I can’t help but think of the game Lake when playing Leila, a point and click puzzle title from Ubik Studios. It’s not that the games share much similarities in gameplay or aesthetics, but rather that feeling of living life through another’s eyes and seeing the comparisons to my own. Lake allowed me to live an idyllic version of a life I often fantasise about upon my eventual retirement, whereas Leila is a more direct comparison to growing up and the daily ups and downs of being an adult and everything that comes with it. It’s a charming game to play, and one that will stick in my mind for sometime to come.
We play as the titular Leila as she reminisces about key points in her life up until the point that we meet her. Gifted a sort of futuristic VR headset, she can explore her memories in vivid detail, and we get to explore four pivotal moments alongside her.
We do this in the form of mostly straightforward point and click puzzles. One early example has us hunting around a cafe for hidden shapes that are cleverly hidden in plain sight. These are then dragged to Leila’s laptop at her table, prompting her to talk about another aspect of her life, hopes, and dreams. Elsewhere, we’re hunting out toys to put away, creating a game of Telephone, or helping Leila literally take her outward-facing mask off (not one for the squeamish, though Ubik do give players a heads up and let them skip the chapter should they wish).
Throughout the couple of hours it takes to complete Leila, we’re kept constantly engaged by not just the variety in the puzzle concepts, but also a compellingly told story complete with full voice acting, excellent 2D animation and a wonderful soundtrack. The presentation was what initially caught our eye, but through the game we’re constantly treated to new and wonderful visuals and audio.
And for me, the tale told really did grab me in a way I didn’t expect, giving me plenty of room to consider Leila’s situations and compare and contrast with my own, from the struggles of growing up to the sometimes banal nature of everyday adult life. It’s quite the thought-provoking experience, and I’d recommend playing it in one sitting to get the most out of it.
Played on console (as I did for this review) the only real issue is one of the input; dragging a mouse cursor around a screen with an analogue stick is never tremendous fun, and unfortunately I couldn’t get a mouse to work with the game. It’s functional, but clearly a less ideal way of playing, especially for certain puzzles that require a lot of quick back and forth movement or long drags.
Conclusion
After being drawn in by some eye-catching artwork, Leila backed it up with an engaging story and fun puzzles, albeit hampered by controller inputs rather than a mouse. This niggle aside, Leila is an easy recommend for those looking for an evening of puzzles alongside some heartfelt, thought-provoking storytelling.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
