The Store is Closed

The Store is Closed is a survival horror with the action set in a giant furniture store. It was developed by indie developer Ziggy (Jacob Shaw), and was create thanks in part to a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

Plot

The Store is Closed takes us to the SCP universe, known for its popular creepypastas, i.e. horror stories published on the Internet. We find ourselves in a gigantic furniture store, which resembles a precipitous maze more than the stores of the Ikea chain. In the thicket of furniture and various nooks and crannies, we search for information about what's going on in the place, build bases where we can find a moment of respite, and try to avoid encounters with dangerous, mutant store staff. Everything that happens here is closely watched by the SCP Foundation, a secret organization that studies and secures objects, phenomena and paranormal entities, whose laboratories are located in the underground.

Game mechanics

In The Store is Closed, we observe the action from a first-person perspective (FPP). We can freely roam the store up and down. However, it's not easy, as there are staff hanging around, whose behavior varies, depending on the time of day. While at night the mutant shopkeepers are extremely aggressive, and any encounter with them can end tragically for us, during the day they behave somewhat more calmly. In addition to the rank-and-file employees, we occasionally encounter managers who act as bosses. These opponents greatly exceed the others in size, and also have superhuman strength, so that walls, let alone furniture, are no obstacle for them. In the store you will also find mutated toys, animated mannequins or, finally, TV golems, which can also pose a deadly danger to you.

So, as you can see, staying in this place is not an idyll. Fortunately, we are not completely defenseless, as the ubiquitous furniture is an excellent source of resources, which, thanks to the crafting system implemented in the game, we can use in a variety of ways. By smashing them into parts (with a hammer, and in a later phase of the game - a motorized saw), we gain raw materials from which we can create increasingly powerful weapons. Although initially we defend ourselves by fighting in close quarters, over time we gain ranged weapons, such as a crossbow or flamethrower. At the same time, it is worth remembering that the longer we manage to survive, the more aggressive towards us the staff becomes. Fortunately, as we progress, we not only gain better equipment, but also develop the character, learning new skills and improving the ones we already have.

Furniture also comes in handy as a whole, for creating bases where we can, for example, safely spend the night. Although nothing prevents us from building shelters at ground level, it is often better to erect them on top of other furniture, as this way we do not risk our hiding place being found by the store staff. At the same time, sleep is not the only need of the protagonist to which we must pay attention. In order for the character we control not to die of hunger, we need to acquire food; a good source of the latter is the store's restaurant, although it's better not to wonder where the food it serves comes from.

In addition to the level where the furniture is set up, the underground laboratories of the SCP foundation (which are a source not only of information, but also of weapons and unique resources) are waiting to be visited, as well as the back room or the upstairs apartments (access to which requires the construction of high towers).

Game modes

The Store is Closed allows for single-player or multiplayer cooperative gameplay.

Technical aspects

Graphics in The Store is Closed look average. Nevertheless, the fancy designs of the enemies can appeal, as can the damage-prone environment.