It’s been an exceptional year for puzzle games. Between the mind-bending Animal Well, thoughtful Arranger, absorbing Proverbs, and more, there seems to be a puzzle game for every kind of player. But there’s one that’s stayed in my mind above all others throughout 2024, and it’s now playable on PlayStation 5.
From the very start, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes lets you know you’re in for something unique. Playing as a yet-unnamed woman, you begin next to your car in the forest. In the car is the game’s instruction manual, and songs from previous games by developer Simogo can be heard on the radio. There’s a tampon in your purse and meters monitoring your caffeine intake and how full your bladder is in the menu. Nearby, a sign spells out the forest’s history in detail. Already, you’re being fed more information than you can probably hold in your memory, and what you’ve been given is a mix of red herrings and clues that may come into play a dozen hours from now.
In other ways, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes might sound like a pretty traditional puzzle game. You’re stuck in a creepy hotel and most of the game is taken up by finding number combinations to unlock various doors. But it uses that simple premise to craft a story of art and obsession, demanding that you constantly change how you think about the puzzles before you and what they might add up to. By the end of the game, any sense of normalcy will be shattered as you travel through time, seek visions from mystics, and even debug a series of video games to find the answers you need.
While the solutions to Lorelei’s puzzles are often one of a few repeating numbers, never in my 30-ish hours with the game did I feel the joy of solving them wane. Lorelei is the kind of game where discovering the solution to a puzzle is often just the beginning, because it’s rarely as simple as punching in the right combination. Times, dates, even maps and secret codes are hidden within numbers, and Lorelei asks you to consider them all. Reading clues in your environment and stretching your mind to encompass every possible meaning they could hold is the core of Lorelei, and I came out of it with a considerable sense of wonder at the idea that I’d been able to make it through at all.
On top of its tricky puzzles, which will stick with you even when you’re not playing, leading to plenty of eureka moments in the shower or in line at the grocery store, Lorelei has a fascinating tale to tell. At first, it doesn’t seem like much of note is going on. A creepy man has invited you to collaborate on a mysterious art project in the hotel, and you’re poking around its rooms in the meantime. But as you make your way through the labyrinthine hotel, you’ll unravel the story of a group of artists, performers, and cultists, all seeking their own path to some form of perfection and immortality. Even characters’ identities are closely guarded secrets to be unearthed with great effort. Like its puzzles, Lorelei’s story is a tangled affair, and only by paying careful attention and considering every possibility, no matter how outlandish, will you piece it together in the end.
It may not be the most important part of the game, but the fact that Lorelei is so gorgeous just adds to the experience. A far cry from Simogo’s vibrant Sayonara Wild Hearts, Lorelei is rendered in black and white, punctuated by shades of ominously glowing red. The stripped-down aesthetic keeps the focus on the clues scattered about the hotel, while lending an otherworldly quality to everything you see. Its use of music is equally sparse, with its soundtrack mostly providing subtle ambiance, and only in rare occasions bubbling up to an emotional crescendo.
When Lorelei landed on PC and Nintendo Switch earlier this year, it was met with rave reviews. Now that it’s available on PS4 and PS5, a whole new group of players will be able to check out what may be the best game of 2024. It’s been a crowded year, for puzzle games and games in general, but in the final month of 2024, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes could not be more worth your time.
