Close

NPC Ambient Adventure AI Simulation
2016

A fox is exploring a vast forest with its inhabitants and places. You may become a part of his quest or experience the game on your own. Close is a poetic and atmospheric exploration of yourself and the other one, of being alone and being together.

Close puts players in control of a lone character wandering through a vast snowy landscape. Players can explore and interact with the world without gaining any insight into the game’s objectives or tasks.

The fox, an AI, explores the world independently. By interacting with characters and objects, the fox gains new insights into the world and develops new plans, abilities, and goals. The fox becomes the protagonist of the game, while players are challenged to question their own role, their relationship with the fox, and the game’s hidden systems.

Themes such as failed communication, loneliness, and care are non-verbally woven into the game system. The challenge of the game is an emotional confrontation. The atmosphere and immersive design are combined with an autonomous game system that can never fully reveal itself to players and constantly fluctuates between closeness and distance.

Close was developed in collaboration with software engineer Moritz Eberl.