An enormous, golden statue of Nikola Tesla sits proudly in the midst of the museum. Harsh spotlights bounce off the sculpture’s shiny brow, brightening the room. It’s a bit gaudy for my style, however the museum I discover myself in is all about Tesla’s innovations. Portraits of him line all 4 partitions, all the time wearing a dapper three-piece go well with. Tesla studying in a chair. Tesla gazing into the space. Tesla rubbing his chin thoughtfully – I can virtually see the equations whizzing round his head.
This show of conceitedness would reveal any particular person as an egomaniac, however in Close to the Sun, it’s additionally a humorous perception into the character of Tesla. The museum is stuffed with footage of his well-known innovations, accompanied by voice recordings of him explaining every contraption. He cracks jokes about his experiments, tells little anecdotes about messing together with his x-ray machine, and cheekily muses about his dying ray.
But Close to the Sun isn’t a jolly historical past lesson concerning the life and works of Tesla. It tells the story of a strong man with a cosmopolitan imaginative and prescient and the way that dream slowly crumbled – a first-person horror game in the identical vein as SOMA or Layers of Fear.
The story takes place in another 19th century the place Tesla was capable of realise the potential of his experiments, his most important challenge being the creation of wi-fi electrical energy.
Tesla tells anecdotes about messing together with his x-ray machine, and muses about his dying ray
In this universe, Tesla’s firm provides electrical energy to half of the planet, and he’s been capable of perform his experiments on his scientific cruiser – the Helios – with a few of the period’s biggest researchers.
You play as a no-nonsense journalist known as Rose who has been summoned to the ship by her sister, Ada. When you arrive within the metallic guts of the colossal vessel, it’s utterly deserted. As you proceed to discover, it appears as if one thing has ravaged the ship and killed its residents, and there are hints of paranoia and espionage.
There are quite a few newspapers, notes, and paperwork across the inside of the ship accusing Tesla’s organisation of kidnapping scientists and forcing them to work. Scribbled notes concern Tesla’s fears of spies, working for rival Edison, out to steal his concepts. Tesla was conducting experiments, and thru accident or sabotage, one thing went fallacious.
Under the brilliant lights and golden trim there’s an underbelly of rusted gears and goopy oil
The corridors, analysis centres, ballrooms, and lots of of different areas on the Helios are actually empty – or apparently empty. You’ll see a door slam shut, or a shadow, indicating that there are nonetheless folks scuttling across the ship. There’ll be moments if you see what seem like ghosts of company, electrical spectres with fuzzy outlines. You can’t work together with them, and so they can’t work together with you, however you may observe them and listen to their conversations as they roam the huge vessel.
The setting has a hanging aesthetic; the furnishings and structure adorned with gold. Coupled with the 19th century cogs and mechanics, the game is the proper cohesion of artwork deco and steampunk.
But beneath the brilliant lights and golden trim there’s an underbelly of rusted gears and goopy oil. Tesla has various harmful machines, and as you discover the Helios, you’ll discover clues about how the residents met their gory finish. There are additionally hints that Tesla was dabbling within the science of time journey. It appears as if two different realities are colliding into one another.
It’s tough to not write about Close to the Sun with out mentioning the B-word. If its solely similarity to BioShock was the decor then it wouldn’t be so apparent, however the game’s commonalities transcend that. A seemingly deserted complicated, as soon as residence to the best thinkers and scientists of the world, run by a pacesetter with a imaginative and prescient who thinks they’ll change the world? Ring any diving bells?
Read extra: Check out our record of the best indie games on PC
Close to the Sun has its personal deserves, nonetheless, rightfully separating it from its FPS counterpart. This is a thriller of intrigue and espionage, the place Tesla’s character and innovations promise to carry your curiosity till its bloody conclusion.
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