Sorry We’re Closed review

Sorry We’re Closed deals in demons and curses. You play as Michelle, a woman who only has few days left until a mysterious entity known as The Duchess claims her for her own. While it does dabble within the horror genre, there are shades of Persona that somehow puts you at ease. It’s neon and macabre, inventing its own brand of terror while paying homage to classic survival horror games like Silent Hill. It may not be everyone’s type of game, but it can’t be denied the developer has tried to push the boundaries of this older style of gameplay.

The fixed camera that elicits nostalgia never hinders your time with Sorry We’re Closed. There have been times when this approach fails to work, but moving between them is done in such a way that reminds you exactly why it was always so nerve-inducing back when playing old-school horrors on the original PlayStation. While visuals aren’t supposed to be as crisp and detailed as many current titles, the blend of vibrancy and gore works well, and the stylish nature of cutscenes and exploring an alternate London is always a pleasure to see unfold. While I liked seeing the world around me, it sometimes got frustrating going from one place to the next without clear instructions. Ideas weren’t always clear so I didn’t always know where I had to go to next.

Those familiar elements of survival horror are all present. Managing your items and storage rarely gets frustrating, but you still have to think about what to pick up and when. You can run and turn 180 degrees, with everything feeling like it once did, but there are two main mechanics that give it a breath of fresh air compared to the classics. One of these is called the Third Eye, a way to link reality and the demonic world by seeing a short area from the other realm, helping to solve puzzles, materialise certain characters, and find other ways through certain areas.

While using Third Eye, it will also help with destroying different enemies. If a creature walks within the area, you’ll see a heart appear in their body. Smaller targets only have one heart, and once you shoot it they’ll die. The bigger they get however, the more hearts they have. Hitting them successfully in a combo won’t only wipe them out, but it will fill a special gauge that allows you to use a weapon to kill most monsters with one shot. Some of the bosses utilise this mechanic to destroy them, and if you remain calm it will be easier to kill them.

The thing is, if you miss one of the hearts in the combo chain, the gauge won’t fill up as quickly, and the enemy will likely attack you before you’ve finished the chain. Sorry We’re Closed adds an exciting approach to the combat in ways that aren’t typical of the genre, especially as when you aim, the camera switches to a first-person viewpoint. This increases the tension as you can’t move when switching to the view, meaning you have to choose between remaining focused and taking the shot, or cutting your losses and running away.

I adore the aesthetic of Sorry We’re Closed. While horrors are often dark and grimy, this goes for a much more vibrant approach. There’s so much colour in most areas, but there’s also times when it does remind you of the dingy environments found in Resident Evil. What makes it feel less like a horror at times is the subtle humour and well-written characters who are easy to like but also easy to feel uncomfortable talking to. You’re never sure who to trust, whether they’re an angel or a demon.

Sorry We’re Closed is a campy horror that makes you feel uncomfortable in a similar way to how David Lynch would in Twin Peaks. It isn’t an outright horror, but it’s creepy and unpredictable. The retro style has been updated with some great ideas, and I enjoyed the way the Third Eye can be used in different ways. While getting around can become a bit frustrating and sometimes it isn’t clear what you should be doing, I loved the characters and the story, and being able to upgrade items by finding artefacts and selling them for currency to do so. It wasn’t what I expected, but I’m glad I was able to play it.