One Avocadoan’s journey delving into the realm of survival horror.

After the bizarre disaster that was Deadly Premonition, I needed a palette cleanser. Something also kind of weird but actually, you know, not a glitchy mess. Luckily I had just the game on hand.

Released in 2024 by the two-person development team A la Mode Games, Sorry We’re Closed follows Michelle, a young woman stuck in a dead-end job and unable to get over the ex-girlfriend who broke up with her three years earlier. One night, Michelle wakes up to find that she has a visitor in her apartment – a powerful demon known as The Duchess. The Duchess claims that they were attracted to Michelle’s loneliness and that they will make Michelle love them whether she wants to or not. Before leaving, the Duchess curses Michelle, gifting her with a Third Eye that allows her to see the world of demons and angels. Unfortunately for her, it also draws the attention of a number of beings who would rather see her dead…

What stands out instantly about Sorry We’re Closed is its visual style. Almost every game I’ve played so far for this series has had a relatively muted color palette – sure there might be pops of color here and there, but for the most part they submerge themselves in the dull oranges and browns and grays of rust and decaying architecture. This is a tried and true method to create a creepy and dark atmosphere. Sorry We’re Closed takes a different track. While there certainly are some dark, rusty locations to explore, the game revels in color in a way I’ve seen few other pieces of horror media attempt. Just look at our main protagonist, Michelle, with her neon blue hair and bright pink jacket. The game’s embrace of color, especially for its characters, gives it one of the most unique visual styles I’ve yet encountered in this genre. It also blends quite well with the game’s low-poly PS1-style models, creating a look that feels both attractively retro and modern at the same time. This strong visual style seeps through to the character portraits that accompany the dialogue boxes as well, which have a cool painterly style that helps bring the characters to life.

On the topic of aesthetics, the game’s soundtrack also helps it to stand out in the survival horror space. While there are the expected creepy atmospheric tracks for the exploration parts of the game, some cutscenes and especially the boss fights often go in a different direction with genres like hip hop, rap, pop, and more (complete with lyrics connecting to the story or the game’s themes). This one in particular – which plays during every cutscene that takes place in a car – has been a staple of my playlists since before I even played the game:

Sorry We’re Closed does draw a lot of gameplay elements from old Resident Evil-style games – with fixed camera angles, (optional) tank controls, exploration, and ammo management being among them – but just like with its visuals and music the game introduces enough twists on the formula to feel like it’s own thing. And no addition feels more impactful in that regard than the Third Eye, which affects both exploration and combat. Activating the Third Eye creates a small bubble around Michelle that reveals how the area looks to demons and can also provide a glimpse into past events. The most obvious use of such an ability, outside of the cool visual effects, is in puzzle-solving. Some obstacles and doors can only be traversed, some machines can only be activated, and some documents can only be read with the Third Eye open, for example. The way the mechanic is incorporated starts relatively simple in the early part of the game, but becomes a lot more interesting and inventive as it progresses. 

The Third Eye also plays a key role in the game’s combat system. Enemies are normally bullet sponges, but when they are present within the Third Eye’s bubble their weak points are revealed. Further, if you activate the Third Eye while an enemy is already within range, they will become briefly stunned. The catch to all this? While the Third Eye is open, the only way to damage an enemy is to hit the weak point – missing the weak point, even if you still hit the enemy itself, will deal no damage at all. The weak point shifts to another spot each time it is hit as well, forcing the player to think fast to avoid a miss or getting struck by the enemy. It should be noted that running also immediately deactivates the Third Eye, complicating the player’s strategy. I’ve seen some complaints calling the combat system clunky, which I can understand, but I love the risk/reward factor the Third Eye provides (especially as you can’t walk while aiming). On the whole, I found the Third Eye to be a great mechanic that adds a lot to the game’s unique identity. 

When looking at Sorry We’re Closed’s wider gameplay loop, I once saw someone compare it to, interestingly enough, Deadly Premonition. Now, that person meant it as a negative; to them, Deadly Premonition wasn’t survival horror and therefore this game wasn’t either. While I disagree with that latter assertion, the general comparison to Deadly Premonition’s structure actually holds some water. In both games there is a central hub town or city where the player can interact with a colorful cast of characters, perform side quests, and see how things change over the course of the game in a bit of a life simulation kind of way. Missions take place in separate environments connected to the hub area and are primarily where the survival horror elements come into play. Saving occurs at telephones. And after the completion of each mission the protagonist goes to bed and recaps to themself where the story currently stands. 

