Lorelai

this is the third & final game from harvester games that i've completed, and it's definitely more of the same from the developer. if you've played the previous two games you'll know if you want this one or not, or if you know you want one, you'll likely want the others and will buy the whole trilogy.

Absolutely excellent. All three games (including the fourth called Burnhouse Lane) are psychological horror genres. And as such, every choice has consequences.

You solve simple puzzles, interact with others, and get to decide whether u wanna do good actions or not in certain situations, all whilst defying death.
I'd say the story was okay.
They included metal so that's an immediate 10/10 for music :)
It's a short game, took me about 8 hours to complete it.

It's a mediocre finale, but it's okay

goated

To be fair I wish I liked this game more. Don't get me wrong, it's still a great game with gorgerous visuals and banger soundtrack, I also love the fact that we see some cameos of old friends and places from previous games, but I feel like the story is going too fast (the first chapter literally goes from 0 to 100). Some characters would benefit from having a little bit more depth, like for example Zack having any other traits than being a geek and head over hills for the mc. But overall it's worth playing and gives a decent closure for the whole trilogy.

So far Lorelei became my favourite game from the trilogy.
Maybe it is about more colorful visual style or story that hits home or characters you empathize and simpathize. But does the reason really matter?
First of all, voice cast is absolutlety amazing, all actors did great job.
"Blood filled tears" by Maisy Kay perfectly fits the mood and actually gives me some vibes of Elfen Lied even tho there is nothing similar in the storyline.
I also admired little easter eggs, references and memes about other famous games/music bands.
Not much games reched to me emotionally, but Lorelai did.
Don't want to spoil the story - you rather play it yourself.

I played The Cat Lady before this game and I was surprised to see my Susan here! This game is a little shorter than The Cat Lady a bit (or because it was me playing too fast) but the quality has not changed at all. The only thing about this game that I don't like is the autosave it has... Because I want to explore all the ending and the story it will turn out so I want to go back without replaying the whole game. That's the only mechanism that causes trouble. Great at usual! Although I freaked up Al and Jimmy... still got golden ending at my first try!

Eu particulamente achei bem diferente de The cat lady e os outros jogos da empresa. Não que seja ruim, só achei um pouco mais fraco em questão a história. Parece que tentaram muito fazer algo profundo e não rolou nesse jogo, mas não deixa de ser algo divertido e com uma temática de terror interessante.

fuck you john

A great sequel to an even greater game, and a good game to end the triology.
Probably the tamest in terms of dark vibes and gore, yet somehow it hits you with the horrors of the real world the most. I'd say the saddest entry of the three for sure.
10/10

Hits the spot. Kinda... soothing.

TLDR: A disappointing finale. This game feels much more like a ‘choose your own adventure’ type interactive fiction than a game type one.

General Thoughts/Overview:

Lorelai is the closing whimper of the devil came through here series. Having played Downfall, I eagerly put Lorelai and The Cat Lady on my list of games to play. It was a brooding and deeply thoughtful piece. This… well, this just isn’t.

We are Lorelai, a teen that didn’t make it into university and has just embarked on the grand adventure of minimum wage service work, and on our very first day a ghost has told us we’re going to die; and we shouldn’t make a deal with the devil when we do.

Quite an opener. As far as stories go, this one has its darkness and if you’ve played any of the other games in the series you’ll know the kind of themes.

Mechanically the game is a sort of point and click adventure, only highly simplified. Run left or right, press buttons to interact with objects when any are available. Mostly it is about choices, but they aren’t hard choices.
But we’re flying ever so close to pros and cons, so let’s dive in to the best and the worst.

Pros:

• The voice acting and sound design is really quite good.
  
• The art and style, while not to my personal taste, is done well and has attention to detail and a lot of care gone in to making the world feel bleakly alive.
  
• The misery porn story line (or “psychological despair narrative” if you’d prefer a fancier description) captures poverty voyeurism at its absolute bleakest. So if it’s a pathos driven story experience you’re after, oh boy has this got it in spades.
  

Cons:

• The editing in this is simply shocking.
  
  1. It doesn’t matter how well a voice line is delivered when its cut together so poorly it feels unnatural and dragged out.
  2. I don’t want 5 minutes of unskippable cutscenes for every 45 seconds of gameplay.
  3. The music, while lovely and fitting, is overly used. It’s meant to bring a dramatic tension, but it becomes comically annoying. Especially with how badly balanced it is, in stark contrast to the general sound design.
  
  The poor editing choices make the game a chore to play. There was a scene on the Simpsons many years ago, where Homer calls a premium phone line to get gambling advice. The voice on the phone is speaking with comically long pauses as Homer becomes more frustrated waiting for the information. That is the essence of Lorelai.
  
