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Before Close

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Before Close introduces a night of quiet cleaning work that turns increasingly unsettling. You arrive as Jared, a janitor clocking in for the late shift at an unassuming laundromat. Your only company is Walt, a tired man who gives you one clear instruction: stay away from the back hallway. The game doesn’t rush you. Instead, it lets you settle into the monotony of the shift—until that routine begins to crack. You’re free to explore, but every choice you make shifts the atmosphere in subtle ways.

Ordinary Setting With Hidden Pressure

There is nothing overtly threatening at first. The lighting is dim, the washers whir softly, and Walt occasionally says a few words. But as you revisit the same areas, patterns begin to feel distorted. The hallway door never opens by itself, yet it starts to feel like it might. The longer you stay, the more uncertain you become about your role. Are you simply cleaning, or are you being watched? The experience leans heavily into suggestion rather than direct confrontation.

Choice Points That Define the Experience

Despite its simplicity, the game gives you moments that affect how the story unfolds:

  •         Whether you talk to Walt more than once
  •         How often you check the same spaces
  •         What you do when you’re near the hallway
  •         If you obey instructions or challenge them
  •         Whether you choose to end your shift early or stay

Each choice is subtle, but together they lead to different conclusions, both literal and emotional.

Building Dread From Familiar Elements

Before Close uses minimalism to unsettle. There are no monsters or sudden movements—just repetition, silence, and minor shifts in light or behavior. One light buzzes longer than before. A reflection looks slightly off. Walt’s responses become slower, like he’s distracted. These details don’t explain themselves. Instead, they build tension through what’s not said. The game trusts the player to feel discomfort in the ordinary, which is where it finds its strength.

A Short Game With Lasting Suspense

Once finished, Before Close doesn’t offer full closure. It gives just enough information to spark interpretation. Why was the hallway off-limits? Was Jared really alone? Was the job ever just about cleaning? The ambiguity leaves space for personal meaning. It’s a game about crossing boundaries—not just physical ones, but psychological. And once you’ve seen behind the hallway, you might find that the silence stays with you longer than expected.

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