Closer the Distance review: Good grief

Saying “The Sims for grief” is a cute little way to describe Closer the Distance from Osmotic, and it’s accurate on a surface level. You manage little people going about their little lives – but the problems they deal with are so much heavier than any failed exam or sad breakup in Maxis’ life sim. Osmotic uses a single tragedy in Closer the Distance as a lens to explore grief, but that’s just part of what gives it a strong identity. It’s as much about human nature, the complexity of relationships, and what to do when it feels like your life ends, but you still have to keep living it, as anything else. Despite a few structural quirks and a script of questionable quality, Osmotic handles all these issues and more with care and understanding. Closer the Distance starts with an unsettled family. Angie, the eldest daughter, is out late. Her mother is angry, her father tries to placate her, while her sister, Conny, is forgotten upstairs, and you get the impression this state of affairs is the family’s norm. The po