Closer The Distance, A Tale Of Overcoming Grief

This deeply moving game is sure to make you shed a tear or two

Love, Loss, And Acceptance

Help A Grieving Community Heal

Closer the Distance, a moving slice-of-life simulator, transports you into the sleepy town of Yesterby, whose peace is immediately shattered following a fatal car accident of one of their most beloved members. You will play as Angela, the victim of said accident, in her ghostly form as she watches over her loved ones pick up the pieces of their life again after her passing. Using her newfound ethereal abilities, you will control her as she uses it to read the thoughts of the townspeople, influence their choices, and along the way, help them to move on from the tragedy.

Influence their choices, repair strained relationships, and weave the future of Yesterby thread by thread with the help of your younger sister, Conny, the only one among the residents who can actually hear Angela. Work with Conny in a Sims-like gameplay to bring everyone back together in this immersive tale where a small community learns how to deal with their grief, and having closure. Choices will matter, further affecting the outcome of the story down the line. The possibilities of the town’s future are out there—will you see them all?

Make Choices And Influence Their Lives

With a rather unique take on a life simulator-narrative game, interested players may be curious as to what exactly this kind of gameplay entails. Through Angela’s otherworldly powers (lore-wise), players will take control of Yesterby’s residents, each with their own needs, desires, wishes, and routines. Their needs are akin to The Sims’ needs bar, but instead of the typical simulation game essentials for every single resident, these characters’ needs vary from person to person aside from the necessary Sleep and Hunger bars. For example, as shown in the gameplay snippet video above, introverted Conny’s needs are Routine, Solitude, and Harmony, while the town doctor Galya focuses on Diligence, Health, Loyalty, and Resilience.

Using your power of influence and your choices, you will shape their day to day activities and watch their relationships change…for the better or for the worse, that’s your call.

Thought-Provoking Narratives

Osmotic Studios, the Germany-based development studio behind Closer the Distance, is no stranger to plot-driven titles that get your brain thinking in more ways than one. They are also the masterminds behind the award-winning surveillance simulator series Orwell, the first title of the series being released in 2016.

As a studio, it was founded by Melanie Taylor, Daniel Marx, and Michael Kluge in 2014 after the trio graduated from HAW Hamburg (Hamburg University of Applied Sciences). They pride themselves in their focus in story-centric video games “with socially relevant and meaningful topics at their hearts,” and until now are “always striving to test out new ways to convey a convincing narrative.”

Slice-of-life drama and life-sim Closer the Distance will be their third title under their belt, and surely carries on their goal of delivering fascinating story-based games.

Building The Town And The World Of Yesterby

In a recent video on Skybound Games’ channel, Osmotic Studios CEO Daniel Marx and Producer Annika Curts talked about what went into making the rich world of Closer the Distance, and the intricacies of the characters themselves.

Marx shared that the original idea came from certain questions, such as “What would it be like to help people after your own death? How would you try and change things?” Those very questions formed the basic setup of the game. Especially in the setting of a small village where everyone knows each other, hence the death of a character would be even more impactful. Marx and Curts also highlighted the wonderful blend of a heavy narrative with the mechanics and gameplay of classic life simulation games, with Curts coining it as a “slice of life simulation.”

Meet The Residents

In line with promoting the game more and presenting what Closer the Distance will have in store during release, Osmotic Studios (through the publisher’s channel) have also released a preview series ahead of release that introduces the beloved characters of Closer the Distance, the very same ones you are set to influence and save with your ghostly powers. As the game is supposedly fully voiced, talented voice actors who have appeared in other larger franchises are now lending their voices to further give life into this heartfelt and emotional story-driven game.

Firstly, we meet Conny, Angela’s younger sister who dearly loved her departed sibling. As an introvert and with an unconventional worldview, she finds it difficult to build relationships with the other residents. But this time, she’ll have to step up and bridge the gap between the dead and the living as she is the only one who can hear Angela and help her out with her plans. Will she be able to bring everyone back together again?

The next part of the series features Zek, Angela’s boyfriend, who desperately wants to leave the small town and find a future elsewhere. With his mother’s death, a fractured relationship with his father, and now losing his loved one to an accident, he doesn’t feel as if there’s anything left for him in Yesterby. However, his father remains obligated to the town, feeling that his job is to “maintain Yesterby” in the best way that he can. Will this father and son duo be able to settle their differences?

Then, Yesterby’s one and only doctor and Angela’s godmother, Galya, debuts in her own YouTube short. This busy lady is pulled into all directions and rushed off her feet as she attempts to give ample time and attention to her partner Leigh, doctor duties to keep the people of Yesterby healthy and well, her own commitment to a healthy lifestyle, and her best friend who had just lost her beloved daughter, Pia. Will she be able to be there for everyone without giving up on herself?

And finally, as of writing, the last resident who makes an appearance in the series is River, Angela’s best friend. Her best friend’s untimely death stings extra hard for River, who is the manager of the controversial boat lodge project that is set to come to the sleepy town, a project that Angela strongly opposed which may have caused some misunderstandings between them. She believes that she was doing all she can for a more prosperous future for Yesterby…but was that really the case?

As the release date rolls ever so nearer, there are still some residents that haven’t been given a spotlight just yet, such as Angela and Conny’s parents, Galya’s partner and her son, and so much more. Perhaps they will star in their own shorts very, very soon.

An Emotional Tale

Story-centric games may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who are fans of other narrative-driven titles such as Life is Strange might just find this right up their alley. Both games tackle similar central themes and are presented in a very relatable way that speaks to whoever is playing. Coming from a studio that created a hit game like Orwell, it is no doubt that Closer the Distance will surely be just as loved as its predecessor.

“I hope that players feel like they’ve felt at home in this little village,” Marx commented in their behind-the-scenes. Curts added that “I hope that the one thing that players take away from Closer the Distance is that the game has made them realize the diverse range of emotions that come with grief,” wishing that the players would be able to grasp the true meaning of the game, about love, loss, acceptance, and getting back up on your feet after a tragic event. “If we could evoke that feeling that you’ve been a part of that, and that these characters were actually like real persons and felt alive…then I’d be super happy.”

Closer the Distance is slated for a release coming real soon on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on August 2, 2024! However, a demo is available to try out on their Steam page should you be interested to try it out ahead of time.