*currently re-editing* Review based on v1.0.3
I've finished the game and here is my analysis.
***NO SPOILERS***
Story
The premise of the game is that our "hero" Larry Laffer is transported (as part of the story) from 1987 into a modern society, where he is introduced to smartphones, social media, and hipsters.
Presentation
•The art style, character graphics, and sound are well produced and blend together seamlessly.
•Has a high quality feel that reminds me a lot of classic LucasArts point-and-click adventures.
•There are five main locations each with a subset of areas within, not counting the last act of the game, which isn't accessible from the map.
•The game features approximately 27 unique and well designed characters, seven of which are love interests.
•There is no narrator.
Sounds and Voices
•The voice acting is first-rate. The music is good. And sound effects are minimal.
•Jan Rabson makes his return to voice Larry. He also makes all comments (as Larry) regarding looking/interacting with people and objects.
•We are also introduced to Pi, a Siri like female AI in our smartphone who also makes occasional comments during the game.
The Girls
•The girls are pretty (some more than others), and overall stereotypes of modern young women.
•I do wish that there was more girls (as there are only 7).
•The game lacks the first person interactions when talking to love interests. These were a tradition throughout the Larry series which should have been included here.
Humor
•I laughed out loud several times during my playthrough. It has an adult oriented yet tongue-in-cheek style similar to the classic Larry series. For anyone new to the series, keep in mind you need to have a juvenile sense of humor for this.
•The game is absolutely not politically correct. So if you're easily offended, avoid it. However, the game is tongue-in-cheek, so if you're seeking offensive content, you will probably be disappointed.
Writing
•The writing is good, though I do wish that the love interests had more backstory and dialog with Larry.
•One thing that really bugged me, was that most of Larry's dialogue tree replies are met with the same reaction no matter which response you clicked, giving a false sense of controlling the conversation.
•It should also be noted that there are a few f-bombs in the game, which to me seemed a little out of place in the series.
•Even though the locations look great and have quite a bit of detail; due to the minimal amount of points-of-interest and the lack of possible mouse actions; all of those funny little dialogues that you were rewarded with for thoroughly exploring the older games are sadly absent.
Graphics
The backgrounds and characters are colorful, detailed and blend well together. Some people have complained that the game is too pink/purple, but I thought it was a pleasant and appropriate color scheme for the game.
Animation
Some of the animation in the game is good; background elements move, characters fidget naturally, giving them a lively appearance, and Larry looks good as he walks around the screen and reacts to the girls in the game.
However, Larry's animation is lacking when interacting with anyone or anything. For example, Larry has the same animation for any environmental interaction, whether he's flipping a switch, or turning a crank. He simply puts his hand out, to indicate that he's interacting with something. And when Larry gives a quest item to a character, he presents his empty hands to them, making the animation redundant. It gives the impression of placeholders for animations that were never finished.
Gameplay
The gameplay consists of a simple mouse scheme:
Left Click: Talk/Interact
Right Click: Look
Scroll Wheel (Up/Down): Show Inventory
Scroll Wheel (Click): Show Interactive Hot-Spots
The overall feel of the gameplay is good. Double clicking on doorways causes Larry to instantly go through them without waiting for his walk animation across the screen. Use of the scroll wheel for inventory makes selecting items quick and easy.
There are not a lot of locations in the game, so you will spend a lot of time traversing back and forth through the same areas as the game progresses.
The store page claims controller support, but this has been confirmed false by the developer and is said to be planned for a future update.
As a Puzzle Game
A lot of the puzzles are simplistic and you will probably see them coming as soon as the items and situations present themselves. I found myself stuck a few times but managed to finish the game without seeking any hints due in part to the game (thankfully) not having any "How the hell was I supposed to know to do that"? puzzle solutions.
Despite the puzzles being pretty straight-forward, an in-game hint system would have been welcome, or at least an objectives check list.
Overall Impression
•A good Larry game that is a bit simplified when compared to the true classics, but is ultimately hindered by a bizarre and out of place final act and an ending that will have you asking "What?! That's it!?" as the credits roll.
•Leaves the impression of being underfunded or rushed for release, which is a shame, because it really feels like this game was made for Larry fans, by Larry fans.
Post edited November 21, 2018 by djdarko
