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Marcus Level
Game
Game2024
Closer the Distance
Developer Osmotic Studios
Closer the Distance is a slice-of-life sim that tells a deeply emotional story about the connections between family and friends in the face of tragedy. Unearth long kept secrets, repair strained relationships, and help your loved ones move on. From the Steam store page
195 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 29, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
88
LovedLoved
138 positive · 19 negative
95% range 82–92%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 138 | 19 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 11 | 0 | 27 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
151 of 170 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 141 yes, 18 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 159 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (267 of 297 positive).
Players praise the game's emotional depth and realistic portrayal of grief. [1][2][3] Some find the gameplay mechanics overwhelming or at odds with the narrative. [4][5][6] The game is widely recommended for its story and characters. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
The story and the gameplay are both good, but I felt like they were dissonant. What I mean by that, is that the gameplay gives you a set of task to perform and a limited time, which brought me to try to minmax everything and go full tycoon game. Due to this, I felt completely detached from the story of the game. The artstyle and the ost are also lovely, so it all comes down to whether you'll be able to be …
- [1]
Closer the Distance is an absolute lovely and emotional game, with an incredible soundtrack. If you like a mix of “Life is Strange” and “The Sims” with a very emotional story, this game is for you!
- [2]
It is extremely realistic. The emptiness and the meaningless after the loss. Pure denial and everyone keeps going as if nothing happened. Feeling the weirdness of cooking or doing laundry. Even waking up is weird. Weather is weird, wind is weird, rain is weird. Chats are weird. "Good morning"s feel off. It is not a depressive game, nah far from that. It's like a huge rock on your chest, you are not exactly sad but …
- [14]
This game is messy. I fully agree with some ratings that say it is easy to get overwhelmed, because I did for sure. But at the same time, I think it is by design. The characters are overwhelmed. Grief is messy. Life is messy. This game is absolutely beautiful, in art, storytelling, voice acting, music, its message... Yes, it is messy, but it is so incredibly beautiful, too.
- [3]
This game absolutely floored me ... in the quietest, most human way. It made me think about the people I’ve lost, and I actually ended up texting my mum just to say I love her. I finished it teary-eyed but weirdly grateful. It’s gentle, sad, and a bit brilliant, really.
Summarised from 34 of the 198 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
89% of the 159 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Closer the Distance. The complaint that keeps coming up: time management can be overwhelming. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Reactions
60 of 195 · most liked firstThe story and the gameplay are both good, but I felt like they were dissonant. What I mean by that, is that the gameplay gives you a set of task to perform and a limited time, which brought me to try to minmax everything and go full tycoon game. Due to this, I felt completely detached from the story of the game. The artstyle and the ost are also lovely, so it all comes down to whether you'll be able to be emotionally invested in the story in a game in which you have tasks to perform and a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Wow, I woke up to a ton of new followers! Great to meet y'all! 😊 I'm Daniel, CEO and Game Director at Osmotic Studios. We made the digital surveillance games "Orwell" and most recently the life-sim "Closer the Distance". I'd be happy if you checked them out! store.steampowered.com/app/1991300/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Closer the Distance is an absolute lovely and emotional game, with an incredible soundtrack. If you like a mix of “Life is Strange” and “The Sims” with a very emotional story, this game is for you!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The story is relatively decent, but I feel like the gameplay bogs down the experience ways too much, like every single step of the way. There are some main problems that I find: There are no manual save, so if you want to redo an action in a specific day, you have no choice but replay the whole day. The whole managing needs system is tedious, and having to micromanage people around is a pain. Multiple conversations at once means I have time to focus on none, either that or letting…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Our game Closer the Distance is nominated at The Game Awards for "Games for Impact" and it's blowing our minds! We're incredibly honored! Please vote for Closer the Distance at The Game Awards' official website. Thank you! ❤️ thegameawards.com/nominees/gam...
