Closer the Distance Review
The Sims, Life is Strange, and a John Green novel in one
Sometimes, a game will just come along that, as the credits roll, you realize you’ve been holding your breath. I can’t begin to describe my feelings during the finale of Closer the Distance, other than it’s a triumph for developer Osmotic Studios. The rustic visual style of the game, combined with strong voice acting, Sims-like mechanics, and a deep and human approach to telling a story about grief, community, and letting go, makes it a masterpiece I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
Notes: I try to avoid major spoilers in this review, but there are some minor ones. The video down below is the first hour of Closer the Distance.
Steam code provided for review from Osmotic Studios.
Closer the Distance begins with a tragedy in the tight-knit community of Yesterby. Angela, a teenager with her whole life ahead of her, has died in a tragic accident, leaving her sister Conny and her parents, Pia and Axel, shocked, in addition to the rest of the town. From what you learn about Angela before the accident, she was like any other teenager; she wanted to see the world and be free of her seemingly pre-ordained life in the small town. She made me think of many a heroine from John Green’s works, especially Alaska Young.
You get to know the residents quickly: Doctor Galya and her partner Leigh, Leigh’s son Bodhi; the enterprising Jasper and his wife Blanche and their children River and Eli; town carpenter Melville and his son Zek, who was also Angela’s boyfriend; and village stalwart Henrietta. Osmotic took great care in making sure these NPCs weren’t carbon copies of each other; each was unique, with their own reactions and coping mechanisms to Angela’s death.
Like Conny. Conny and Angela are connected in the wake of Angela’s death, for better or worse. At first, Conny is still grateful to have that connection with her, but as the game goes on, you notice it begins to wear on her. She even tries to tell others that she can hear Angela to varying responses; some telling her it’s just her grief talking, and others being angry. She tries to do right by her sister and spends much of the game trying to heal the rifts of people in Yesterby. Like many of us who experience grief, though, she forgets to take care of herself.
There’s an element of The Sims in Closer the Distance, as you can monitor health, hunger, sleep, self-care, and a few other categories for every person in the town. It also varies from character to character, with ‘Play’ being one of the meters for youngster Eli and ‘Health’ being one for Galya, the Doctor. Using this mechanic in a game about grief was inspired. The characters were so shockingly human that I tried to ensure everyone was fed and taking care of themselves (the mom in me), but I realized that I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to make everyone better on my timetable; I needed to wait for theirs.
It was a great design choice, and sometimes, you couldn’t even change the course of a character; the decisions you made for them would snowball, and they would find themselves committed to an action. I can’t speak to how the game changes with different actions yet, but I did begin a second playthrough where I’ve already been making different decisions and actions. If you don’t want to start a new run, Osmotic also added the ability to rewind, go back in your save, and begin on a previous day.
To get down to brass tacks, Closer the Distance is unique and a shining example of games as art. It’s an exploration of community, showing how grief can twist and strain or even strengthen bonds and how hard it can be to let go, especially if you’re not ready for it. I wasn’t ready to say my final goodbyes to Angela when it happened, but Conny was, and that’s really all that mattered.
I'll leave you with this, especially given the recent cavalcade of layoffs: Play more games, especially indies. The strength of games from independent developers is something that’s not talked about enough.
Closer the Distance will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles on August 2, 2024 for $19.99.
