Various puzzles inside Lorelei and the laser eyes I wondered: what kind of sick people does it take to make this kind of game? The answer is the developers at Simogo, the Swedish studio known for pop rhythm games Sayonara wanted hearts and puzzle games Device 6 And SPL-T. This new Simogo game combines different realities, layers of logic puzzles, mathematics and a distinct, unmistakable atmosphere. Everything is a puzzle Lorelei and the laser eyes – even the story itself – and nothing is exactly what it seems.
Lorelei and the laser eyes begins with the player character Lorelei arriving at an old mansion-turned-hotel deep in an Italian forest. There she meets an absolute weirdo who wouldn’t be out of place in shows like Twin Peaks or The X files. The puzzles begin as soon as she arrives; there is very little actual instruction, just hints everywhere. It’s not entirely clear Why you’re there or what you need to do, but there are a lot of closed doors and mysterious document tubes, and that seems like a good starting point. In the document tubes there is a map of the mansion, and you know what doors do. As you open new doors and discover new things, a kind of picture begins to take shape. You may not know what’s going on yet, but you know what you need to do to move forward.
Image: Simogo/Annapurna Interactive
Simogo previously said there were over 150 puzzles spread throughout the area Lorelei and the laser eyes, and you feel that depth. Many of the puzzles build on each other, allowing the player to learn the logic in the game before pushing that logic to a new place. The answers are everywhere: in the environment itself, or in dozens of articles, books and scripts that you pick up and read. There are word problems, math problems, shape puzzles, visualization exercises and video game mazes. Some things you’ll see won’t make any sense at all – for example, a lady with glowing eyes lying in a bed in a coma – until the moment it clicks, whether it’s from something you heard over the air or from an note tucked into a bed. hidden book.
It’s the kind of game that’s needed a notebook and pen at hand; Simogo will actually provide you with this guideline in a Lorelei and the laser eyes manual that can be found early in the game. Twenty-five hours later Lorelei and the laser eyesI have dozens of pages of crazy scribbles, notes that would seem like nonsense to anyone but me. Some puzzles I worked on for hours without opening the game itself. With a particularly difficult (and optional) puzzle that required no knowledge of the game itself, I asked my sister for help. Days later, she sent me a photo of the response, scribbled on a Post-It note with the work mark. When we got the answer, it seemed so obvious. Simogo has really found the recipe to make you feel like the most brilliant woman on earth just as quickly.
Image: Simogo/Annapurna Interactive
I’m 25 hours into it Lorelei and the laser eyes, and according to the in-game percentage meter, it’s over 80% complete. I’m in so deep now that discussing puzzle logic with a fellow critic – who was essential in solving some of the toughest puzzles for me – would sound to anyone else as if we were speaking a different language. Even when the game is closed, I still think about what remains: a bunch of puzzle boxes that open with what feels like incomprehensible codes. I’m looking for the logic, patterns to analyze – plotting numbers in my notebook – and I don’t want to stop.
It can be very easy for a puzzle game this complex Lorelei and the laser eyes to become frustrating, and I certainly felt that a lot. But it never pushed me past that point and made me quit. Despite his madness, I know the logic is there. I just need to find the right perspective. Lorelei and the laser eyes It may have broken my brain, but somehow it rebuilt my brain into something even stronger.
Lorelei and the laser eyes will be released on May 16 on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC via Steam Deck using a pre-release download code from Annapurna Interactive. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. You can find Additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.