neutral · AI labelView post →It is extremely realistic. The emptiness and the meaningless after the loss. Pure denial and everyone keeps going as if nothing happened. Feeling the weirdness of cooking or doing laundry. Even waking up is weird. Weather is weird, wind is weird, rain is weird. Chats are weird. "Good morning"s feel off. It is not a depressive game, nah far from that. It's like a huge rock on your chest, you are not exactly sad but you feel like you can't breath normally. I didn't cry (yet) and I assume I passed…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hey all. I'm trying to be more active on here now that so many people have moved over from Twitter. Welcome! 🙂 I'm Daniel, Co-Founder and Game Director of Osmotic Studios. We made two "Orwell" games as well as "Closer the Distance": store.steampowered.com/app/1991300/...
neutral · AI labelView post →This game absolutely floored me ... in the quietest, most human way. It made me think about the people I’ve lost, and I actually ended up texting my mum just to say I love her. I finished it teary-eyed but weirdly grateful. It’s gentle, sad, and a bit brilliant, really.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Closer The Distance is a brilliant narrative social simulation game. Wildly complex and innovative. It astonished me. Definitely worth having a look at! store.steampowered.com/app/1991300/...
positive · AI labelView post →From the developers of the popular Orwell games comes Closer the Distance. Except this time, the team at Osmotic Studios have decided to steer away from politics/corruption themes and into a slice-of-life sim about human emotions and relationships. It focuses on the tenderness of grief; how different people process tragedy and how this can impact communities. Closer the Distance is an excellent narrative game that kept me enthralled from beginning to end. Its thought-provoking gameplay had a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Exactly one year ago, @osmoticstudios.com Closer the Distance was released. I’m so grateful I had the chance to compose the music for this beautiful game - and even more thankful that @mathildesound.bsky.social and my passionate and personal work was honored with the German Developer Award ❤️
neutral · AI labelView post →Closer the Distance really impressed me with its superior storytelling, interesting characters, and attention to detail. If you love games like Life is Strange or games which have a slice of life narrative, then I am confident that you will enjoy Closer the Distance. For me, it was one of the best narrative experiences I have had the pleasure to play. The plot lines were masterfully woven between the community of characters and taking control of them and steering their destiny felt so…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My Playtime: 12.6h (100% achievement, finished the game) My First Playthrough: 8.1h Grindy Achievement(s): No. Optional Achievement(s): Yes (15 achievements). Difficult Achievement(s): No. Intro Closer the Distance is a story-driven game focusing on the lives of the residents in a small village. You'll be able to control some of the residents and make their life choices while trying to cope with the loss of a village member. Pros: - Story that was told from a different point of view, focusing…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would recommend this game to players, who don't care too much about outcomes from their actions and play visual novels for fun. Otherwise, there are many complexities for people, who want to get the good enough ending and are hyperprotective of their small pixel people. There are some problems that I find annoying (for me personally): - Conversations take hours and you have to skip them if you want to watch over all the characters. I care about all of them too much, and it is impossible for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →At the Deutscher Entwicklerpreis 2024, Hamburg-based @osmoticstudios.com won awards for Best Audio Design, Story, and Innovation for Closer the Distance! Games Lift Incubator team and Prototype Funding recipient @pipapogames.bsky.social won the Newcomer Award for Map Map - A Game About Maps! 💜
neutral · AI labelView post →Imagine Sims with an actual story! Really cool idea and a super interesting twist on the genre! You get to play as different characters that all influence the main story and watch how your actions play out not only for your character(s), but for the whole village. Every character has their own needs and desires and switching back and forth between them gives you a very faceted view on the story.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is so much heart and artistry in this game. Unfortunately it does not, as a whole, work. The premise is noble. It's a story about grief and letting go, drawn out slowly with considerable tenderness and sensitivity. The voice actors, the graphic artists, and the music come together lovingly into this vision. Other parts, however, do not. For one, the narrative is missing necessary context. The story's central pillar is a tiny community trying to stay together, but it's never made clear…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Im so torn rn. I really want to give a good rating, but that feels as wrong as a bad rating. The story is actually beautiful and seeing how everyone deals with loss is very nuanced and well done. The characters are beautifully flashed out, the voice acting is good (especially Angies voice!) and the overall experience is versatile and emotional. My main concern is, what do all these things matter if i cant enjoy them? The Sims part is cool, but not if you feel overwhelmed bcs of it and have to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The art and music are lovely but the game is set up so that the story is the main element and the story is a snoozefest. It touches on a lot of complex topics and then doesn't explore them at all. I think they were going for something like Life is Strange vibes, but that game is significantly longer and only asks you to invest in about 3 characters. This game is just spread too thin. It would be hard to tell a compelling story about, for example, alcoholism and grief in under 2 minutes and they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really great writing on display. This game is a heavy one for sure, but it's balanced out by its laid back gameplay. The first half of this game especially are masterful and the latter half only adds more depth to the cast. If you're up for it, and only if you're up for it, play this game. It's special and beautiful and deserves more attention.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To put it in Jasper's words: "Uhm... ohhhkaaay?" 👀 We're very honored that our game Closer the Distance is nominated for GAMES FOR IMPACT at @gameawards.bsky.social!
