This free Steam download is an underrated queer gem

When it comes to Pride Month in the gaming world, you will see the same few games suggested and even discounted - and don’t get me wrong, celebrating queer characters perhaps written by queer creators is always encouraged but sometimes, you just have to look a bit further.

Earlier this month, I shared 15 underrated LGBTQIA+ games to play this Pride Month and it is one game in that list that I want to shine a spotlight on today.

Sorry We’re Closed is a 2024 horror game by developers á la mode games which just so happens to consist of just two creators.

As a result, this story-driven survival game really is a labour of love and that shines through as players take on the role of Michelle who gains access to a Third Eye which allows her to see between worlds.

Inspired by the horror greats such as Silent Hill, Sorry We’re Closed was truly an underrated gem of 2024 and that is mainly due to its unapologetically queer nature.

Let’s face it, the horror genre has always been queer and has always been inherently female, as much as many would pretend it hasn’t - even when that hasn’t been explicitly stated and is instead implied through metaphor and imagery.

In comparison, Sorry We’re Closed does nothing to hide its inherently queer cast but instead makes their existence just part of the experience, as it should be.

For example, Michelle herself is struggling after breaking up with her girlfriend and now has to decide whether or not she could truly love a gender non-conforming demon all whilst helping her friends, which consist of gay couple Oakley and Darrel, and angel Chamuel who just happens to be an angel struggling with his holy status and the love for his boyfriend.

á la mode games

When Michelle is not using her Third Eye to explore environments akin to Silent Hill’s Otherworld, she is helping her friends with her problem and it is through this that you realise what the story of Sorry We’re Closed really is - it is a story about love, in all forms. It is love that may be forbidden, love that transcends even holy status. Angels loving demons and humans loving humans just as much.

Michelle’s Third Eye doesn’t just allow her to navigate horrific environments and aid her in battle but it also allows her to see people’s true forms, both the beauty and the horror of it and yet loving them despite it.

Love can change a person, and maybe it should change you but is it worth it? That is the question that Sorry We’re Closed asks.

On top of all of this, Sorry We’re Closed is just downright fun. With nods to classic horror, even featuring the fixed camera angles of early 2000s horror and a unique artstyle to boot, this underrated gem will speak to both younger and older gamers alike.

There are enemies that take body horror to a whole new level and yet environments that capture the nighttime feel of a quiet London street. Record stores, newsagents and bars line the dimly lit roads as Michelle leaves her dead-end job and visits her friends that form a community around her. It is here that she is able to take on side missions or even just chat with the locals, and it is where the game truly comes alive.

á la mode games

Sorry We’re Closed doesn’t just feature a lot of horror and an otherworld and angels and demons but it just feels extremely real thanks to its writing, environments and characters.

And at the centre of all of this is a badass queer female character who is loud and proud from her outspoken dialogue to her hot pink coat and blue hair. Every design feature in this game is so carefully curated and helps add to the story, so it is no surprise that Sorry We’re Closed has stayed with me almost a year since I first played it.

Sorry We’re Closed is available on Steam (where a free demo is currently available), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.