Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
A puzzle adventure game set in a mysterious hotel.
Where Lorelei and the Laser Eyes comes up1 episode or test
- Locked doors, boxes, safes, clocks everywhere
- Secrets swamp the player
- Each open lock adds mental load
- Loose ends doled out slowly
- Spread across the map
- Dev tracks what dangles at once
Limit how many open mysteries players juggle at once
From Billy Basso quote on Animal Well
What was said about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes buries players under too many open mysteries. The game fills its hotel with locked doors, boxes, safes and clocks, so its secrets swamp the player. Each unresolved lock adds mental load, and too many at once become overwhelming.
Animal Well is the contrast: Billy Basso deliberately doles out loose ends slowly across the map. His stated approach: "I am conscious of how many things I am dangling in front of the player at any given time." The lesson is to limit how many open mysteries a player must juggle at once.
What Makes a Game Feel Mysterious?
It has so many locked doors, boxes, safes and clocks that its secrets swamp the player.
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes buries players under too many open mysteries. The game fills its hotel with locked doors, boxes, safes and clocks, so its secrets swamp the player. Each unresolved lock adds mental load, and too many at once become overwhelming.
Animal Well is the contrast: Billy Basso deliberately doles out loose ends slowly across the map. His stated approach: "I am conscious of how many things I am dangling in front of the player at any given time." The lesson is to limit how many open mysteries a player must juggle at once.
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