neutral · AI labelView post →The idea behind the game is good and noble. But I found the jumping between persons (esp. when they suddenly are lit up because 'something important is happening') a mismatch with the seemingly slow and contemplative mood of the theme. I am well aware that is a matter of taste/preference, but it just prevented me from getting into the game & enjoying in properly.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →With the thematic elements of Life is Strange combined with the gameplay mechanics of The Sims, Closer the Distance is a narrative-driven experience that will either shatter your heart or provoke a cathartic sob sesh.....or perhaps both. Either way, it deserves a spot in everyone's library. Edit: I agree with the critiques and commentary mentioning how hectic the management aspect feels, but as another reviewer here said, "...you cannot optimise the grief process."
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So ends 2024. That was... not a good year in many ways. We released Closer the Distance, and although the reception was good, the sales weren't. This and the tough situation in game development caused challenges we didn't all master. 2025 will be a year of change, both professionally and personally.
neutral · AI labelView post →Our game Closer the Distance is nominated for an incredible amount of four awards at Deutscher Entwicklerpreis! 🤯 * Best Story * Best Audio Design * Best Game Beyond Entertainment * Innovation Award Congrats to all nominees! See you in Cologne! 😊 deutscherentwicklerpreis.de/nominierte-g...
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is messy. I fully agree with some ratings that say it is easy to get overwhelmed, because I did for sure. But at the same time, I think it is by design. The characters are overwhelmed. Grief is messy. Life is messy. This game is absolutely beautiful, in art, storytelling, voice acting, music, its message... Yes, it is messy, but it is so incredibly beautiful, too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played it for quite a while - great game mechanics, aesthetically very pleasing, amazing sound and music, story is enthralling - all of it ruined by homosexual content. So sad! I really was hoping that this game was saved from woke ideology. Refund requested!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just finished the game so my heart is a little heavy now, but wanted to write a review before I got too far away from the game. The story deals with a small town dealing with grief. The problem is that everyone is dealing with theirs in different ways so it all seems to be hurting more than helping. As the player, you learn the story and do tasks and take care of characters, or not. Your choices affect the events and relationships between the characters. At times, I found it hard to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Closer the Distance is a really beautiful and unique simulation experience about loss and how different people in a small, tight-knit community deal with it. Instead of focusing on one protagonist, the game lets you see how grief ripples through multiple lives, showing different ways people cope, heal, and connect with each other. It’s a slow, thoughtful experience with a lot of heart, and it treats its themes with surprising care and empathy. If you enjoy narrative-driven games that explore…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Giving a little speed talk about the audio in Closer the Distance for the @indietreff.bsky.social at @play-festival.bsky.social tonight! 🗣️ If you're in Hamburg and want to hear recordings of icelandic songbirds or Geralt of Rivia snoring - feel free to come by 😁
neutral · AI labelView post →It makes me wonder if the writer (or the entire dev team) has ever experienced profound loss in their lives, because the way the mom and the dad react to the untimely death of their daughter is completely unrealistic. People lose their minds when they hear something like that. They can't contain their emotions, even the most stoic person will be at a loss for words. They won't just go to a different room and act like nothing happened. This is seriously unrealistic and weird. The way they…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a very emotional but wonderful journey about a community that loses one of its members and which impact that has on everyone and how they deal with the grieve. Approximate amount of time to 100%: 13 hours Estimated achievement difficulty: 2/10 Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1,5 Is there a good guide available: No, but you don't need a guide Multiplayer achievements: No Missable achievements: Kinda, however, you can turn back time to earlier days (not forward, only to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Note: A heads up, but this game delves into topics like death, grief, etc., so you have been forewarned. :o Closer the Distance is an emotional, story-driven, life sim developed by Osmotic