Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Preview – Preview

Truth be told, there isn’t a lot I can tell you specifically about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. I’ve played a few hours of the game on my Steam Deck, where it’s been enchanting and mesmerizing. The developer Simogo previously released the glorious music masterpiece Sayonara Wild Hearts on Switch in 2019, with their previous notable Nintendo appearance before then being the now-lost-media Wii U version of Year Walk. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes has been something I’ve wanted to spend time with since it was announced because Simogo doesn’t miss.

So far so good. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes lives up to the hype. It’s baffling at times, demanding your full attention and if you want to go full hog into it, a place to take notes. You control a woman who begins outside of a European hotel trying to solve a mystery. That mystery sometimes seems straightforward but it’s anything but. You have to explore the areas around you to find whatever details you can muster to piece together the primary mystery and more, as everything is not as seemingly straightforward. It’s daunting and I was especially tickled by Simogo’s commentary in a press letter where the team admitted that they don’t expect every player to finish it. That admission might seem bizarre, but it’s refreshing to hear a developer say that in a world where most statistics say that the majority of players don’t finish games.

The embargo prohibits me from going into too many details, so pardon if a focus on my feelings in a vague manner feels awkward. I haven’t felt this way about a game since Fez, which was the last game where I primarily played it with a notebook next to me. The actual mechanics aren’t comparable to the platforming in Fez, but the weird meta background elements have a lot in common with Lorelei. The amount of a-ha moments I’ve had in the early goings have been incredibly rewarding, connecting the arcane dots together and figuring out smaller solutions as part of the greater whole. I’m looking forward to diving deeper into this beguiling locale. Who knows if I’ll buck Simogo’s predictions and finish this game, but regardless I expect to be satisfied and entranced.

Now you all can feel my feelings and take the challenge of seeing if you can actually figure this game out as the release date is confirmed to be May 16. Get your pen and paper ready to figure out the mysterious machinations of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes.