Sorry We’re Closed Review | Hellbound and Hellbent

Survival Horror is in a great place right now, especially thanks to smaller studios and indie developers who are keeping the genre alive with quantity and quality. It’s clear that AAA is occupied with reviving older franchises with remakes, so if you’re looking for something fresh, audacious, and fierce, look no further than à l a mode games’ debut title, Sorry We’re Closed.

Heaven and Hell

Sorry We’re Closed follows Michelle, a cashier getting by after a breakup that she hasn’t gotten over for the past three years. There are a few more characters we’re introduced to right away, and Michelle will run into them more than a few times in the neighborhood. Compared to many other survival horror titles where a character usually ends up at a new location, the sense of familiarity helps establish Michelle’s relationship with the local characters early on.

After wrapping up her day, Michelle heads to bed but is awakened by a powerful demon known as The Duchess, the primary antagonist in Sorry We’re Closed. Marked with a curse, Michelle awakens her third eye, allowing her to dynamically observe multiple planes of existence. Throughout the campaign, she shifts between the realm of the living and a parallel plane inhabited by both demons and angels.

The transitions between these planes are handled with care, and the tone of the writing recalls the British Invasion of comics from the late ’80s. The demonic and angelic entities aren’t mere caricatures based on Biblical references; instead, they’ve adapted to modern sensibilities, incorporating elements of contemporary fashion and technology.

Michelle is aided by multiple characters throughout her journey, and depending on your choices — of which there are plenty — you’ll reshape your relationship with the characters from your neighborhood, past, and even the antagonist.

It’s hard to talk about these things without spoiling the game, but there’s a decent amount of dialogue variety and character interaction, especially compared to other contemporary survival horror titles from the past few years. Multiple endings are impacted by the choices you make, and depending on which part of Michelle’s outlook you relate to, you’ll get some form of closure either way.

Michelle is a fun character to follow, and she’s instantly likable. She’s kind, inquisitive in all the right ways, and often funny. That’s the same case with other characters you meet throughout the game, and I appreciate how sharp the writing is with practically no filler. It’s a story of love and heartbreak that I’ll be thinking about for a while.

Hellhound My Precious

Combat in Sorry We’re Closed is a bit experimental but works quite well once you get the hang of it. Michelle will start off with an Axe but later acquire some firearms as well. While the game is viewed in the third-person fixed camera, combat is in first-person.

While you can shoot enemies in the general direction of what can be perceived as their heads for some extra damage, the real trick to combat is using the third eye. This reveals the weak spots denoted by hearts, and firing those in perfect sequence takes out the enemies with ease. It’s a fun, arcade-style combat system that rewards steady aiming, especially when there are multiple enemies on-screen.

At times, you’ll want to conserve ammunition and use the axe to deal with singular enemies, but Sorry We’re Closed is mostly lenient when it comes to that. The Hellhound has a great design too, and that extends to most of the weapons, artifacts, and items you’ll find in the other world.

You Will Love Me

Sorry We’re Closed is a gorgeous game with a very deliberate and well-realized art style. The provocative attire of the demons is fancy and stylish while the sharp colors bleed through the screen without overpowering your senses. The retro-style graphics manage to transport you to the glory days of survival horror, but the modern animation work takes away any potential awkwardness.

The camera takes just seconds to adjust to, especially if you’ve played practically any of the early PS2 titles. It isn’t awkward at all, and I spent a lot of time aiming in first-person to admire the environments along the way.

My only gripe is that some textures in the environment are very low-resolution. I understand this is a deliberate choice to simulate a certain style and era, but it’s a tad distracting at times, especially now that you can enjoy older titles with sharper textures thanks to community mods, and even regular filtering and upscaling.

Apart from that, I love the art and the character designs, which feel like they’re straight out of a 2000s Grant Morrison comic book. The music is punchy and elevates key scenes, the sound effects are varied, and the overall presentation is a highlight throughout.

Survival Horror fans have been eating well this year, and Sorry We’re Closed closes the year out with an incredible journey that’s full of heart.

8.5

Sorry We're Closed

Overall, Sorry We're Closed impressed me with its sharp writing, memorable characters, and striking art direction. It’s a story of love, heartbreak, and acceptance that uses angels and demons as a backdrop, expertly distilled into an unmissable survival horror experience.

Pros

• Excellent art direction throughout
• Sharp writing and memorable characters
• Memorable story, and punchy music
• Addictive arcade-style combat

Cons

• Some texture work is a bit too low-res

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review. Reviewed on PC.