Building comparison
head to head
Close to the SunvsFirewatch
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Close to the Sun
Optimization · Light / Casual
A guided horror story that tests patience and light puzzle-spotting, not skill.
Firewatch
Optimization · Light / Casual
A first-person mystery about a fire lookout in a Wyoming forest.
Close to the Sun leans Optimization (Light / Casual); Firewatch leans Optimization (Light / Casual).
Close to the SunFirewatch
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 1
Close to the Sun leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Close to the Sun
Walking with occasional scripted chases - minimal dexterity
Firewatch
Walking and radio dialogue only.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Close to the Sun
Scripted horror story, nothing adapts
Firewatch
No adaptive opposition.
Variance2 vs 1
Close to the Sun leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Close to the Sun
Scares are unknown first time, fixed forever after
Firewatch
Minor environmental discoveries.
Optimization3 vs 2
Close to the Sun leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Close to the Sun
Light environmental puzzles with single solutions
Firewatch
Few systems to optimize.
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.