In general, I try to be a happy and willing passenger on whatever a gaming journey may be. I find that walking into almost every title knowing as possible tends to help in this regard, allowing me to experience the game as it was intended, rather than knowing enough to potentially form a different idea in my head that would allow room for some sort of disappointment. In the case of Sorry We’re Closed, I only knew that it was supposed to be a bit of a wild visual ride of a survival horror title, and I’ll credit it with delivering on that promise. That said, its adherence to old-school sensibilities may not always make it quite what you’re looking for.

Starting out, I was actually a bit baffled at how slowly things were moving out of the gate. I appreciated the opportunity to go around and meet the odd assortment of people in my neighborhood, and having some familiarity with them will be important later, but for a while it just felt like a quirky adventure of some sort. Once the introductions ran their course though, it was off to the survival horror races… sort of. The pacing of the game is definitely a bit odd, spending quite a lot of time navigating through areas while dealing with fixed camera angles (that often do you few favors) when trying to spot where you’ll need to go. The fact that you’ll often need to scan areas both normally and then with your third eye sight can slow things down further, going back and forth and sometimes actually looking for a prompt for you to take action since visually some details are simply hard to make out, given the game’s old-school aesthetics.

The other area of concern is with the combat, which at best would be described as awkward the majority of the time. To the game’s credit, you do have some options for your approach, and at least a little bit of technique to employ to help you survive. Your “gun” will work whether you’re using your third eye vision or not, but since you have limited ammo you’ll really want to make the most of what you have. To that end, using your third eye is typically in your best interests, since you’ll be able to see your enemy’s weak spots, doing improved damage when you hit them. When you switch to using your third eye your enemies are also supposed to be stunned a little bit, but honestly I’m not sure it buys you enough time to be of note, and that’s because the biggest challenge is trying to move and aim in combat. The time it takes to pull up your gun is already a bit painful, but then the fact that aiming freezes you in place (and is also pretty cumbersome) makes it a challenge. Granted, when you’re in the zone it can feel rewarding, but especially in the instances where things are moving faster, it can be incredibly irritating.

Put it all together and it’s a bit of a weird, wild, and colorful mess. The more you simply love old-school survival horror, and have come to accept the quirks in camera angles, controls, and combat that tend to come along for the ride, the more likely you’ll be to enjoy the ride. If those dated sensibilities aren’t your cup of tea though, no matter how much you might appreciate the strange story, characters, and dealing with demons and curses, it may not be enough. Sorry We’re Closed has clearly been made in the vein of classic survival horror games that came before it, while throwing in quite a bit of spice all its own, but it’s one of those titles where enjoyment will be completely in the eyes of the player, and what they’re looking for.