Resident Evil has spawned a seemingly endless array of horror imitators, but the best game inspired by the 1996 classic doesn’t even belong to the same genre. Survival horror mechanics are a big part of Resident Evil, and the fear of running out of shotgun shells as you criss-cross the first game’s Spencer Mansion is a defining element of its gameplay loop. The use of interconnecting puzzles throughout the mansion, however, might offer an even more interesting foundation to build on.
I’m not the only person who thinks this, and the existence of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is proof. Set in an equally mysterious manor, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes cuts the monsters and goes all in on the puzzles. Well over a year after playing the game, I’m still not sure of all its secrets, but I’m certain that it’s the heir that Resident Evil always deserved.
Lorelei And The Laser Eyes Leans Into Resident Evil’s Puzzles
Time For A Real Mental Workout
If you want a puzzle game that feels like Resident Evil, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is the obvious choice. An eclectic variety of camera angles recalls Resident Evil‘s presentation of the Spencer Mansion, and one part of the game embraces a low-poly style in an even more direct homage. Lorelei takes inspiration from a broad range of sources, including films like Last Year at Marienbad and books like John Fowles’ The Magus, but Resident Evil is one of the most obvious.
Puzzles in the original Resident Evil are, on their own, rarely puzzles at all. For the most part, you’re just using an object in the place where it would obviously be used. The real puzzle is in the way that these things interconnect, which will require you to search every nook and cranny to know your next step.
Puzzles in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes are, on the other hand, puzzles through and through. On their own, they’re often fairly simple, but certainly not to the same degree as Resident Evil‘s. Add an even denser level of interconnectivity, and you’re looking at a confounding web of brain-teasers. You won’t have to worry about jump scares, but make no mistake, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is the harder game.
Focusing On Puzzles Makes Lorelei Even Better
The Only Monster Is Your Mind
While you might miss the combat, playing through Lorelei and the Laser Eyes reveals just how much it’s able to accomplish by getting rid of it. Ratcheting up the puzzle complexity without excising the enemies would quickly become tedious. When the hallways are always free of threats, traipsing back and forth in consternation is comparatively frictionless.
As long as you like puzzles, the trade-off is wonderfully worthwhile. The depth and variety of Lorelei‘s puzzles creates a more diverse gameplay experience than shotgunning a repeated handful of monsters. From solving a fractured maze to mastering games within the game, it all goes far beyond ferrying keys and tools around.
Even though it’s not a horror game, this approach allows Lorelei and the Laser Eyes to maintain an even higher degree of tension. Once you learn your way around Resident Evil‘s Spencer Mansion, you tend to stop worrying as much about resources or enemies. Portions of the game can feel like a breeze, and the fear factor drifts away once you’re used to getting jumped from intersecting hallways.
In Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, you are your own worst enemy, and you’re stuck with yourself the whole way through. The manor’s stubborn refusal to make sense is deeply alienating, and there’s no Barry or Rebecca around to provide you with flashes of company. Lorelei‘s weirder moments aren’t explicitly scary, but they leave you more thoroughly adrift.
Lorelei And The Laser Eyes Is An Incredible RE Successor
The Perfect Postmodern Resident Evil
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes was my favorite game of 2024, edging out competitors that include Crow Country, another game that was heavily inspired by Resident Evil. The more I’ve sat on it, the more I’ve become convinced that it’s one of my favorite games of all time. As much as I love Resident Evil, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes takes the concept in a direction that I find more thoroughly fascinating.
If you don’t care about the Resident Evil comparison, there’s no shortage of puzzle games on the market, and plenty of Metroidvanias offer their own complex interconnections. All the same, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is smarter and more stylish than most. It’s the kind of experience that should appear in any argument about games as art, even if it hasn’t earned the fame of Journey or Shadow of the Colossus.
Resident Evil Requiem is just around the corner now, but if you’re looking for something to scratch the Resident Evil itch in the meantime, it might be time to look outside the horror genre. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is one of the few games that truly understands what makes the original Resident Evil work, and it could very well be the only one that knows how to outdo it.
- Released
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May 16, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen Due To Alcohol Reference, Language, Mild Violence, Blood
- Developer(s)
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Simogo
- Publisher(s)
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Annapurna Interactive
- Engine
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Unity
