Closure (2009)

 PC
User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 68 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 68
  3. Negative: 14 out of 68

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  1. JimCorbett
    Feb 18, 2013
    1
    Very overrated. Sure, the premise is cool in that parts of the level that aren't lit aren't "there" so to speak. But the gameplay is just so boring. There is no fresh feeling in the game and it just gets super stale after the introduction level. The music is also terribly bad and doesn't fit with this type of game at all. Glad I got this in the HIB and didn't actually pay much for it.
  2. Cracksmith
    Sep 12, 2012
    10
    This game is really fantastic. A fresh new take on puzzle platforming. Art style and music give a great atmosphere to this game as well. Really enjoyed playing it!
  3. Mykwon
    Dec 30, 2012
    10
    This game is an instant classic. A very smart concept leading to new ways of thinking while playing. A true hidden gem showing that simple games with simple graphics can still be great games if the approach is clever.
  4. Racater
    Jan 18, 2013
    4
    When I first discovered this game in a video, I found it amazing. The concept of playing with lights seemed awesome. I compared it to the awesome Braid. So I bought it. What a deception... Yes the game has a good lifetime. But I found it extremely boring. I had to force myself to finish the first chapter... I thinks of two major reasons for this : first the death is really penalizing. AsWhen I first discovered this game in a video, I found it amazing. The concept of playing with lights seemed awesome. I compared it to the awesome Braid. So I bought it. What a deception... Yes the game has a good lifetime. But I found it extremely boring. I had to force myself to finish the first chapter... I thinks of two major reasons for this : first the death is really penalizing. As we die, which is almost obligatory to discover the level, we have to redo exactly the same actions to get back to the state where we were. Secondary, I really dislike the ambiance. The music is sad and the lack of light makes the vision field really tiny. Furthermore, solving a level is long but not hard.
    To conclude, this game is based on a very good idea, but badly used. Closure is slow and repetitive.
    (excuse me for my bad spelling, I'm french)    … Expand
  5. zzZZZzzzzZZz
    Jan 27, 2013
    10
    Отличная игра. Крайне необычная концепция. Может быть (на мой вкус)Отличная игра. Крайне необычная концепция. Может быть (на мой вкус) немного затянута. Играть было странно и любопытно; такие ощущения ранее были только при игре в Braid. Спасибо создателям!… Expand
  6. nodaque
    Dec 19, 2012
    7
    The game art and music are beautiful and really set the mood for the game. The controls are responsive but not entirely intuitive. The puzzle mechanics are clever but they take time to understand. I think that is the main reason that this game has some negative reviews. If you don't understand the mechanics then you will die. Yes there is trial and error but there are no reload screens andThe game art and music are beautiful and really set the mood for the game. The controls are responsive but not entirely intuitive. The puzzle mechanics are clever but they take time to understand. I think that is the main reason that this game has some negative reviews. If you don't understand the mechanics then you will die. Yes there is trial and error but there are no reload screens and you can figure out how you died relatively quickly. The controls seem to be the only real issue for me where I have killed myself numerous times by pressing the wrong button.… Expand
  7. RainFall
    Sep 12, 2012
    3
    Rating of the 2012 release: Overrated, despite it underselling. This game is extremely gimmicky. It's main gimmick is darkness. You remove that, and it's your run of the mill uncreative puzzle platformer. The levels are easy, but not intuitive. They designed the game so you'll die 3-5 times per level on random, unexpected spots and called this good design. These guys seem really cool, butRating of the 2012 release: Overrated, despite it underselling. This game is extremely gimmicky. It's main gimmick is darkness. You remove that, and it's your run of the mill uncreative puzzle platformer. The levels are easy, but not intuitive. They designed the game so you'll die 3-5 times per level on random, unexpected spots and called this good design. These guys seem really cool, but there is a reason this game hasn't sold well. It's extremely niche to gamers who don't see through old tricks.

    Additionally, it doesn't even natively support controllers, at least not the standard wireless xbox 360 setup most of us use, even though it was originally made for the PS3.    … Expand
  8. rhomnousia
    Dec 24, 2012
    8
    A fairly mediocre game with pretty straightforward puzzles. Interesting concept which could have been explored much further, but with everyone flooding the indie market it's to be expected when the goal is to strike the gold that Braid has in the puzzle genre.

    The art and music was definitely done by someone who knew what they were doing, but they probably should have fallen in love    A fairly mediocre game with pretty straightforward puzzles. Interesting concept which could have been explored much further, but with everyone flooding the indie market it's to be expected when the goal is to strike the gold that Braid has in the puzzle genre.

    The art and music was definitely done by someone who knew what they were doing, but they probably should have fallen in love with video games before attempting at the cash grab. It still gets an 8 from me due to the fact that while it still feels uninspired, it's better than most of the AAA titles i've purchased this year.

