplay and pacing decisions.
The developers cite Soma, Firewatch, and Outlast as primary inspirations for Close to the Sun, not mentioning Bioshock at all. It's a bit odd since Helios, Nikolas Tesla's "haven for the greatest scientific minds" feels identical to Rapture. That's not a bad thing of course, BioShock is a fantastic experience with an atmosphere many developers would kill to replicate.
We haven't seen the game run on Nintendo Switch yet and the gameplay trailer doesn't show much so be cautious about how well the game might run on Nintendo's less powerful system. There's no confirmed launch date yet, but keep your eyes here for when that news drops.
Looking for a mysterious adventure to play in the meantime? Check out
10 games like Firewatch that'll take you on a journey.