• Lorelai is dull, where it should be impactful. There are no questions being asked, no morale quandaries, no twists or turns, no complexity, not even a sense of creeping dread. It’s the equivalent of telling someone you’re going to a haunted house experience, when last time you took them to a mansion where they encountered a series of puzzles and horrors and a sense of existential dread. So they’re super excited, but this time you put them on a badly designed rail where a single guy in a paper vampire mask shouts “BLAH!” at you, then you see him running to the next corner, to hide poorly and shout “BLAH” again… for four hours.
  
• Possibly a result of the poor editing, but the inconsistencies in the world really drove me mental. The lack of character development, the way we’re sort of expected to use our previous knowledge from other games in the series to ‘know’ the situation while the characters within know nothing… it all contributed to robbing the experience of meaning. The constant dated references to the real world didn’t help either.
  

Suggested improvements:

• Fix the bugs! Lorelai moonwalked, disappeared off screen, had missing dialogue lines, and stuttered in movement quite often.
  
• Add an animation skip, so I can skip the pretentious, overly scored, and uninteresting cutscenes which make up the majority of the time spent in-game.
  
[*] re-edit the gaps between voice lines to be significantly tighter. Those extra seconds while the game hunts for its line are painful when added up.

Overall Recommendation:
An overall recommendation for Lorelai is quite difficult, and it really depends on what you’re after from a game.

This game isn’t for people who really enjoy hard choices. It isn’t for people who need a tight and smooth mechanical experience, and get irritable when it’s slow. It isn’t for people after a happy hopeful world filled with the power of hope.

Lorelai is for you if what you want is pathos. It’s for you if you want a choose your path type story. Its for you if you want to visit a dark and bleak world.

Ultimately for me I think this is a no. It didn’t bring anything new to the table, it didn’t ask any interesting questions, and it felt like a slog to get through. So much so I’m not sure I’ll ever do another run to hoover up those missing achievements, despite being able to skip every dialogue and not needing the whole 4 hours.

My curator page with reviews by genre. In case you want to find more games, or even reviews, like this one.

I enjoyed this game far more than I expected. More cinematic and scenic than the previous two games. Very amusing to find easter eggs from the previous two games. The overall feel is less creepy and more hopeful which makes sense to conclude the trilogy about mental illness.

Great upgrade in a visual sense, but the story is like a remastered version of The Cat Lady, with younger protagonist, very much like Susan, but naive. The story lost something, in my opinion. Seems a little less extreme, you can feel the hope. Wouldn't call it my personal favorite, still, I recommend buying this one.

SUSAN'S CAMEO OMGG

This game will break your heart.

very good game

Initially, I was skeptical about the gameplay and design, but as soon as I started playing, I found myself completely immersed in the story, and I even started liking the design as I went along. The narrative is captivating and filled with unexpected twists that keep you engaged throughout. It’s not overly challenging, so you won’t get stuck for long. I also appreciated the music used in game, from various underground bands and artists, it fit perfectly. Though it’s not a traditional point-and-click game (you navigate using a keyboard or joystick), I highly recommend it to anyone who loves point-and-click adventures, especially fans of horror and a good story. For me, it’s a solid 10 out of 10!

I love this game so much.

Story writing, characters, elements and setting are all interesting. This is an experience that is en-joyful for those looking for it.

The content is SO DARK but the style is amazing and I loved playing this. It's almost cathartic.

A deeply emotional story with great characters and design

Interesting little adventure game with a very emotional story.

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Sad and broken stories for sad and broken people.

Great story with even greater visuals

If you liked The Cat Lady and Downfall, you will like Lorelai. It is a dark and sometimes depressing game, just like the other two, but in spite of that, I enjoyed playing it.

Lorelai Review

Wendrex wrote:

Introduction
Developed by Harvester Games and released on April 26, 2019, Lorelai is a psychological thriller and point-and-click adventure game that immerses players in a complex and engaging narrative. With an approach that combines mystery, psychological horror, and an intriguing story, Lorelai offers a deep and atmospheric experience that is both challenging and thrilling. This game stands out for its ability to create an environment of constant tension, while leading players to explore a dark and multifaceted plot.

Graphics and Design
Lorelai's aesthetic is striking and effective in creating the desired atmosphere. The game adopts pixel art that is both stylized and detailed, capturing the essence of a psychological thriller with a sense of nostalgia. The images are sharp and evoke a sense of unease and mystery that is central to the narrative.

Settings range from claustrophobic apartments and hallways to larger, more disturbing locations, such as ancient castles and dark environments. Each environment is designed with attention to detail, creating a world that feels alive and sinister. Lighting and shadows are used effectively to heighten the sense of tension and fear, while smooth animations contribute to immersion.

