lorelei and the laser eyes review header
Image via Annapurna, Simogo

Review: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Makes You Feel Like the Smartest and Dumbest Person Alive

Picking up Lorelei and the Laser Eyes feels like taking a step into a cryptic past, when rumors of Polybius were flitting among arcade goers and a night of entertainment meant a crossword puzzle or two. Unique and addicting, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes provides a fun and rewarding experience for either a single person or group of gamers.

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Like Lorelei and the Laser Eyes itself, the story does not immediately reveal itself to you. It takes a bit of time and sleuthing before the yarn starts to unravel. When the game starts, you know very little about your character, a smartly-dressed woman who looks like she’d fit right in a noir spy film. As you piece together clues from dialogue and readable items, you learn that an eccentric man invited you to a secluded hotel, which houses strange puzzles, art exhibits, magic shows, and plenty of mysteries. And a dog too, which you can pet.

lorelei and the laser eyes dog
I could not get a nice picture of the dog, but it’s cute. Screenshot by Siliconera.

The puzzles range between pleasantly easy and surprisingly difficult, but none of them feel like cop-outs. You truly have almost everything you need at your fingertips, or they’re a few steps away. Some of them are incredibly easy, such as one requiring basic knowledge of Roman numerals or our English alphabet. But then you’d encounter one that makes you stare at it, feeling like you’re rubbing every single brain cell you have and getting nothing in return.

lorelei and the laser eyes puzzle book
I felt SO dumb when I realized the answer to this puzzle because of how long it took me to solve it. Screenshot by Siliconera.

I vividly remember realizing the solution to a puzzle as I was falling asleep and then shooting up, wide awake, just to turn on Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and rush to the location to input my answer. I was right, and that rush of serotonin was so strong that I continued to play until the sun was in the sky.

Part of the appeal lies in its more old school way of doing things. It brought me back to when I was a child, sitting in the waiting room of my piano teacher’s house and hunched over a book of riddles and whodunnits with a pen and notebook in hand. The Discord server I have for myself was full of pictures, notes, equations, and scribbles. I called on my roommate for help, as well as provided the puzzles without any context to my friends when I was stuck. Some of the puzzles prompted pretty lively discussion and I found it fascinating that this game, which can feel so isolating as you wander around the dreary hotel on your own, could bring so many people together without even being in my friends’ hands.

lorelei and the laser eyes puzzle poster
This puzzle is easy with context, but the secret society-like feeling of being privy to hidden clues elevates it. Screenshot by Siliconera.

“Beautiful” might not be the first word that pops to mind when you see Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. Indeed, according to Simogo’s development blog, that wasn’t the goal. But there’s something gripping about the retro aesthetic. I loved how clean and crisp the black-and-white color scheme is, with everything easily visible despite the grainy filter and odd textures. When colors appear, they pop, and they’re so eerie against the dark backdrop that they really stick in your mind. For a game that seems to do so little with its appearance, its blend of its many inspirations make for a singularly unique experience.

lorelei and the laser eyes screenshot
Image via Annapurna, Simogo

This is one of those games that I’ll think about even after I finish it. As of the time of writing, I still have quite a few mysteries to uncover, as there are some puzzles that just well and truly stumped me. The world it presents is a cryptic one, reminding me of old conspiracy theories from before my time, but it keeps you coming back for more, hankering to pull back the curtains and unlock the doors to discover the secrets behind them.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes will come out on the Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam on May 16, 2024. Nintendo Switch version reviewed.

9
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

The stage is set. Imagine an old baroque manor, perhaps a hotel or a museum, somewhere in central Europe. A woman wanders in search of answers. Nintendo Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by publisher.

With its intriguing worldview, aesthetics, and puzzles, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a unique puzzle game that presents its story in an elevated and artistic way.

  • When the game tells you to play in dim lighting and with a pen and paper, they are NOT kidding. You need to take notes and if you play where it's bright, you will not see anything.
  • I don't think my review fully encapsulates all my thoughts on the game's world just because it's taking me a while to digest everything. The setting is so interesting and I love how it's presented to you in puzzle format.
  • Most of the puzzles are pattern recognition, while drawing on real world knowledge of concepts like the zodiac and Roman numerals. But it still made me realize that I forgot everything from my high school math classes.

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Author
Image of Stephanie Liu
Stephanie Liu
Stephanie is a senior writer who has been writing for games journalism and translating since 2020. After graduating with a BA in English and a Certificate in Creative Writing, she spent a few years teaching English and history before fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a writer. In terms of games, she loves RPGs, action-adventure, and visual novels. Aside from writing for Siliconera and Crunchyroll, she translates light novels, manga, and video games.