Michelle is a little stuck. His social life is nowhere to be found. His apartment is a mess and he's still recovering from a big breakup with his ex-girlfriend that happened three years ago. To make matters worse, his neighbors argue very loudly in the hallway of his building. It's time to go to sleep, he thinks, hoping that tomorrow will be a little less gloomy.
Unfortunately for Michelle, her day is about to go from bad to worse, as during the night, a hot pink demon bursts through her door wearing nothing but jet black thigh-high boots, and professes that she wants nothing more than the Michelle's eternal love. and devotion. I mean, I understand that gods are to be worshiped and all, but this is getting a little strong, isn't it?
So begins the exquisite Steam Next Fest demo of upcoming horror shooter Sorry We're Closed, a game that looks and feels like Resident Evil's greatest hits, combining fixed camera angles and chunky pixel art with tense close-up shooting. person, cut out. with the fantastic punk sensibility of Paradise Killer. It's a heady mix and a demo experience well worth trying out ahead of the game's full release next month.
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You see, even though this intruding demon is quite dismayed that you're not really interested in his toothy red whale maw, you're granted a fancy third eye to help you fight off the legions of hell that are about to burst through a portal into your The roof of the apartment building. Shocked by the entire ordeal, Michelle heads upstairs to investigate and suddenly finds herself in an old London Underground station, whose dirty interior is haunted by the remains of two souls locked in a fierce, ethereal argument. One of them is holding a very real ax that appears to be shaped like a freaking wolf head, and yes, I want it right now, please, it looks shiny.
However, before you can pry him from her ghostly clutches, there's the small matter of your partner Robyn, who is nearby. Turns out he's also a demon in disguise and is investigating why your new pink best friend has suddenly decided to hang around your apartment. To help them resolve this strange situation, they will first have to return to reality, and in classic video game style, the only way forward is to do so. So you have to go up and through the turnstiles, descend into the bowels of what turns out to be a truly nightmare journey.
But this is an underground London hellhole that feels so wonderfully, grimly British in its design that I swear some of its locations have been lifted straight from my own subconscious, when I used to work in London full-time. I feel that I have state in this subway station, or at least some version of it, although the grotesque inhabitants of Sorry We're Closed certainly weren't there before, and I don't have that handy third eye that allows me to see them in all their hideous forms. glory neither. With a painfully cold snap of her fingers, Michelle can open her third eye at any time, bathing her immediate surroundings in a searing pink halo and conjuring any confusing apparitions into full, vivid life.
That frozen arguing couple I mentioned earlier? Activate your third eye around her and the axe-wielding woman will come into existence, allowing you to see the scene unfold in “real life.” While crushing the poor guy in front of her, she also mentions some sort of love curse, but her solution seems to be to literally throw money at the problem and she robs the poor guy blind. You'll catch up to her again later in the demo, though luckily she puts down that shiny little ax to give you your first melee weapon.
However, what's really interesting about Sorry We're Closed is how the combat shifts perspective, putting you in first person every time you want to wield your gun, axe, or whatever else you have on hand. Attacking also locks you in place, giving each encounter a frisson of nervous, shuddering tension, because while you're free to shoot enemies from afar, their specific weak points will only be revealed once they cross the boundary of your halo of the enemy. third eye and since ammo is pretty scarce everywhere, you'll want to let them get as close as possible to conserve supplies. It's a big conceit and one that really tests your resolve over the course of its 30-minute demo.
Michelle's third eye also does double duty as a navigation tool, as some obstacles present in the demon world do not exist in the “real” world and vice versa, so you will have to switch between them frequently to choose your path. I walk through the station. The puzzle elements also follow a similar pattern, further scratching that Resident Evil part of your brain as you open locks and find the correct keys in different dimensions. Its execution is also fabulously elegant, and left me wanting more as I piled Michelle onto the last subway car that would take her to her next destination at the end of the demo. I'm looking forward to continuing your journey when Sorry We're Closed comes out in full next month, so I hope there are no last minute delays to your expected arrival time.