    It loses 2 points because I'm forcing myself to finish the game. When that happens, that means something wasn't quite right with the fun factor. Negativity aside, it's worth to me is roughly 2.5USD, and I've gotten about 3 hours of somewhere in the middle enjoyment out of it thus far. Maybe another 2 if I decide to finish it.

    Lastly, I use a PS3 controller for games that feel right for controllers. Using DS3, I haven't had any issues with controller compatibility, nor do the controls feel weird. The jumping in the game feels a little clunky, as does the animation. I'd still give it a go if it's on sale somewhere, or in a bundle.    … Expand
  9. ePxOscuraNiebla
    Dec 20, 2012
    0
    This game is EPIC!.... EPIC FAIL! don't even try it... sucks as hell!
    on the first door of the first level, guess what will you get?
    A FREAKING FALLING INCESSANTLY!
    this is the impression i got, played less than 10 minute, and it's freaking broken... BAM! there's nothing you can do... if i can give a MINUS score, i would give it a -100
  10. TitaniumDragon
    Dec 3, 2014
    5
    Closure is a minimalistic puzzle/platformer game centered around the use of light to illuminate the level; any part of the level which is not illuminated does not exist.

    Story There is no story. Gameplay The gameplay is very simple and yet has pretty good variety in terms of puzzles nonetheless. You can pick things up, drop them, push crates and barrels around, and adjust the    Closure is a minimalistic puzzle/platformer game centered around the use of light to illuminate the level; any part of the level which is not illuminated does not exist.

    Story

    There is no story.

    Gameplay

    The gameplay is very simple and yet has pretty good variety in terms of puzzles nonetheless. You can pick things up, drop them, push crates and barrels around, and adjust the angle of lights you can touch. These are all the mechanics in the game, and yet they’re used in a pretty reasonable variety of ways. The game starts off very simple, but soon starts throwing some reasonably clever puzzles at the player.
    The central mechanic of the game is light – light illuminates the level. Any portion of the level which is not illuminated does not exist, meaning that you can fall through it – potentially to your death, if you fall off the bottom of the screen. In addition to constantly-illuminated places (which are usually small patches here and there in a level), there are adjustable lights which throw light onto various parts of the levels; mirrors which can reflect light and behave similarly to the adjustable lights, save that they must be illuminated by some external light source; and small light globes which the player can carry around, pick up, and drop. There are crates and barrels, some of which have light orbs stuck inside them, and fixtures where you can place a light orb which causes something to happen – usually, either additional orbs appear in other fixtures, or the fixture moves around on a fixed track, allowing the player to navigate through the level on a moving platform of light.
    All of these things combine to create a pretty solid variety of puzzles, with a few other mechanics thrown in for good measure. There is a fixed gun which can shoot out light orbs (destroying them) or targets (which open up doors). There are barrels and crates which can be pushed onto buttons to open doors. And there is water, which can be swum around in, but which light orbs, when not held in your hands, float instead of sink. There are keys in a few levels which unlock the final door – often a bit challenging because you can only carry one thing at a time, and you often need to carry around a light orb to navigate the levels well – and other doors which are opened by either casting light on certain parts of the level or putting light orbs in all the fixtures around the door.
    Almost all of the stages are pretty short, with only the final states in the game requiring more than a few minutes to complete – and even there, most of the time spent completing them is figuring out what you’re doing, not actually doing it.
    On the whole, the game’s central mechanic is quite clever and creates a solid variety of puzzles, and in the end of the game, ten remix type levels test your ability to use all of the other things you’ve learned in concert.
    There are also 30 moths distributed throughout the game which serve as collectables; these glowing moths are sometimes hidden very cleverly, but also sometimes feel as though they’re hidden “cheaply”, such as off the side of a stage where there is only one spot you can walk off the side of the screen and actually have the screen scroll.
    If the game has any weakness in its physics, it is in the crates and barrels. The barrels mostly behave predictably, but the crates, being squares, frequently will fall at an angle, which can send them tumbling out of the light and off into the darkness, causing you to fail the stage sometimes through no real fault of your own. Sometimes this felt extremely inconsistent, which was frustrating when the goal was to do the same thing over and over again every time I restarted the level. This is particularly frustrating in the final level, where you must solve four puzzles to defeat the level, and two of them involve crates, either of which can go plunging off into the darkness with little warning. Given that this is by far the longest stage in the game, it is rather annoying.
    Overall, the game’s gameplay is decent enough, but the game never feels like it ever goes above and beyond – it knows what it is, and it does what it wants to do, but it never makes me feel like it is anything more than a simple puzzle platformer.

    Graphics

    The graphics are simple but visually appealing, and look fine in high resolution.

