Every aspect of Sorry We’re Closed ignites a passion within me, from its distinctive low-poly 3D visuals and its original soundtrack, to its laid-back yet epic narrative that stars heartbroken club kids and lustful demons. The game unfolds in a city filled with neon-lit nightmares, a place I would eagerly call home if given the chance.
Michelle, a directionless yet effortlessly cool twenty-something, is introduced to the spiritual realm by The Duchess, an archdemon adorned in thigh-high boots and exuding a threatening allure. Michelle is marked as The Duchess’ love interest and cursed with a potent Third Eye. The Duchess, driven by cruelty and a desperate yearning for love, and Michelle, still grappling with the aftermath of a breakup that shook her world three years ago, must navigate their complex emotions and the curse that binds them. Michelle has a limited timeframe to uncover the reason behind her selection and find a way to escape the curse with her life intact.
The characters in Sorry We’re Closed are portrayed as raw, humorous, and genuine, with relationships that are relatably complicated. The cast includes Oakley, the diner owner; Marty, the record shop manager; Clarissa, the dancer; Robyn, the local adventurer; Darrel, Oakley’s boyfriend and the resident troublemaker; and a diverse array of otherworldly beings. The characters feel so real that I believe I know some of them in my own life, and as for the rest, I wish I could meet them and help them pursue their eccentric fantasies. Every element of this game exudes style, from the blocky 3D avatars to the detailed, painterly icons that accompany their dialogue boxes. The city is inhabited by a diverse mix of genders and sexualities, creating an atmosphere that feels both perfectly natural and warmly welcoming, akin to a vivid fever dream of what could be if a more inclusive world were to become a reality.
Once again, it’s a world I would adore living in.
Michelle spends her time exploring the underworld, chasing the ghosts of The Duchess’ former victims — or rather, lovers — while gathering the strength to confront the archdemon head-on. Sorry We’re Closed features four distinct endings, and the decisions you make to help or hinder your friends will significantly influence the outcome. Many of the demons and angels in this world possess sadistic tendencies, and there are multiple scenes of bloody dismemberment and extreme body horror along Michelle’s journey. Choose your path forward wisely, as the consequences of your actions will be tangible.
The game alternates between a fixed-camera perspective for exploration scenes and a dual-stick, first-person view for combat. When using a DualSense controller, you enter first-person view by holding down LT, and then shoot or swing with RT, utilizing the right stick to aim. Michelle eventually wields three weapons: a wolf-faced axe, a pistol, and a shotgun. She also possesses a powerful Heartbreaker attack, which builds up as she deals damage and eventually allows her to unleash a devastating shot directly at an enemy’s heart. Collecting ammo and health is a constant task in Sorry We’re Closed, and the first-person view is useful for breaking and looting vases.
Transitioning between third and first person feels seamless, and the game does an excellent job of blending classic Resident Evil-style gameplay with modern sensibilities. When activated, Michelle’s Third Eye allows her to perceive and interact with an alternate reality, which appears in a circular pool around her. Demons caught in the Third Eye are briefly stunned, and their weak points become visible as stained-glass hearts. You can only shoot weak points when the Third Eye is engaged, but you can drop it at any time to attack without restrictions. The duration of the Third Eye stun can be extended by spending yowzas, the game’s currency, at the shop, which is run by a floating goat head. There are also basic upgrades available for ammo and health capacities, which Michelle carries in the form of water bottles.
I am captivated by the way Sorry We’re Closed plays with perspective. The game features standard top-down scenes, but also incorporates cinematic shots peeking through the gaps in a chandelier, wide angles showcasing the scale of certain environments, head-on running scenes, and instances of beautiful yet impossible physics, especially when The Duchess is involved. It’s clear that I have fallen in love with The Duchess, despite knowing they would destroy me — perhaps because of that very fact.
Sorry We’re Closed is a game that embodies the qualities of being campy, relatable, gruesome, and gorgeous. These same adjectives could be used to describe The Duchess as well.
With the game’s console launch, all versions are receiving updates that include rebalanced combat areas, improved controller sensitivity, aim assist options, new difficulties, a Time Attack mode, and New Game+. Sorry We’re Closed is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a premium physical edition for Switch and PS5 slated for release later this year, available to pre-order now. Sorry We’re Closed is the debut title from à la mode games, a two-person team based in Bournemouth, UK, and is published by Akupara Games.
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