Studios and published by Skybound Games. The village of Yesterby is shaken to the core when news reaches its people that Angela, a teenage girl, was killed in a car accident. Of course, it's Angela's (Angie, for short) family, especially Conny (her younger sister), who is most shaken by the news, but it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I genuinely like this game. I found it be an interesting experiment in combining narrative design and life-sim mechanics. Taking the systems of a game like The Sims and giving it a more structured narrative with complex characters and a meaningful plot about grief. The art style is minimal but pleasant and the sound and music are atmospheric and contribute to the story. All the characters are fully-voiced, which definitely does a lot of the work in making them realized. Overall, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Liked it, but what kept me from loving it was that it DESPERATELY needs to pause the in-game clock during dialogue.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Closer the Distance I'll recommend the game because I appreciate what it's trying to do in such a novel way but it has a couple of glaring, almost fatal flaws. Clloser the Distance tells a narrative tale of grief, loss and the hole it leaves. Unlike most games of this type, Closer tells this tale through multiple characters, some of whom you can control and others you can't. You'll witness conflicts, emotional breakdowns, mania, sadness and just the general trauma of such a loss. It's an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of my favorite games of all time. The flow of balancing multiple characters with differing needs and wants (which some characters needs make it hard to accomplish what they want) helps illuminate a heartfelt story about love, loss, and how to hold on and let go to the people you love. I will say, as others have, it is annoying to keep track of hunger while balancing so many other needs, but that is incredibly true to life. When I lost someone very dear to me, finding the time and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really enjoyed this game and am, in fact, going through another play through. The script is well written, the characters heartfelt, the social challenge of keeping a town together after tragedy...hard but worth the effort. I found myself wary at first, as I was looking into the lives of these characters. My heart broke for some of them as I saw relationships strain. I could relate to Angela and Connie...to some degree, having recently gone through a car accident in real life and having to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is one of those video games where some parts are full of emotions and grief that made me cry. I am a gamer that really connects with the game and its characters so my immersion can relate to what the game try to say. I can definitely recommend this game tho I finished it in one day (10 hrs). I can its worth it. I hope the developer can do another game like this as this game cannot get any dlc to expand the story. But at the end of the day I am looking forward for more games from the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Our game Closer the Distance has been nominated for both "Best Narrative" and "Best Gameplay" for the Games for Change Awards at #G4C2025! 🎮 🎉 Excited to be among gaming innovators and celebrate at the Awards Ceremony on June 26th! 🎟️ Join the celebration: bit.ly/G4C2025
neutral · AI labelView post →“Closer the Distance” is a profoundly moving game that stands out as a masterful example of story-driven gameplay. From the very beginning, it grips you with a narrative that is deeply emotional, exploring themes of loss, love, and human connection in a way that feels raw and genuine. The story unfolds in a small-town setting where a tragedy brings together the lives of its inhabitants, and as the player, you navigate the aftermath of these events by influencing the lives of these characters.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Closer the distance brings us to the small fisher village of Yesterby, where tragedy had struck, leaving the villagers heartbroken. We start with one character to guide us through grief and everyday life, but eventually, there are more characters that we can directly control. Of course, we can always watch the others doing their thing, listening to their conversations, but our main focus is on the controllable characters. They have many thoughts and wishes and it's not always easy to manage…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's been months since i played it and i still think about this game at least once a week.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →And even more great games from 2024: - Closer the Distance - Lil' Guardsman - BlazBlue: Entropy Effect - Farewell North - Crypt Custodian - Hidden in my Paradise - Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island 2024 was genuinely a really good year for games !!
