Sorry We're Closed was provided by Akupara Games for review. Thank you!
This has been a crazy year for video games, with some of the best I have ever played being released alongside some of the weirdest and most intriguing titles I could think of. Sorry We're Closed is one of the weirdest titles I have played. Still, it is overflowing with charm, vibes, and unusual gameplay elements that kept me hooked across the engaging story that I wish lasted longer.
Sorry We're Closed is, at its core, a survival horror game that takes a lot of inspiration from PS1-esque horror games. You play as Michelle, a woman who is still not over her ex and wants to get back together with her. You are then confronted by The Duchess, a powerful demon who is obsessed with love and has their eyes set on you. Now cursed with a third eye, you will have to lift the curse with the help of your friends to save yourself and make sure you can love the one you want to.
The story of Sorry We're Closed is weird, but that's a big part of what makes it so appealing. It also helps that the writing is excellent, with interesting characters who each have their personalities and traits. It takes some turns I didn't expect throughout the game, keeping me hooked by its weirdness. It feels like it has a lot of quirkiness I have seen in games like Undertale, but it is a bit more mature with an emphasis on the concept of self-love.
It feels a lot like Silent Hill in some ways while also paving the way with its own oddly tantalizing style. I almost always engaged with the story and characters, wanting to see what happened next while getting to know each person. Everyone has their motives and wants, so hearing about them and finding out who's a demon or angel and what they are doing is a ton of fun.
In Sorry We're Closed, You take control of a character moving around levels with set camera angles that change as you run through the levels. This is wrapped in a gorgeous low-poly aesthetic that shines through the screen with its beautiful color palette. There are some puzzles to complete and enemies to kill, but how you complete these is unique and intriguing.
Instead of staying in these fixed camera angles throughout the game, you will fight enemies by switching to first-person with different guns or an axe. This allows you to aim more effectively and aim for the head to deal extra damage. You will also be able to see other angles of the map, which can reveal hidden enemies hiding on the ceiling that could drop on you and take out a chunk of your health.
This switching of camera angles from fixed positions to first-person was a bit jarring at first, and I had to get used to positioning myself so I was looking in the right direction when in first person, but once I got the hang of it, it became one of my favorite elements of the game. You can't move your character around when in first-person and only look around where you are standing, but again, getting used to it was quite easy, and I love this whole concept.
Outside of combat, you will be walking around the different environments to collect the items you will need to remove the curse that was put upon you, which includes killing big creatures to collect their eyes, breaking up couples, and helping out your friends. There are some puzzles littered about that you have to complete to progress, and you will have to figure out how you will do other tasks to progress forward, but I didn't find any of it too difficult or offputting.
Another interesting mechanic that can change how you interact with the world is your third eye. In the game, you can awaken your third eye, creating a space around you that shows the human or demon realm (depending on which one you are currently in). You can utilize this to get past obstacles in your way and complete some puzzles where you need to use machines in the human realm to affect the demon one.
You can also use the third eye to defeat enemies more efficiently and quickly. With the third eye activated, you can see the monsters' weak points, and by shooting them, you can quickly take them down. There are some limitations, as you can only shoot their weak points and only shoot them when they are in range, but it's a great way to dispatch them. It also helps charge your ultimate weapon quicker, eliminating enemies even quicker and is essential to take down gigantic bosses.
While the controls take a bit to get used to, the gameplay is fantastic overall. I love the camera angle shift when using weapons and the PS1-era gameplay mechanics that work so well with the more modern quality-of-life features. This is a fantastic game for survival horror fans, and it feels right at home with the classic Silent Hill and Resident Evil games that came before it.
Like the older PS1 games, Sorry We're Closed uses a lower poly count aesthetic. This means you can see the edges of the models clearly, making them look pointy and rough. While it doesn't hold a candle to the current generation visuals, it isn't trying to push the boundaries. Instead, it successfully creates a compelling case for why the older, choppier aesthetic is still so great. It radiates with color and charm and has the perfect level of detail to make everything out.
And it's wonderful to play on the Steam Deck.
Sorry We're Closed is near perfect on the Steam Deck, and there isn't much more to say! It runs at 90 FPS, has great controller support, and has a battery drain that sticks below the 9W mark most of the time. I have seen the first-person mode bring the battery drain closer to 10W now and then, but it doesn't always happen and will regularly stay below 9W. For a 3D game, even if it is low poly, it's still awesome to see just how well-optimized it is:
There are a couple of different settings you can change to make the game more accessible to play. You can change the Aim and Run mode, toggle control hints and auto equipping weapon, lock onto enemies, add a permanent water bottle so you can always heal, make your gun stick to weak points, turn off camera sway and typewriter effect, and change first-person POV.
You can also change the controls a bit, change the audio sliders, and modify the language to English, French, Spanish, or Japanese.
The game doesn't support 16:10 resolution, but it does have controller and cloud save support! There are no HDR settings.
Sorry We're Closed is a unique experience with a great story, wonderful writing, and engaging gameplay. It successfully invokes the games that inspired it while also carving its own path. The shifting from static camera angles to first person when aiming to attack and how the third eye works are both very enjoyable, while it was easy for me to get very invested in the story and its characters. The controls are a little bit hard to grasp at first, and it is a shorter game compared to others, but it's one worth playing through.
The game also runs almost flawlessly on the Steam Deck, hitting 90 FPS with a very low battery drain. It's a near perfect game to play on the go, and I highly recommend it.
Our review is based on the PC version of this game.
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Sorry We're Closed is a fantastic PS1-styled game that has an intriguing cast of characters, enjoyable gameplay mechanics, and great performance on the Steam Deck.
