That’s the premise behind Close to the Sun (opens in new tab), 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 (opens in new tab) 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 (opens in new tab), Firewatch (opens in new tab), and Outlast (opens in new tab) 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 (opens in new tab).

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Sitting down with GamesRadar at Gamescom 2018, game designer Joel Hakalax gave us an exclusive tour of Close to the Sun’s unique world:

In this timeline, Tesla has constructed a massive ship as a testament to his genius, and like any good egomaniacal mad scientist, he’s stuffed it to the gills with statues of himself and mind-bending puzzles. It’s all a bit BioShock-y, and while Hakalax doesn’t deny that the team admires the underwater dystopia of Rapture, inspiration for Close to the Sun comes from a place much more sinister.

“Close to the Sun, we call it a ‘horror-adventure,’ primarily because- yes we want to scare you, but we also want to provide you with a good story,” Hakalax said. “Initially we were thinking a lot about SOMA, Outlast, Layers of Fear. Those were our initial posts and pillars that we wanted to get close to.” To that end, Close to the Sun ditches direct combat in favor of stealth, chase sequences, and puzzle solving.

All that being said, you don’t need to shy away from Close to the Sun if you’re skittish about horror games. Hakalax said the team has also made sure to pace the game with calm areas so players can take a minute to breathe and dive deeper into this alternate timeline the team has constructed. At least until the next sub-human monstrosity appears and makes you wet yourself.

Close to the Sun is coming in 2019 to PC, PS4, and Xbox One. For more exclusive footage from Cologne, be sure to check out our Gamescom After Dark schedule (opens in new tab) and tune in live! 

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