I want to start my review of Closer The Distance by talking about another game if I may, a game that probably feels like worlds apart to most people but me, Persona 5. You see, my grandmother passed away around a week before the release of Persona 5 and the day I picked it up was the day I returned from the funeral. Days earlier I returned to an empty home, only to get a call my grandmother was in the hospital, not an uncommon occurrence at the time, and my mother had gone into the city for that.
Despite this being routine, I sat on the edge of the bed and said my goodbyes to… The Universe I guess… Because I just knew where this was going. When I finally did get the call, standing in a corner of GameStop exhausted from the lack of sleep, when it was finally real, there was so little feeling left that all that could be said was that I knew. This became a moment where something exciting became something new, different. A moment all my own in a sea of them that we all experience. The moments that connect us because we relate in our own ways. How simple things, like an RPG can take on a whole knew meaning when life just sorta happens.
In this regard, the opening moments of Closer The Distance felt familiar and all the more painful. Our introduction to the young Conny, quiet, and kind, and seeing the worst moment of her life play out with no context to yet piece it together. By the time you realize you will be taking the role of her sister Angela, who has just died moments before, the weight of who she was and what her loss means has already been heaped upon your shoulders. And yet all she wants, even in death, is to help the people of her beloved town of Yesterby.
Yesterby Is Changing
This introduction gives way to the core narrative laced with grief. The world continues to turn, the characters make plans for their future, all of this however while they come together as best they can to plan for a funeral. The player choice comes into focus here as you play an observer to this, arguably the most important one, and can affect how these events move forward.
At first, these effects are minor in their influence. Guiding her sister in trying to help the residents of their very small community opens up narrative points where we learn more about this community, and its needs and wants. With the emphasis on an outside presence viewing events also allows characters to have natural scenes of dialog between different characters, rather than needing to frame it around one character’s interactions with others, allowing the lore and history of these citizens to feel natural and compelling. There are places in this where you might feel powerless, as often in the case of pain and grief, as you watch on unable to ail the hurt… You will want to continue learning everything you can though as the game makes knowledge feel powerful. That the history isn’t there to flesh out this town but serves as the building blocks for healing.
As you progress in the narrative, Angela will begin to affect more characters as well, giving the player more freedom to impact the needs of the citizens along their journey or change the narrative. An early example of just how impactful this is is when Zek, who was very close to Angela, asks to carve the wood sculpture that will adorn her grave. Her mother Pia, in her grief, has made the funeral very much about her and asked for an angel to be carved despite Zek knowing that doesn’t reflect Angela. She can help impact that choice to something else that reflects her, but with no connection to her mother yet they will hurt her already strained relationship with Zek, or let Zek make the angel despite how much this will hurt him to be untrue to her. This begs the important question, who are funerals for? The Living or the Die?
The game explores its themes over a much longer amount of time than just the immediate after-effects. The game is a long-form narrative of Loss and the rippling effect that resonates from it. Life goes on, but still, the pain lingers and the exploration of these themes throughout never fails to be potent and relevant, and most importantly relatable.
One Day At A Time
When describing the core gameplay loop of a narrative-heavy story like Closer The Distance, the first thought is not usually going to be The Sims. Games like Goodbye Volcano High, Night In The Woods, or Life is Strange vary in gameplay but all put the emphasis on the narrative moments between brief gameplay or exploration. Here, even most narrative points are worked into the constantly moving world dynamic.
Each character has several basic needs that can be filled with red and green bars differentiating the ones that are good to be high rather than bad. Unlike The Sims though each character has different needs based on their personalities. This includes Conny’s need for solitude, Galya’s focus on her health, and Zek’s desire for relaxation. As you progress, more characters are unlocked, and there is a balancing act of trying to help them help themselves while also guiding them to complete their desires and wishes. Thankfully, when not controlling characters they will often take care of themselves, leaving a large chunk of interaction to make sure they complete tasks they need to, helping them go about them in their day.
Every so often these characters will have important interactions that you need to see, either completing a task or simply conversing, which the game holds until other important interactions might be finished and then you can jump over. These interactions for the crux of the only complaints I really had with my time in Yesterby. Multiple times I realized I had three or 4 of these moments pile up, which even though they are paced well still becomes visually problematic as you watch a scene play out knowing others need your attention. Additionally, at multiple points of sending characters on their way to complete dialogs, I had them converge at the same point, in one case three groups, all talking over each other with major dialog. These pile-ups can make some narratives hard to focus on.
Familiar Faces
Learning the characters’ stories proves to be one of the best aspects of this game, and there is a lot of it as almost every task requires some conversation to progress that enriches your understanding of how this town was formed, how people ended up here, or what their relationships are like. This is aided by the fact that every character’s voice acted extremely well. This makes the quiet moments of the game, such as two characters talking before bed, just as engaging as moments such as arguing about who will drive into the city to pick up Angela’s body.
The game also features a beautifully crafted soundtrack that was composed by Felix Barbarino a beautifully accompanies the life and times of these characters you will come to love by the end. It is truly contended for one of those most impactful scores I have listened to this year, with Haunti having the other strong one that shook me. These elements combine to make an experience that is equal parts moving and heartbreaking.
These elements play well when coupled with the diorama-style art that allows you to feel like a spirit looking down into some small cut out of the world. Zooming out makes the world feel tiny and isolated by the beautiful in nature, while zooming in makes people feel small in their lives before they experience their all-consuming pain.
Verdict
Closer The Distance is hard to play in the best way imaginable. It is emotional, raw, and familiar. This is a story we can all relate to and honestly, one that we can all benefit and learn from. The kind of story that breaks us, but in the process, hopefully, makes us better and stronger person in the process.
In the process, we become engaged with the fantastically well-constructed characters as we guide them toward the ultimate goal of acceptance, along the stages of grief that they pass along at different periods. With each new character we affect and each new narrative our choices create, we learn that death is not the end but the beginning and we get to play a part in that. This is a game that will remain with you long after its over, more than many other games out there.
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Review For PlayStation 5, also available for PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
A copy of this game was provided by Kitsune Games for the purposes of this review.
Developer: Osmotic Studios
Publisher: Skybound Games
Release Date: August 2, 2024
Take the role of Angela, affecting the lives of those left behind in the wake of her tragic death and helping the town of Yesterby move on.
PROS:
+Emotional and Well Crafted Narrative
+Beautiful Art Direction
+Sims-like gameplay design
+Great Characters and voice acting
+Beautiful soundtrack
CONS:
-Pile-ups of narrative occurring at the same place at once
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Closer The Distance
