As per tradition, the Epic Games Store is offering more free games on this fine Thursday. The two chosen for this week are not for the kiddies, however. Close to the Sun, a narrative puzzle game released last year, is the first on offer. The second is Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments, an older game, but it checks out. Epic has also revealed the next wave of free games.
In Close to the Sun, you play as Rose as she’s thrown into an enigma of the fall of a Utopian, scientific society. The game attempts to run parallel with BioShock‘s narrative, greeting you with bodies, hidden terrors, and mysteries to solve — just no splicers to shoot. Granted, it didn’t quite reach the levels of Ken Levine’s famous shooter. Our own Jason Rodriguez reviewed the game late last year.
“Close to the Sun almost had a glimpse of the heavens. It could’ve been a worthy inclusion to the pantheon of modern horror games,” Jason wrote. “Unfortunately, its bland story and character design, as well as the lack of challenge or ‘scream in terror’ moments, make for a rather uninspired and fruitless journey.”
Mystery might be the theme of the two free games. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments surely has that in spades, as well as plenty of that classic British snark. And possibly some tea is involved. And maybe cocaine. Well, it probably doesn’t dwell too much on Holmes’ secret drug addiction, but it does offer plenty of crimes to solve as the famous detective. Also, despite its age as a 2014 game, it’s still quite pretty.
Now it’s time to blow stuff up, just ’cause
The Epic Games Store also revealed its next two free games. First is Just Cause 4, the latest in the many misadventures of Rico “blow shit up” Rodriguez. If you ever wanted to tether a cow covered in plastique to a plane and just “see how it goes,” Just Cause 4 may be your racket. Of course, not everyone is down with explosions and whatnot. If that’s the case, the second game, Wheels of Aurelia, is the stark opposite. The game takes you on a road trip through 1970s Italy, learning the history of both the country and the protagonist.
You can get the two free games by heading over to the Epic Games Store.
