I knew there would be puzzles in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, but thanks to vague, if intriguing, trailers, I did not know what else to expect. Let me tell you, after playing this game, those trippy, vague trailers were bang-on. Other than calling it a single-button puzzler, there is no easy way to describe this game. From its strong nostalgic vibes to its slick noir-esq design and confounding narrative, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is simply a delight waiting to be discovered by any puzzle fan.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes follows Lorelei on an invitation to participate in the ultimate ‘art project.’ However, the project requires her to solve the many puzzles that hide the secrets of Hotel Letztes Jahr. It’s a dangerous, surreal journey filled with illusions and strange people who have all been waiting for her.
The Blast of Nostalgia
From the start, you are slammed by an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is extremely complex but only uses a single key to interact and WASD/Arrow Keys to move. Within minutes of starting, you immediately spot another old-school element: walls of information. This is a game about observation; everything you find could be a clue. As you open your car, you find the ‘Instruction Manual’ for the game. It’s a fun little touch, having us find our tutorial as a booklet that could have accompanied any old game disc or cartridge.
Navigating the world feels like you are in Resident Evil again. Each region has a fixed camera angle, and it’s a fun little cinematography to move between these zones. Between the aesthetics of the game and these little quirks, it feels like you are launching an old-school horror game.
The Wrapping
The world itself is beautifully surreal—black-and-white with flashes of red and pink. Those touches of color break the tedium and hint at where to go next or what to interact with. Smooth animation supports the beautifully simple 3D art, which is overlaid with vague gothic elements, like mansions, creating an interesting collage-like effect.
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Overall, this creates a unique noir effect that is more striking than beautiful. It makes this game easy to read and navigate. Their approach to music is fun, and record players are peppered throughout, adding ambient sound to the area. Even though Loerlei is constrained to three areas, The Hotel, The mausoleum, and the Hotel grounds, it is a massive map as they all depend on your ability to find your way into each room. Thus, these pockets of music help add texture to the world while also helping with Navigation.
A World Of Mystery
Everything I have said so far, though, is just the icing on the cake. The best thing about this game is the sheer depth of the gameplay. Lorelei is an extremely well-designed game with a vast array of puzzles. To be fair, most of these puzzles involve opening locks by sorting through information or doing some quick math to find the combination, just like an escape room puzzle.
This could have been repetitive, but it isn’t. Like any good puzzle within this genre, they all require a mix of logic, comprehension, math, and more thought than you expect. Adding to the nostalgia is the instruction manual’s reminder to keep a piece of paper handy. It was incredibly refreshing to use physical notes, and they put a massive smile on my face. Sorting through so much information could get frustrating, but the developers ensure that, for the most part, key information comes highlighted. What feels like hand-holding at first becomes necessary when you realize how many smaller puzzles you have to solve.
What really keeps this game from getting frustrating or repetitive is the game’s non-linear approach to solving the mystery. At any given point, at least 10 puzzles are open to solve. Each, in turn, will give you additional information that can be applied to other locks or puzzles around the hotel. So, if you get stuck, you can move to another problem till you get the ah-ha moment needed to solve the last one. Though challenging, the game stays consistently rewarding because you can bounce around.
Patterns, memory, game relevant trivia. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes showcase everything you would expect as a puzzle.
The Hidden Delights
Since you only use one button to navigate the game, any interactions become a fun variation of old-school Text Adventure games. These interactions lead to some truly delightful moments. In gameplay, you explore Lorelei’s flashbacks through floppy discs that load up pixel minigames that evoke the 70s and 80s. Games where you investigate little environments, like navigating a city block looking for your car. You can interact with an adorable black labrador with soulful eyes. Any game that lets you pet a dog or a cat is a winner.
Amidst all these amazing puzzles and details like hidden doors, my favorite little moment was when I solved a piano puzzle, and Lorelei serenaded me with a pretty song.
‘Before I go, I’ll see it all through laser eyes’
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It’s Not All Roses
Lorelei and the Laser Eye’s biggest strength also contributes to its weaknesses. All said and done, there is just too much happening. Tracking all the available information can get overwhelming. Even though you can do a lot of different things, you may not be able to remember what is available to do.
Ingame task tracking is vague, often boiling down to a simple statement like ‘Open safe with 3 dials.’ Additionally, everything in the world can be a clue, requiring you to be continuously observant. There was a moment when I failed to notice an upturned lamp that kept me locked out of an entire area of the map. I only really realized this because I was perusing a forum on this game. This game needs some kind of hint system, something to use when it becomes too much to keep track of.
On the nitpickier end, since this game has such a limited control scheme, it can get a little difficult to line up with interactable items. Without realizing that something is interactable, it is very easy to miss an important cue, which is another reason I missed that lamp.
Worth a Play
Overall, this is an amazing game with a lot of detail and love. It is a must-play for anyone who enjoys puzzles. There is a lot to discover and do. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a game I will be going back to with friends. Since the puzzles are randomized, it’s likely to be a whole new adventure with them.
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GamesHorizon received a review copy of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes for Steam.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a must-play for anyone who enjoys puzzle games. Especially those players who like Text Adventures, Escape rooms, and Logic puzzles.
The Good
- Beautiful surreal setting that feels horror/noir-like without being a horror game
- Massive nostalgic feel thanks to fixed cameras, a limited control scheme, old-school logic and math puzzles that depend on observation and comprehension
- Well-structured information, with key information highlighted to keep the game from getting too obtuse
- A large variety of puzzles that feed into each other, making the game challenging yet rewarding
- Non-Linear progression for resolving the narrative allows the player to jump between puzzles ensuring you rarely get stuck in your progress
- Random moments of delight and surprise. Yes… you can pet the dog
- Massive amounts of lore that build out the story and a solid universe
- You need to use a notebook to keep track of all the clues and solutions. A mildly tedious but fun, layered way to engage with the game
The Bad
- Too much information can make the game overwhelming even with the built-in systems
- Vague task tracking system
- No Hint system to get you through overwhelming or tricky situations
