Sorry We’re Closed Review: A Haunting Tale of Heartbreak and The Supernatural | The Gamerheads Podcast

Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch

Also on: Steam, PS4/PS5, Xbox X/S

Price: $24.99

My heart is racing as I run past the demon with a sword—I can’t kill it (not yet, at least); I can only incapacitate it for a moment. It’s not just the act of running past that gets my heart pounding—it’s the sound of it closing in behind me, its sword scraping along the concrete floor. I need to explore this area without getting killed by whatever this thing is. And I’m actually enjoying myself… which leads me to wonder: am I becoming a fan of horror games?

This scene is from Sorry We’re Closed, a polygonal horror game that blends third-person isometric exploration with first-person action. To answer my earlier question—no, I’m still not a fan of horror games. But I do love a game with a strong narrative, well-written characters, and unique gameplay mechanics—and Sorry We’re Closed delivers on all fronts.

The story explores themes of loneliness, heartbreak, and loss. The protagonist, Michelle, is haunted—emotionally and literally—by her ex, who just so happens to star in a TV show everyone in town watches. Whether it’s the weight of her depression or just terrible luck, Michelle finds herself visited by a powerful demon known as The Duchess. In a twisted bid for Michelle’s love, The Duchess places a curse on her. (Not exactly the most romantic move, but hey—demons play by different rules.) The curse? A third eye embedded in Michelle’s forehead. Oh, and total damnation if she can’t break the curse.

But Michelle isn’t the only one nursing a broken heart. The Duchess is a troubled character too, and while she serves as the game’s antagonist, I can’t help but feel sorry for her. Throughout the game, I meet a wide cast of characters all dealing with their own relationship struggles: Darrell, a jerk who runs the local bar and is somehow in love with Oakley—the only person who actually likes Darrell (though why, I have no idea). There’s also an angel and demon couple trying to make their relationship work (for obvious reasons), and an angel of love who’s fallen for a demon—again, not exactly a match made in heaven.

What makes Sorry We’re Closed special is how my choices as Michelle can shape these relationships. And that’s the heart of the game: the characters and their stories are so compelling, they’ve pulled in someone like me—who doesn’t even like horror games. 

But make no mistake—this is a horror game. At first, I found the experience a bit slow: lots of exploring, lots of conversations. I understood the need to introduce the many characters, but I was waiting for something—anything—to really happen. Well, I got my wish when Michelle was pulled into a dream and chased by a demon. From that moment on, the game maintained a steady, engaging pace that kept me hooked.

Most of the game plays out from an isometric perspective, but once I gain access to weapons, I can switch to a first-person view to engage in combat. In this mode, I target the hearts of demons to deal bonus damage—and if I land those shots perfectly, I can trigger a powerful special attack. The perspective-switching mechanic is clever and adds variety, but I found the weapon movement in first-person to feel a bit sluggish. It’s not game-breaking, but it did take some getting used to.

The feature I found most fascinating was the third-eye ability. When activated, it transforms the environment around Michelle, revealing a supernatural perspective used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. For example, at one point I saw a painting of an eye on a wall—but when I used the third-eye, the eyeball became a creature I could interact with. The ability also comes in handy during combat, allowing me to briefly stun attacking demons.

The boss battles are the most intense part of the game. Like the rest of the combat, they switch between isometric and first-person perspectives. To unleash special attacks, I need to land perfect hits on designated targets—no small feat when the pressure’s on. Maybe it’s just the nature of boss fights, but I felt especially stressed trying to line up those shots. They’re definitely manageable, but they had my heart racing the entire time.

The one thing I found myself wishing for was voice acting. There’s a lot of dialogue in the game, and hearing the characters brought to life with voice work would have added even more to the experience. Sorry We’re Closed is already great—but voice acting could’ve elevated it to the next level.

Final Grade: A-

Any horror game that gets me to play it—and actually enjoy it—is worth checking out. Sorry We’re Closed weaves a heartfelt narrative of heartbreak and loneliness through a cast of charming, memorable characters. The ability to switch between isometric and first-person perspectives is well-executed, and the third-eye power adds a clever twist to both puzzles and combat. I didn’t know what to expect when I first booted it up, but I found myself deeply connected to the characters and their stories. Don’t sleep on this game—Sorry We’re Closed is doing things I haven’t seen in many other games.

Review code provided by Akupara Games