Sorry We’re Closed Review (PS5) – You Give Love A Bad Name

Sorry We’re Closed is the debut from the UK-based two-person team, à la mode games. It’s a nostalgic survival horror that I felt drawn to immediately by its neon-soaked aesthetics that contrast with the grimey setting of a London infested by angels and demons. Originally releasing on PC in November of last year, the game is now hitting consoles, which feels like the true home given its inspirations.

An easy comparison would be Silent Hill, with Sorry We’re Closed’s layering of an underworld and real world that you can switch between, thanks to protagonist Michelle’s newly given third eye. I also wasn’t expecting to get some ATLUS-style social story telling in between the intentionally rugged survival horror gameplay. With the game’s breadth of inspirations, it’s on a tightrope walk of being wholly unique or entirely derived.

However, it’s wholeheartedly the former, mainly due to its intoxicating narrative of love, desire and the dark way they can twist into obsession. If you’re open to a genre-mish-mash with a mature story that feels personal, then Sorry We’re Closed is for you.

Take Your Heart

You play as Michelle, as she goes about her day as a supermarket assistant longing for her ex-partner. The game opens to you closing up for the day and meeting a few of the recurring characters. You’ll get to know more about them during your playthrough, but I immediately got their personalities through their succinct and funny dialogue. Talks of people going missing, your friend believing in demons, and the postie getting a shiver every time he goes to the post box, it’s all supposedly kicking off around you.

You could argue that it just sounds like London, but it isn’t until Michelle encounters The Duchess that it all feels a bit too real. Left scarred and cursed by the harrowing demon The Duchess, you’re told to fall in love with them in three days or spend eternity tortured – first impressions are that they might be coming on a bit too strong. Which is some of the examination Sorry We’re Closed delves into when dealing with its characterisations.

Whilst extremely exaggerated to create a pulpy underworld, the core themes strike right at the heart of issues dealing with toxic relationships, power imbalances and self-worth. The game does an impressive job of making an impactful impression of the serious topics it presents, whilst simultaneously having this absurdist, otherworldly quirk that feels Lynchian.

The scar left on Michelle is her third eye, the gateway for players to switch between both her own world, and the underworld with the tap of a button (triangle). Once pressed, a circumference will surround her immediate area, highlighting the opposite world you occupy and opening up new opportunities to examine the environment or even talk to NPCs. It’s a neat way of shifting perspectives in an instant whilst filling out the world’s lore.

This Is Hell

The Third Eye doesn’t just bolster the story, however, as it also adds to the unique gameplay. Sorry We’re Closed plays with fixed camera angles as you trek through the dingiest parts of the underworld to overcome The Duchess. That said, during combat encounters where you face some truly lo-fi grotesque demons, the game switches to the first person perspective.

In first person you can only move the camera, not yourself. This made my actions feel even more deliberate when dealing with the demons. I could run and save myself the finite resources the levels provide, or I could face them head-on and not have to worry about encountering them as I traverse back and forth. Using the Third Eye in proximity of the demons will stun them, but it also means you can’t shoot any of their body except from their heart.

Some demons may take a few shots, with the heart moving every time and if you hit them all in quick succession, you’ll create a combo. This all bleeds into your ultimate ability, The Heartbreaker, which is used for the boss fights but can also one shot or even completely put down bigger enemies out in the levels. It’s all intentionally obtuse, which feels nostalgic to the survival horror that came before it in the PSX-era, but it could be the heartbreaker for those wanting a game with less resistance.

Burning Love

There are five levels with breathers in between them for you to further the character’s story, make choices for them and ultimately change the trajectory. As well as sell artifacts you find in the levels to upgrade your weapons, healing item (bo”les of wa”er) and your third eye’s stun time. These breaks in between levels did kill some of the pacing for me.

Whilst one of my favourite aspects of Sorry We’re Closed is the narrative, I didn’t have the necessary attention to go from a rip roaring boss fight to then exploring The Duchess’ hotel, and then my neighbourhood, to squeeze out every bit of narrative I could from the situation. This is where the reference to ATLUS I made earlier comes into play. There’s no social links as such, but you are regularly checking in on your friends and furthering their plot whilst you spiral in your own, and it helps that you’re exploring familiar spaces in a fixed camera angle framing to sell that feeling too.

Back to the levels themselves. This wouldn’t be a survival horror if there wasn’t any puzzles halting your progress, so of course there are some here. For the most part, these instances are a case of finding objects out of order as you explore the tight halls and claustrophobic rooms. These items usually lead to opening a door that was previously locked and never presents anything more complex. Later on your Third Eye comes into play as part of the puzzle solving, but it’s overall very basic, especially as you’re never balancing more than one puzzle at a time.

We’ll Tear Your Soul Apart

Whilst the puzzles don’t present much of a challenge, the combat I mentioned does, even on ‘Normal’ difficulty. The switching perspectives, triggering your third eye to stun and then taking aim is a hard combination of buttons to get used to. It’s fine when you’re up against one or two enemies, but there are instances where you’ll have squads roll up.

It’s easy to label it all as clunky but it really is a modern take on creating that difficult to learn, satisfying to master gameplay loop seen in more classic survival horrors. You can also take things up a notch or make it easier, and there are even accessibility options to assist further. There are some helpful tools like a stronger aim assist or an infinite healing item, both of which aren’t patronising uses of accessibility, as the combat pressures aren’t alleviated. To heal, you have to go to the pause menu and use the bottle of water, meaning you can set your own boundaries in terms of difficulty.

My only gripe with the accessibility features is that they could affect your star rating at the end of the level. Those who are completionists will want to beat levels at the opulent six-star rating, but to do that will require finding all collectibles, which also includes stomping on some critters on top of the artefacts, getting perfect combos, having a high aim percentage, but also not using healing items. I can’t speak for everyone, but it does feel slightly counterintuitive to those who may rely on the accessibility options, however, it doesn’t affect the story as far as I know, so it is a very slight nitpick.

No Bad Break-Ups

If you haven’t noticed by the screenshots in this review, Sorry We’re Closed is no slouch in the style department. Environments are brimming with detail, with almost palpable textures. The burnt red rust of the underworld is reminiscent of Silent Hill, whilst the UI and characters pop in contrast with their neon colours and stylish designs. These contrasts permeate throughout the game, and two worlds layered on top of each other – meaning you see both sides, was just so much fun to explore.

The weapons look like they’re straight out of Devil May Cry or Shadow of the Damned, the characters look like they’d fit right into a punk inspired Cool Boarders and the demons are uncanny and disgusting like a Cenobite. Sorry We’re Closed is effortlessly cool, which means all the more when its story is so substantive too. The soundtrack that fills the ambience in the levels are lo-fi bedroom beats, whilst the boss fight themes are straight up blood pumping hip hop tracks.

The game speaks to me aesthetically more than anything I’ve played. It’s like à la mode games took my venn diagram of overlapping interests and created a game around it. Sorry We’re Closed is objectively not perfect, the gameplay challenges don’t feel equal, the pacing is all over the place, but there is a sheer honesty on display that’s undeniable. Its prevalent themes, unmatched style and distinct world are what’s going to keep me as obsessed as The Duchess themself.

Sorry We’re Closed is out now for PlayStation 5 (review platform), Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PC via Steam.

Developers: à la mode games

Publisher: Akupara Games

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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