Puzzle games walk a very fine line. The minute they introduce too many factors, ramp the difficulty too quickly, or become too hand-holdy, a player can turn on them quickly. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, developed by Simogo and published by Annapurna Interactive, doesn’t just walk this line. It dances across it like a well-trained gymnast. Lorelei is like a breath of fresh air as, over the years, puzzle games seem to fall by the wayside.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes has style that shines
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How does a seemingly simple yet stylish game earn this level of love and admiration? First off, the style of the game simply rocks. It’s not afraid to just try something new or use environments that don’t fit the setting to add uniqueness to what you’re doing. Take, for instance, the several game consoles you encounter while exploring the hotel.
One minute, you’re playing a modern game; the next, you’re exploring a buggy PlayStation 1-era spooky environment. And yet, those scenarios don’t feel out of place as you continue the story. In another instance, a person with a TV head may trap the female character in a movie set, and a question needs to be answered about that scene to advance.
Speaking of the story, it gets shockingly deep with its depictions of just how far passion can take someone. Whether someone is a scientist or an artist, having a passion for your work can be a blessing and a curse. How can chasing your dreams just as quickly lead to your demise without balance? In other words, never let yourself be consumed by anything to the point that your greatest gifts could ruin your life and those around you.
Hundreds of puzzles
The puzzles also walk the balance of being stylish and grounded. There are hundreds of things to do, and the way the hotel opens up after following different strands of clues is a genuine joy. As well as being a simple pick-up-and-play game, Lorelei gives you room to breathe and walk away. Any hardships can be solved by just looking at what’s been provided from a different angle or after taking a break.
This is supported by the numerous tools at your disposal, like a journal that tracks what exactly you’ve done, discovered, or solved. Or a map that shows you every locked door and which path leads to where. Even the inventory system is a deep catalog of every piece of a clue found with its own descriptions that build out this unique universe. And it’s all easily accessible at any time.
The puzzles themselves make you think outside the box while never pushing boundaries. Instead, the solutions collect to each other to create an ever-growing web of information to work off of to find the solutions. In other words, it’s all self-contained. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes gives you the pen and the dots, all that’s needed is to connect them. In doing so, each solution gives a massive shot of dopamine with each “a-ha” moment.
And after finding one, they quickly lead to a cascading effect with new items, tools, or clues that almost perfectly fit into place elsewhere. Like finding a clue gives its own “a-ha” moment about where it could be used. It’s a thrill with a puzzle game that hasn’t been felt in so long. Since the credits rolled, there’s just been a void of being unable to play through it again with fresh (laser) eyes.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes stands out strong
Puzzle games lately are seen as brief experiences, just a part of a much larger game that’s often overshadowed, or even made as games that are simply there to be a near-insurmountable challenge to conquer. But there’s Simogo and Annapurna Interactive’s latest release, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, proving its place in the pantheon of gaming’s greatest puzzle games.
It happens not just by giving a lengthy, complete experience but also by adding puzzles that don’t get over-convoluted. But by being self-contained and not being afraid of trying something new time and time again with its puzzles, its experiences, and with its expectations of you, the player.
Hopefully, Simogo’s legacy proves that fans want a puzzle game that isn’t overly complicated, has a fun story, and is still a genius in its own way.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is available now on Nintendo Switch and PC,
