Skybound Games reveals new story-driven sim Closer the Distance

Closer the Distance, an upcoming slice of life sim game from developer Osmotic Studios and publisher Skybound Games, has just been announced with a new teaser trailer.

A release window has not been set, but today’s teaser reveals it is “coming soon”. It will be available on PC and consoles, though the full roster of supported platforms has not been confirmed either. You can wishlist the game on Steam today. Here’s the full teaser from the Skybound Games YouTube channel:

Closer the Distance doesn’t reveal any actual gameplay in today’s teaser, which is surprisingly brief for something that should be expected soon. However, it does set up the premise, art style, and tone that players will experience.

Given the trailer’s text, warm and soft visuals, and soothing music, it clearly aims to reinforce positive feelings. But it’s still going to be tough for the devs to carefully deal with complex themes like grief head on, instead of with any kind of genre filter. For example, jazzy puzzle game The Forest Quartet effectively handled grief with fantasy imagery and nuanced sensation.

However, Osmotic Studios is no stranger to successfully discussing sensitive issues. They developed and published Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You, and its sequel Orwell: Ignorance is Strength. These were both voyeuristic thrillers about the ethics of surveillance, and received a lot of praise.

While those are broader concepts, it’s nice to see them take a step inward, rather than doubling down on their adventurous side. It’ll be very fascinating to discover their approach to intimate stories. Alhough tragedy and relationships can be a tough sell for casual gamers, it will surely please the fanbase, and anyone interested in the genre.

You can read more about Closer the Distance, Osmotic Studios, and other upcoming sim games by checking out the rest of our news section.