Simogo and Annapurna Interactive launch this week. Lorelai and Laser EyesThe developer’s first game since Sayonara Wild Heart, on Nintendo Switch and Steam worldwide. I wrote some initial thoughts about the game here. Ahead of this release (and playing on Switch) we spoke with Simogo co-founder Simon Flesser about the game, inspiration, Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck work, port possibilities, physical release, music, coffee, and more. I will be posting a full review of Lorelei and the Laser Eyes Switch in the future. It took a little more time, but it felt fundamentally perfect on the Switch’s OLED screen and was an amazing experience for the time I invested.
Touch Arcade (TA): I usually start by asking for an introduction, but regular TouchArcade readers are familiar with Simogo and your top-rated games. Instead, please tell us a bit about how Simogo has been doing over the past few years, working with Annapurna Interactive after self-publishing games across multiple platforms.
Simon Placer (SF): It was both a good thing and a difficult thing. Sayonara Wild Hearts was a difficult project, and it only got more difficult as we worked on it. Lorelei and Laser Eyes, on the other hand, were mostly fun for the team to work on. Even though a lot of the completed work was thrown away as the project changed and redirected significantly, it was a much more enjoyable and creative process, and I think it made our team stronger.
Attaching the collar: I recently wrote about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, one of the most fascinating puzzle games I’ve played in a long time. The release date is now (based on when this interview was conducted). How have you been working on the game over the past few months?
SF: Over the past 5-6 months, we have mainly focused on implementing game localization and translation. Because the game has a lot of text and displays it in many different ways, this is a complex and very manual process.
Attaching the collar: I’ve always considered every Simogo game worth experiencing, regardless of how someone feels about a particular genre, because of the creativity on display. What was the inspiration for Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?
SF: Movies like L’Année dernière à Marienbad, books like Magus, the works of Paul Auster, traditional adventure games, and video games like Resident Evil, Zelda, and Metroid. We were also inspired by the trend of open world games in general, but instead wanted to create an intimate world rather than an open one.
Attaching the collar: Simogo has developed some of the most interesting games, with Device 6 and Year Walk being the most common examples. For those who don’t know much about Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, why do you think this game is worth experiencing for newcomers to the genre?
SF: Even if the puzzles are difficult, you never get stuck. The game is non-linear and there are so many unique puzzles and interactions to discover, so there’s always something new to do. And the more you discover, the more you understand how everything is connected and the more you can solve the mystery. We’ve seen people who normally don’t play video games become completely fascinated by them.
Attaching the collar: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is very simple to control, but has quite complex puzzles. What made you want your game to only have character movement and one interaction button for everything?
SF: There were many reasons. We always want to challenge established control standards and explore how things can be done differently. Condensing all interactions into just one input was an interesting design exercise. We called this design the “always forward” design. This means players can’t magically undo or reverse anything, they can’t skip steps, they have to take the same path they came in, and we wanted 100% success. A consistent design where all interactions are created identically.
We also wanted this game to be playable for anyone who has never used a controller before, and we also wanted it to be playable with one hand or less.
Attaching the collar: I found that some puzzles required me to cycle through several numbers or tabs. Are there any plans to make this easier to do on the controller?
SF: no. We want the game to feel intentional and for players to commit to their choices.
Attaching the collar: You’ve posted in the past about how great Lorelei and Laser Eyes feel on the Switch and Steam Deck. The former even runs at 60fps and native resolution on Nintendo’s hybrid system. Was Lorelei and the Laser Eyes developed for Switch from the beginning?
SF: That’s right. Switch has always been the primary platform for gaming. It’s a great system to develop on because you can take it on the go and test your builds. Games like Lorelei and Laser Eyes in particular required a lot of testing due to non-linearity and random generation elements.
Attaching the collar: Speaking of Switch, Nintendo has featured Lorelei and Laser Eyes a few times in its current showcase. It was definitely the highlight of the recent Japanese showcase. How important have these instructions been to you over the years?
SF: We really enjoyed having our game included, and it was nice to see the Japanese version. I can’t tell you how important this is to the game. Since I’m not a marketer, I try not to focus too much on numbers.
Attaching the collar: Sayonara Wild Hearts is out live via iam8bit and it’s pretty damn good. I bought it twice on both platforms because it’s one of my favorites. What should we expect from a potential Lorelei and the Laser Eyes actual release?
SF: There are no immediate plans as of now, but I hope it’s something I can do in the future.
Attaching the collar: Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is available only on Switch and PC. Are there any plans to eventually release it on mobile or other consoles?
SF: There are no immediate plans for other consoles and there is no possibility of a mobile release, but who knows.
Attaching the collar: What was it like working on the Steam Deck pre-release for Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?
SF: It just works. Protons seem like some kind of black magic to us. The game has been deck verified, but Proton 9 did introduce some minor visual issues into the game, so for now we recommend setting Lorelei and Laser Eyes to launch with Proton 7 for how we intend the game to look.
Attaching the collar: Were there any recent puzzle games or any of your favorite genres that inspired Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?
SF: I’m always trying to play new and interesting games, but I’m rarely directly inspired by a new game. But I think it can be interesting to play something new, understand the reasoning behind its design, and try to think about its structure.
Attaching the collar: I remember meeting Gordon in India in 2013. There I received the Year Walk soundtrack on CD and a few pins. In the case of Sayonara
Wild Hearts had vinyl and cassette releases. Are there any plans to do something similar to Lorelei and the Laser Eyes?
SF: We hope to somehow be able to physically release the soundtrack in the future.
Attaching the collar: After playing Lorelei and the Laser Eyes on the Steam Deck, I kept thinking about how much I wanted to play it again later using the PS5’s DualSense and the iPad’s touch controls. This isn’t a question, but I’m just expressing interest in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes hitting more platforms like the Xbox or Xbox One. I hope the game is ported successfully so more people can experience it.
SF: It already has a very nice, subtle resonance on Switch!
Attaching the collar: It’s been over 10 years since my last interview. Since then, a lot has changed, not only in Simogo but also in mobile gaming as a whole. Are there any plans to revisit older titles and bring them to other platforms?
SF: We’re always looking for ways to preserve our games, but simply porting a game to another platform doesn’t make sense for a game designed for mobile. We’ve been talking for years about creating a collection of sorts. Who knows what the future holds?
Attaching the collar: What have you been playing lately other than Simogo’s titles?
SF: I think Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima is truly a hidden gem. I also enjoyed the remake of Famicom Detective: The Girl Who Stands Behind, Silent Hill 1 and 2, and the Gameboy Color version of Deja Vu.
Attaching the collar: How about coffee?
SF: Black and medium strong. I think I drank at least five drinks a day. Now I only drink one glass, or sometimes none at all, but I enjoy that glass a lot more than the five I had in my previous life.
I would like to thank Simon Flesser, Simogo, and Karolina Kecki from fortyseven communications for their time and assistance.
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