    Final Summary

    All in all, there’s nothing really wrong with Closure, but there’s nothing overwhelmingly right about it either. The game is simple, it works well enough, the puzzles are reasonably creative and make use of the game’s mechanics in interesting ways, and the graphics are reasonably appealing to the eye. All that being said, the game never really impresses the player or goes above and beyond; it is what it is, and what it is competent, but not great or spectacular. It is merely a decent game with interesting ideas. At about six hours to complete 100%, it is not an unreasonably long game and does not wear out its welcome.    … Expand
  11. Flash_Over
    Jan 21, 2013
    5
    Flash_Over
    5
    I had mixed feelings about this game. I bought this game hoping for a LIMBO experiences (LIMBO was amazing). Because of the dark/emo black and white appearance. I also loved the mechanic of using light to stay alive and to manipulate the environment. It was really fun to play for a few hours, but after that... i got sick and tired of having to do all the tasks over and over    Flash_Over
    5
    I had mixed feelings about this game. I bought this game hoping for a LIMBO experiences (LIMBO was amazing). Because of the dark/emo black and white appearance. I also loved the mechanic of using light to stay alive and to manipulate the environment. It was really fun to play for a few hours, but after that... i got sick and tired of having to do all the tasks over and over and over again, as dying or restarting every level is required (Unless you are super lucky) to beat the level and/or figure out what you must accomplish to get to the door. Needless to say after those few hours I quit... I intend to eventually beat the game... but as for the past few months... I haven't had the desire.    … Expand
  12. Som1Lse
    Jan 16, 2013
    10
    The game revolves around a simple concept, if you can't see it, then it doesn't exist, which works fantastically as a main game mechanic. The introduction to the game is very well made, and quickly introduces you to how the game feel and functions.

    Even though the graphics are black and white, they are completely different from Limbos, as is the rest of the game, and the atmosphere    The game revolves around a simple concept, if you can't see it, then it doesn't exist, which works fantastically as a main game mechanic. The introduction to the game is very well made, and quickly introduces you to how the game feel and functions.

    Even though the graphics are black and white, they are completely different from Limbos, as is the rest of the game, and the atmosphere feels fantastic throughout the entire game.

    The puzzles never get really frustrating before the end, and up to that point I had great fun with pretty much all of them, which easily makes the game worth it's price tag. Even at the end the frustrating puzzles still feel fantastic once you've solved them.

    While the game has it bugs here and there the developers are very helpful and supportive, and unless your graphics card is completely unable to handle the game, then they seem to be able to fix all the issues I've seen so far.    … Expand
  13. Blaine
    Nov 18, 2013
    8
    Incredibly original concept and a good longevity given the nicely balanced difficulty of the levels. The black and white visuals are well designed even though get a bit boring getting closer to the end. A couple of levels seem empty or I should say incomplete, however this doesn't invalidate the overall quality. The puzzles are always spot-on although I have the impressions I solved a fewIncredibly original concept and a good longevity given the nicely balanced difficulty of the levels. The black and white visuals are well designed even though get a bit boring getting closer to the end. A couple of levels seem empty or I should say incomplete, however this doesn't invalidate the overall quality. The puzzles are always spot-on although I have the impressions I solved a few of them exploiting glitches rather then the way I was intended by the creators, As a puzzle-game lover I highly recommend this title, one of the best in its genre this year, no doubts about it.… Expand
  14. michal100
    Dec 21, 2012
    6
    Really original concept, nice black and white art style and good music. IMHO 9.99 is a little too much for game like this, but I got it in a bundle for a few dollars, together with other games, and I am happy with it.
  15. whatthefunk
    Mar 1, 2014
    8
    I liked the concept of the game and the simple black and white art. Some of the puzzles are extremely difficult. It got a little boring and repetitive toward the end though.
  16. Lucathegreat
    Feb 12, 2014
    9
    A game with some very interesting and original mechanics. Nice graphics and music, it's about 9-10 hours long for 80+ levels, but is never too frustrating or repetitive, I really enjoyed it.

Awards & Rankings

54
#54 Best PC Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Gamer.no
    Apr 18, 2013
    60
    The unique gameplay where unlit platforms disappear makes this game original and entertaining for a while. Closure serves good logic based puzzles, but can become somewhat repetitive after a short while.
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  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    83
    We are called upon to realize that all dark places of each level represent the void. In conjunction with the detailed animation and the ominous music themes that perfectly embellish the three different areas of the game, the player is swiftly captivated by a moody, mystifying narrative that runs through the puzzle-backbone of Closure. [December 2012]
  3. Games.cz
    Oct 2, 2012
    80
    If you want to play a truly dark logic 2D platformer - Closure is the one. The game offers fun and satisfying experience worth to try. Even though it doesn't offer the newest technology treatment, frankly, it doesn't matter while playing.
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