Player voice — measured shares of Steam thumbs, never a model
Story & writing89% positive · 110 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · Feb 2025 · 12 h played
Visuals & audio84% positive · 57 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · Dec 2025 · 9 h played
Gameplay & mechanics80% positive · 44 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · May 2025 · 11 h played
Controls & UI84% positive · 32 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · Jul 2025 · 7 h played
Multiplayer & community90% positive · 20 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · Mar 2026 · 8 h played
Content & longevity82% positive · 17 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · Feb 2025 · 12 h played
Difficulty & balance100% positive · 16 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · Mar 2026 · 26 h played
Performance & stability67% positive · 15 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · May 2025 · 11 h played
Price & value71% positive · 14 mentions
“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…”Recommended · Steam review · Dec 2025 · 19 h played
161 recent English reviews stored · topics keyword-matched · topics under 12 mentions stay hidden · methodology