Sorry We’re Closed by à la mode games
Sorry We’re Closed takes place in a world akin to ours – except some humans are demons or angels in disguise.
They exist alongside each other, but demons and angels don’t typically spend much time together…and for good reason: if they fall in love, they can be forever changed into humans, making their infinite lives finite.

To complicate matters, an archdemon known as The Duchess is looking for love in questionable way: trying to convince humans to fall in love by practically stalking them. The Duchess is a compelling antagonist and makes the world and plot even more intriguing.
It’s an engaging narrative in a world filled to the brim with lore. It’s impressive how thorough the game is in this regard. It feels fully realized, well thought out, and – most importantly – compelling. I talked to every NPC I had the chance to just to learn more about the world and its inhabitants.
Love Is a Real Devil
Love is a core pillar of the game’s narrative. You can affect relationships between NPCs that you can affect along with advancing or hindering your relationship with The Duchess.
Love even plays a role in the backstory with certain bosses. Love is often the catalyst that drives them forward, or in some instances the reason they are afraid. This aspect sets Sorry We’re Closed apart from other games in the genre, and it explores the theme in fascinating ways.
Narrative-altering choices dictate how the story plays out as well as which ending you receive, and each option in these narrative forks is tempting. Sorry We’re Closed does a good job of adding ambiguity and making these choices difficult. It definitely begs to be played multiple times to see how each decision alters the story.
Sight and Survival
As a survival horror fan, many of the core mechanics feel familiar: managing healing items and ammo, deciding whether to run past enemies or kill them, and exploring unsettling and enemy-filled environments along the way.
What sets Sorry We’re Closed apart from its contemporaries is its third eye mechanic, which allows the protagonist to open up her third eye to reveal an alternate, true version of reality within a circle around her. Environments change, and the third eye allows you to see the true forms of some NPCs around you.

This mechanic is also core to combat. You can turn on your third eye and see an approaching enemy’s weak points, allowing you to deal out way more damage. Aiming at their weak points while they are close adds some extra challenge because you have to be fast enough to shoot all their weak points before they hit you.
It adds a nice amount of tension that compounds even more when facing multiple close enemies at once. I really like this mechanic; clearing out a crowded room, hitting every enemy’s weak points, and avoiding getting hit is always satisfying.
Clumsy Clubbing
This mechanic isn’t perfect. Using the melee weapon is unsatisfying because of a slight delay between hitting the button and actually hitting the enemy.
When playing with a controller, moving the reticle to hit weak points is difficult and imprecise, so in these instances, I’d switch to keyboard and mouse for better precision. This happened a couple of times, especially during certain boss fights.
In terms of difficulty, Sorry We’re Closed leans on the easier side. The game is very generous with ammo, for example. When I say this game is survival horror, don’t expect much tension in that regard, but that isn’t a problem, since it’s a more narrative-driven experience.
Heavenly Fun, Demonic Style
As far as pace and fun factor, Sorry We’re Closed is outstandingly crafted. Each area is unique and ties into the game’s narrative. Boss fights feel grandiose and cool, each with its own catchy hip-hop track.
There’s a well-balanced mix of combat and narrative, with chase sequences, environmental hazards, and light puzzle-solving sprinkled here and there. The game does a fantastic job of mixing up the gameplay in interesting ways to keep things feeling fresh. It’s a fun, varied ride from start to end.

Sorry We’re Closed also features one of the most striking visual styles I’ve seen in a while. Each NPC is unique and interesting; even their character portraits during dialog sequences pop.
They’re also modeled fantastically, each lovingly designed. Demons look fittingly horrifying and weird. I adore this game’s overall look, and it’s a core piece of what sets it apart.
The Verdict
Sorry We’re Closed is one of the best games I played all year. It’s a narrative-driven survival horror game that nails what it set out to do. It creates a thought-provoking, engaging narrative while also creating a fun survival horror experience.
This is a game that shouldn’t be missed, and as a big survival horror game fan, it’s now one of my favorites in the genre.
Sorry We’re Closed is available via Steam.
Check out the official trailer for Sorry We’re Closed below: