Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (2024)

Lorelei is one of the best puzzle adventures in recent years and deserves to be spoken about on the same level as the likes of Zork and Myst. On the surface it feels like an arthouse take on survival horror, but the depth and complexity of its narrative, combined with the superb puzzles and uniquely stylish aesthetic makes this a modern-day classic.

There’s an endless list of things to gush and wax poetic about — the haunting soundtrack, the monochrome visuals punctuated by bits of crimson and neon magenta, the callbacks and homages to your favorite PlayStation 1 horror games. It’s clear that Simogo has an undying love for the medium as a whole; not because of the winks and nods to the games of the past, but because Lorelei and the Laser Eyes forges its own path, and it does so with a startling amount of confidence and an unwavering artistic vision that has to be seen through to its conclusion. I doubt I’ll be able to convince genre detractors to cross the aisle, but if you have even the slightest interest in puzzle or adventure games, you owe it to yourself to give this modern-day masterpiece a try. Just make sure you have some pen and paper, and a bit of patience, at the ready.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes from developer Simogo and publisher Annapurna Interactive is still a strange and wonderous direction for Simogo’s post-Sayonara Wild Hearts success. The game still features a beautiful mixture of thick narrative and difficult puzzles that ask a lot of the player but deliver an equal amount of satisfaction by the end. While this won’t be every gamer’s cup of tea, it still delivers a variety of good moments that will keep those interested occupied for a while. It’s a challenging game that doesn’t pull its punches.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is an intricate ball of puzzles that's very pleasing to untangle. If you love a brain teaser and being challenged to think in new ways, there are few other games that'll scratch that itch quite like this one.

If you love atmospheric horror and escape room titles, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a must-play that will keep you entertained for more than ten hours.