Beyond those general similarities lie some significant differences, however. The hub and life simulation elements of Sorry We’re Closed are very much scaled down and streamlined compared to Deadly Premonition, taking place primarily on one city block with no in-game clock by which everything is scheduled. At the same time, the little side quests you complete and choices you make feel more impactful, as they actually seem to influence the direction of both the main story (including what ending you get) and the relationships of the other characters. The survival horror parts of Sorry We’re Closed are a lot more interesting from both an environmental and mechanical standpoint compared to Deadly Premonition, with more varied locations, more puzzles, creepier enemies, and (as described earlier) a better-integrated combat system. And to top it off, the telephone operator is an actual character you can chat and interact with.

Ultimately, from a story perspective, Sorry We’re Closed is a game about love. I don’t mean that in the sense that it centers around just one main romance involving the protagonist; there are many (frequently messy) relationships that are detailed and evolve over the course of the game through both the main story and interactions with side characters, and the game uses those relationships to explore so many facets of the concept of love. How does being in love change a person? How can you tell when a relationship is doing more harm than good? What happens when someone tries to force love in order to fill a part of themself that’s missing? How these questions are answered depends on the choices the player makes throughout the game and who they decide to help. Importantly these topics aren’t just seen through a heterosexual lens, as this is one of the most LGBTQ-focused games I’ve played in quite some time, especially in the horror space. It seems as though almost every member of the main cast is gay, lesbian, non-binary, trans-coded, or falls into a different orientation, such that I’ve semi-frequently seen the game referred to as ‘gay Resident Evil’. One of the developers has mentioned before in an AMA that parts of the story were inspired by their own struggles of coming out as non-binary while being in a relationship at the same time, and it’s cool to see them able to use the game as a way to work through their own personal experiences. The diversity on display is a core part of Sorry We’re Closed’s identity and a definite boon to its discussions of love, desire, and loneliness and what they all mean.

Looking back, I have surprisingly few negative things to say about the game. There is no in-game map, and every once in a while it will throw a barrage of enemies at you in a way that doesn’t mesh well with the combat system, but those are ultimately small in the grand scheme of things. Sorry We’re Closed is a survival horror experience that is strange, colorful, full of charm, and creepy in equal measure and that tackles complex themes that I haven’t seen discussed before in this genre. Honestly, I don’t think I can really ask for more.

Survival horror and adjacent games I hope to cover (in no particular order) – Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil (OG), Resident Evil 2 (OG), Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil Revelations, Resident Evil Revelations 2, Resident Evil: Village, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Amnesia: Rebirth, Amnesia: The Bunker, Tormented Souls, Tormented Souls 2, Alien Isolation, Yomawari: Midnight Shadows, The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, Alisa, Dead Space 2, Alone in the Dark 2, Alone in the Dark 3, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, Alone in the Dark (2024), Curse: Eye of Isis, Dino Crisis, Dino Crisis 2, Darkwood, ObsCure, Cold Fear, Lempo, Stasis, Stasis Bone Totem, System Shock 1 and 2, Metro 2033, Look Outside, Heartworm, Little Goody Two-Shoes, SOMA, Empty Shell, Bendy and the Ink Machine, Clock Tower: Rewind, White Day: A Labyrinth Called School, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Fragile Reflection, Bioshock 1, Bioshock 2, You Will Die Here Tonight, My Friendly Neighborhood, Conscript, The Callisto Protocol, Penumbra: Overture, Penumbra: Black Plague, Penumbra: Requiem, Lamentum, Outlast, Outlast 2, Carnival Massacre, Late Homework, Routine, Alan Wake 2, White Night, Onimusha, Onimusha 2, Heavy Metal Death Can, Remothered: Tormented Fathers, Remothered: Broken Porcelain, NightCry, Nightmare of Decay, Ground Zero, White Night, Still Wakes the Deep, The Chant, Maid of Sker, DreadOut

My Current Survival Horror Ranking:

1. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (9.5/10)
2. Resident Evil Remake (9.5/10)
3. Silent Hill 2 Remake (9.5/10)
4. Signalis (9/10)
5. Dead Space (2008) (9/10)
6. Resident Evil 2 Remake (9/10)
7. Sorry We’re Closed (9/10)
8. Resident Evil Requiem (9/10)
9. Cronos: The New Dawn (9/10)
10. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (8.5/10)
11. Crow Country (8.5/10)
12. Fear the Spotlight (8.5/10)
13. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake (8.5/10)
14. Subversive Memories (8/10)
15. Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (8/10)
16. Silent Hill 4: The Room (8/10)
17. Silent Hill f (8/10)
18. Resident Evil 3 Remake (7.5/10)
19. Resident Evil 4 (7/10)
20. Amnesia: The Dark Descent (7/10)
21. Alone in the Dark (1992) (7/10)
22. Deadly Premonition (5/10)

Up Next: Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

Header image courtesy of the Epic Games.