Sorry We’re Closed is an interesting game, to say the very least.
Developed by a team of two at A la Mode Games, the game is structured as a survival horror – but at its core, it is a game about love, anxiety, memories, and dread. You play as a down-on-her-luck store clerk, Michelle – as she fights fate and demons (literal and otherwise) to stave off her death due to a curse placed on her by an archdemon.
The survival-horror gameplay is a mix of third person-fixed camera used for exploration and switching to the first person camera in combat. While jarring, it is a central mechanic of the gameplay loop as the risk-reward mechanism of snapping into “Third Eye” vision/aura – wherein you can stun the enemies for a second and aim for their “hearts” or weakpoints. This done entirely in first person whilst the rest of the time you are in third person. To put distance between you and the on-rushing enemies you need to switch back to the third person, as you are completely stationary in the first person.
On paper, it’s a clever idea but I felt the execution felt half-baked and jarring. Basic enemies take 2 to 3 shots to go and there will be multiple enemies on screen at times. Switching back and forth and aiming feels overwhelming and caused multiple deaths for me during my playthrough. I guess you can put it down to a “skill issue” but I firmly believe the later “dungeons” are incredibly hard to deal with for anybody – with the number of enemies at any given time and weapon limitations. Ammo is very scarce as are Water Bottles- the game’s version of health potions. This is not an easy game in any measure and is a nightmare on a controller – at least for me. KBM is the best way to go.
You use Michelle’s third eye for exploration too – as the vision shows her different things in the human world while exploring the demon world. This allows unique interactions for puzzles or new paths. Some enemies only move when you are in third-eye mode, ala the Weeping Angels from Dr. Who. The devs did some interesting things with this mode. It reminded me a lot of Bloober Team’s The Medium. The idea that the fact that Michelle is caught between two worlds is translated into a gameplay mechanic, complete with a satisfying snap – is fun and in line with the meta-commentary the game pushes. The mechanic is something Silent Hill 3 played around with (albeit with technical limitations) but not with this flair. (And in real-time to boot.)
The game has three weapons – all upgradable. A pistol, a shotgun, and an axe. They are well-designed with cool sound effects – the pistol specifically makes a cool growl when reloaded. Very Devil May Cry. Upgrading is done via turning in Artifacts that you collect throughout the games for currency and using that cash for upgrades.
Where the game excels is in the atmosphere – it is sufficiently oppressive and creepy but where it differs from other games in this ilk is in the color palette. Its a mix between the 90’s survival horror drab and dark palette contrasted against this neon hot pink coat that Michelle wears and her bright blue hair. The game reminds me of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (the anime) or Atlus’ Catherine or Kaizen’s Paradise Killer. While the inspirations are clear Sorry We’re Closed has its own style. And it doubles down on this in it’s character design and their portraits. Almost every character is a splash of color – yellow for Darrel, Red for Robyn, Blue for Violet – standing out against the dark, moody and bloody backdrop of this weird London borough.
I am not going to discuss much of the story because of spoilers but it is an exploration of guilt, regret, toxic relationships and most importantly love (and the horrible things we do in the name of love) – backed up by snappy dialogue and some endearing characters. More than the plot I enjoyed the characters. There’s Darrel who is trying to mend his relationship with his fiancé. Marty is a demonologist running a pop-culture shop who teaches a course in Demonology 101. Robyn is trying to free their beloved from a job they have been doing for entirely too long. Benedict is a spreadsheet-crunching angel stuck at his post. Michelle herself is pining for an ex who left her for a role on a popular soap opera called Dying Petals. The character stories and interactions are top-notch.
Besides my gripes with the camera issues – the constant swapping between third and first person, I did have a great time with the game. I faced numerous crashes on my Steam Deck and needed to reinstall a couple of times before I switched to my PC (due to how bad I felt on the analogue sticks) but the framerate never dipped below 60FPS at any point on either platform – no matter how hectic it got.
It’s a stylish game packed with original ideas – fun exploration puzzles, multiple branching narratives, great characters (looking at Benedict), thought-provoking commentary on modern relationships, and a nice combat system (if a little jarring). If you are a fan of the original Resident Evil or any 90s survival horror game, this game should be on your to-play list or at the very least, on your wish list.
Developer: A la Mode Games
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Publisher: Akupara Games
Release Date: October 14th, 2024 (PC)
This review is based on a copy of the game provided by the publisher. The PC version of Sorry We’re Closed was played for this review.
Thank you for reading our review of Sorry We’re Closed.
For more interesting articles about indie games, be sure to check out the links below.
- Into Indie Games Homepage
- Selfloss Review
- Conscript leans into old-school horror gaming to explore the harrowing nature of WWI
- Prim Walkthrough – Prim’s Bedroom, Thanatos’ Study
- Best Indie Adventure Games of 2024
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Gym.
My dog.
Sneakers.
Manga.
In that order.
