Survival comes to Ikea in indie horror game The Store is Closed
Just a one nightstand.
We have all been there. Ikea - the shop that takes you through a convoluted one-way system as you see mock-ups of rooms full of all you could ever need for your own home, and then before you know it you have purchased 100 tealights and a packet of meatballs.
But what if you were to throw a load of zombie-like monsters into this experience, and then proceed to turn out the lights, leaving the exit near impossible to find? Well, one developer has decided to answer that question in its upcoming game: The Store is closed.
The Store is Closed is a haunting mash-up of Endnight Games' The Forest (which incidentally saw its sequel, Sons of the Forest, recently delayed) and the humdrum of everyday life, and comes from indie developer Ziggy (thanks, PCGamesN).
It is set in a store that, OK, isn't actually Ikea, it's "Styr" - but there is still no mistaking what the developer was going for here. The blue and yellow insignia is instantly recognisable.
Ziggy has shared a short teaser for The Store is Closed that sees you, the player, as a lost consumer trying to make their way out of a seemingly benign but endless store full of chairs, chairs, more chairs and some bookcases.
"Have you ever gotten lost in one of those big furniture stores? Well, I've been stuck in this one for days," the teaser begins. "I tried to find help... but there's something wrong with the staff. Even worse, at night, the lights go out." Cut to a demonic looking store manager, brutally informing you the store is closed as they proceed to make a swipe for you.
Now, the player must use what they can find throughout the store to build up shelter and makeshift weapons (although you will be able to find a chainsaw in the garden centre).
Most horrifically, at least to me, this includes making one's way into the kids section, which sees the bright and playfully coloured painted furniture being home to Biters - a creature Ziggy says hunts in packs.
Thankfully, there will be the option to play The Store is Closed in online co-op.
For those keen to learn more about The Store is Closed, Ziggy has set up a Kickstarter page, with it slated to release for PC, Xbox Series X S and PS5. You can wishlist it now on Steam.