Annapurna-published puzzler Lorelei and the Laser Eyes features a broken world and a big secret
"There is a lot of reading."
Simogo's Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a game about "unravelling a big secret".
A new trailer for the game was shown at the recent Annapurna Showcase, but with its abstract aesthetic it's difficult to ascertain exactly how the game will play.
That was intentional, however. "We aim to try to raise questions, instead of answering them," said game director Simon Flesser. "We want to make viewers wonder, and think."
Flesser did provide a few details on what the game will entail.
"Gameplay wise, Lorelei is a game mostly played in third person in which you non-linearly explore one big space to find and solve puzzles to progress," he said. "During the game you encounter a cast of characters you can interact with, and lots of other small focused puzzle interactions, and objects like locks, cameras, video games inside the game, computers, books, magazines and such.
"There is a lot of reading."
Puzzles will form the backbone of the game, though there won't be strict linear progression. So far the team has created close to 150 puzzles, but the aim is for players to discuss solutions together.
"There's quite a big variety of puzzles, and for many we have designed them in a way that makes them scrambled or randomised for your playthrough," said Flesser. "We want to invite players to talk to each other about how to solve puzzles, instead of just going online and finding the answer."
Just as with Simogo's other games (Device 6, Year Walk) Lorelei and the Laser Eyes will feature a distinctive art style. And this was developed in direct contrast to the vibrancy of previous game Sayonara Wild Hearts.
"Even before this game had started, we decided that the next game should be black and white, because I struggled so much with colours during the Sayonara Wild Hearts project," said Flasser.
"Then, as some sort of idea started to form about a story, I wanted to try and make something that would feel like a 3D collage, a fragmented memory world. So I wanted to intentionally mix styles, using photographs, low-polygon geometry, line-rendering, and distinct sharp shading on higher res-characters. We also worked a lot to quickly be able to change rendering styles without loading, to further sell the idea of a broken world."
That's all for now. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is yet to receive a release date, but is coming to Switch and Steam. When that will be - and how its broken world all fits together - remains an enigma.