neutral · AI labelView post →damn guys this game hits hard emotionally right from the first secons. if you re the type to feel everythig way too deeply, maybe think twice before playing
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Every so often I'll find a narrative game that really draws me in, and recently it's been Closer the Distance. It's a beautiful game about loss, grief, community and how to keep moving forward when everything's falling apart. It's told in a really unique way with an incredibly moving soundtrack
positive · AI labelView post →I hold a generally favourable opinion of Closer the Distance, as the game succeeds in presenting a genuine, heartfelt story that masterfully depicts the impact of profound loss and the burden of grief upon a small, tight-knit community. The heartache inflicted upon me throughout this adventure is enough to warrant a positive review in itself. The game, however, is weighed down by its very foundation - presenting you with the micromanagement nightmare of experiencing the narrative through the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Closer The Distance is such an interesting narrative game because all of the most powerful moments completely sneak up on you. I can't get Angie's mom crying on her bed out of my head. Many such moments like this.
positive · AI labelView post →Tiny reminder that Closer the Distance is UP FOR A GAME AWARD AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH-- ehem. And also you can vote for it here: www.thegameawards.com/nominees/gam... Thank you!! ❤️
neutral · AI labelView post →Closer the Distance is a masterpiece HIGHLY deserving of this honor ♥️ Go wishlist it, go play it, go vote it for the Games for Impact category at The Game Awards, go NOW 🔥🔥🔥
positive · AI labelView post →It's like juggling sim's needs after someone in the household dies but they don't speak in Simlish
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game since it is right up my alley in terms of theme and genre. Unfortunately, the performance issues in the later part of the game and the shallow plot made it very difficult to sustain interest. It's very disappointing, because the portrayal of grief in this game is one of the best I have ever seen. Honest, sustained, uncompromising, and the relationship between the sisters felt very real to me. I have been in that situation so games that portray so well will…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The challenge is to choose 20 games that greatly influenced you. One game per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, no particular order. #GameChallenge #Games #GameDev #PromoSky Day 7: Closer the Distance
neutral · AI labelView post →Overwhelming, messy, chaotic, confusing, with not much time to process anything. Although everything slowly comes together near the end, it doesn't mean everyone is where you want them to be. Guess that's how life works. Wasn't that surprised when I found out it got nominated for Game For Impact.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an interesting game to recommend for me, especially because the fans of the emotional games like these (such as myself) seek these out on our own and it's very hard to convince other's that aren't already established fans. But Closer the Distance is a very successful and even faithful meld of The Sims and Life is Strange. The crux of the game is grieving, and the sombre tone will remain the same throughout the entire game. There isn't a way to make everyone truly happy, but it's a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →That's an absolute must play for everyone who loves relatable, touching and life-like stories. The game kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole time and the finale is just SOMETHING. The gameplay, the script, the characters, the voiceover, the music - everything aligns into such a warm experience. I got really invested and I cared about the outcome for each character (especially Galya & Leigh!!!). One of the most memorable experiences of 2024 so far! Looking forward for more games…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is very rough. The life sim mechanics clash with the story. The story isn't well written - aside from Zek's side story. It ends poorly. The voice acting is bad, graphics are ugly despite the dev attempts to hide behind a unique art style. The writing is so bad. Most characters say or do very weird things that just breaks immersion. The camera and UI are poor too: the camera often clipping or hiding behind walls and the UI being large and obtrusive on the screen.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wasn't sure at first but the more I play it the more I'm enjoying it. It's fundamentally a story, kind of like a TV show... but you know what everyone's thinking and feeling, and you get to control some of them. The connections between your characters are meaningful and you feel good for completing people's wishes. It's magical, and at the moment there really is only one game like this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are many things I really love about this game. Above all, the powerful, emotional and slow paced narrative about life after two deaths in a small village community. The wonderful soundtrack accompanies this narrative in a very emotional way. The game captures the feelings and thoughts of the villagers, their dealing with anger and grief, very well and in a very honest way. It also shows that even in times of grief, life goes on, with all its often small and mundane activities. The game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 488: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆ (6/10) Man. Isn't it embarrassing when you're so hyped for a game that doesn't deliver? Yeah. I hate to give Closer the Distance a negative review, especially because I enjoyed the Orwell series. While the writing remains razor sharp and emotional, the mechanics of the game sharply contrast with the mellow, gentle story. It's as if the devs tried to smush two games together—and ultimately fail. Pros: ✅ Beautiful…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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