Lorelei and the Laser Eyes could be one of 2024’s best and boldest games

digitaltrends.com:

If you’ve been following indie publisher Annapurna Interactive over the last two years, you might be familiar with Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. The new project from Sayonara Wild Hearts developer Simogo has gotten a spotlight at a handful of live-stream showcases since 2022, with trailers teasing its eerie tone and puzzling world. While we’ve known those details for a while, there’s still one burning question that remains: What the hell is it?

After a long wait, I finally have the answer to that question. Annapurna Interactive lifted the lid on the mysterious game, giving me unrestricted access to a full PC build of it. Though I’m still making my way through its puzzle-filled haunted hotel, I’ve played enough to get a good sense of what Simogo is delivering. I’ve also played enough to say, with confidence, that Lorelei and the Laser Eyes might just be one of 2024’s boldest and best games.

Puzzle-box horror

ThoughLorelei and the Laser Eyes seems totally foreign when first glancing at its striking black-and-white art style, it’s actually fairly easy to explain. It’s essentially a 1990s horror game with all the combat removed. My journey begins when I arrive at a creepy hotel where I’ll be helping an eccentric Italian auteur film his latest avant-garde masterpiece. There’s a lot of story there, doled out through scattered writing and occasional cutscene breaks, but the bulk of my time is spent solving the hotel.

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It works a lot like the originalResident Evil orAlone in the Dark. When I start, I’m in a hotel full of locked doors. Some have padlocks requiring number codes. Others need keys. I start with nothing except a letter that gives me a sense of what year I’m in and some tampons. I’m given free reign to explore the open parts of the hotel in any