Gameplay
Lorelai’s gameplay is centered around a point-and-click approach, typical of classic adventure games, but with an added depth that enriches the experience. Players take on the role of Lorelai and must explore environments, interact with characters, and solve puzzles to advance the story.

The puzzles are well-crafted and integrated into the narrative, requiring critical thinking and attention to detail. Each challenge is designed to fit within the context of the story without interrupting the flow of the game. The choice and consequence system adds an extra layer of complexity, allowing players’ decisions to influence the unfolding of the story and the final outcome.

The interface is intuitive and the controls are responsive, allowing players to focus on solving mysteries and exploring the environments without getting lost in complicated mechanics.

Story and Plot
Lorelai’s narrative is engaging and well-structured, exploring themes of trauma, mystery, and psychological horror. The game follows Lorelai, a protagonist who finds herself immersed in a series of disturbing and surreal events. The story is told through dialogue, interactions, and discoveries throughout the game, providing a gradual understanding of the plot and characters.

The plot is full of twists and turns and mysteries, keeping players constantly intrigued and motivated to discover what will happen next. The character development is deep, and the plot is skillfully constructed to create an emotionally impactful and immersive experience.

Audio and Soundtrack
Lorelai’s soundtrack is atmospheric and perfectly complements the game’s narrative and atmosphere. The music is dark and evocative, helping to create a sense of tension and unease that is essential to the psychological thriller experience.

Sound effects are used effectively to heighten immersion, from subtle ambient sounds to the effects that accompany important events and player actions. The audio quality is high and contributes significantly to the overall mood of the game.

Replayability and Conclusion
Lorelai’s replayability is considerable due to its branching narrative and multiple possible endings. The choices made by players have a direct impact on the unfolding of the story and the outcome, offering different perspectives and experiences with each new playthrough.

In summary, Lorelai is a remarkable gaming experience that combines a complex narrative, atmospheric graphics, and challenging gameplay. Released by Harvester Games on April 26, 2019, the game stands out for its ability to create a deep sense of mystery and unease, while providing an immersive and rewarding experience for fans of point-and-click adventures and psychological thrillers.

I hope this review provides a clear and positive insight into the qualities of Lorelai and highlights what makes the game special!

cat lady fans rejoice

make sure you have lots of chocolate, painkillers and antidepressants with you while playing this game.

Good little story

很棒的游戏，好玩。英语程度不难。

I really like Cat Lady and knew I would like this game as well. This is a short game but you can get multiple endings so it's worth playing more then once. Sound Track is awesome! This game does a great job in having you see the perspective of many life struggles in different ways at the same time Reminding you what you see in a person isn't always what it seems. Must Play...

This game was such a letdown for me.

I initially bought it as a bundle after playing The Cat Lady a bit. I don't regret supporting the developers/writers because Downfall and The Cat Lady are beloved games of mine. Downfall I even went back to try to achieve the different endings - but I'm not sure I have the motivation to do the same here.

All the games are dark, sure, mental health motif and all... but it feels like there's just not really any humor or hope.
- Nothing surprised me. Nothing shocked me. Were there any twists?
- I feel like I've had more gameplay from visual novels... quite literally? I didn't notice anybody else mention that this seems like a long movie rather than a game.

As a story?
- Who are these people? Why should I care?
- Who is the Queen of Maggots really? Did we develop her character further? No, I think we simplified her. Made her flatter as a character. I think what was done with the QoM here is an absolute shame and a waste of her character. She should have gone through with her word, but frankly it wouldn't have mattered. Either way, the two die, and either way, you can save them.
- Who is Jimmy? Are there more people with supernatural powers? Why is he dream traveling? How? I didn't want to listen to him but the game made me. He did less than the QoM to make me trust him and yet I'm killing her because what? Her body looks monstrous and she eats mannequins?

This game didn't challenge me. It wasn't difficult. There weren't hard choices and choices didn't matter much anyway as far as I could tell. I died repeatedly, and there were no consequences for it. Also I know why we seem impossible to kill - we are, but why is the stepdad so hard to kill? Also this might just be me, or even nitpicking, but his character doesn't feel consistent to me as far as motivations, beliefs, and behavior. It just felt like things were ultimately nonsensical and pointless. Shallow.

Maybe I only noticed how many cut scenes there were because the story felt so hollow to me. I wish it moved me like other games have, but it didn't. It was just a boring, bleak movie.

If you are hoping for a game like The Cat Lady and Downfall, this isn't it. And I suspect it would have more thumbs down (not recommended) if it weren't for those prior two games being great enough that we all have positive feelings towards the creators. They made such beautiful art and story lines. Such beautiful metaphors and symbols. I genuinely hope they create more.