Leila

Point-and-click adventure fans may be surprised by the more depressing tone of Leila, but the art style, emotional story, and challenging puzzles will carry them through. The game’s themes can feel heavy, but leave the player with a sense of hope.

83%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

grinding, stability

85% User Score Based on 182 reviews

Critic Score 75%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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About

Leila is a single player casual action adventure game with a drama theme. It was developed by Ubik Studios and was released on April 7, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

A story-driven experience with puzzles about a middle-aged woman trying to make peace with herself. Join her in this dive to her mind and travel through memories and traumas. The unique 2d art style, meticulous sound design and hand-drawn animations bring her to life

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85%Audience ScoreBased on 182 reviews

story35 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

Stunning hand-drawn art style with beautiful animations and carefully designed visuals.
Emotionally resonant and introspective narrative exploring themes of identity, trauma, motherhood, and self-forgiveness.
Well-crafted, varied puzzles that integrate with the narrative and provide satisfying challenges.

The story can feel shallow, fragmented, or rushed, leaving some players wanting more depth and cohesion.
Puzzle guidance and hint system are sometimes unclear or inadequate, causing frustration and occasional confusion.
Short gameplay duration with limited replayability and no chapter selection, which can make the experience feel brief.

story
126 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
70%
2%
The story of Leila is a heartfelt and intimate narrative centered on a woman confronting her past, motherhood, and personal growth, with emotional depth conveyed through subtle, relatable moments rather than dramatic twists. While many praise its sincerity, atmosphere, and interplay with puzzles, some find it short, somewhat shallow, and at times lacking a strong payoff or deeper exploration of themes. Overall, the story is appreciated for its emotional resonance and artistic presentation but may feel incomplete or less impactful for those seeking a more profound or complex narrative.
- “There’s a tangible intimacy in how the story is told, as though the game is letting the player into someone’s private thoughts, hesitations, and fears.”
- “The puzzles were all varied and unique which made me excited to engage with it, and the story went in a direction that I didn't think it would (in a good way, if also a way that tugged at my heartstrings) Leila explores the human experience, particularly motherhood and finding yourself and community, in a really heartfelt way.”
- “Leila’s story may seem deeply personal, but it touches something quietly familiar, as if it’s reaching for that silent space we all carry.”
- “Came in with hopeful expectations but the storyline completely failed to tie everything together and provide necessary details.”
- “I am just in complete awe at how poor the story turned out to be.”
- “Honestly nice art, nice puzzles that get you to really think but I expected the story to be way deeper than what it ended up being; it's a nice game to play but don't expect too much from the storyline. It could've been way better if they had a better writer to write the plot.”
graphics
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
41%
5%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their beautiful, hand-drawn art style that creates a cozy yet emotionally impactful atmosphere. The visuals are often described as striking, immersive, and richly detailed, perfectly complementing the narrative and sound design. Overall, the aesthetics stand out as the game’s strongest and most captivating element.
- “The hand-drawn art style is striking but also has a cosy feel to it in some scenes.”
- “The painterly art style is really beautiful, I love the little animations, the creative and interactive mind woods you roam around in, the interactive scenes, etc. Huge plus point is the whole creative input on this game.”
- “The combination of subtle sound design and striking visuals creates a meditative rhythm to the experience, encouraging players to reflect alongside the protagonist.”
- “It's aesthetic but... that's about it.”
- “3/10 game, only for the aesthetic, because it had nothing else to offer.”
- “As it stands, I think the game tried to do three things really well (puzzles + narrative + art style), delivered on one (art style) and kind of gazed longingly at the other two.”
emotional
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Leila delivers a deeply emotional and heartfelt narrative centered on motherhood, self-discovery, and personal trauma, using evocative puzzles and a cozy yet contrasting art style to intensify its impact. Players commonly describe an immersive, soul-stirring experience that evokes reflection, empathy, and occasional tears, though some may find the emotional resonance less personal or the voice acting detracts slightly. Overall, it is praised as a profound, quiet journey that invites players into an intimate, emotional space rarely captured in games.
- “Leila is a deeply personal and emotionally resonant point-and-click puzzle adventure that invites players into the fragmented psyche of its titular character.”
- “The story follows Leila, a woman navigating through different chapters of her life—childhood, adolescence, adulthood—each represented by a distinct visual style and emotional tone.”
- “Players are taken on an emotional journey through Leila’s memories, exploring some deeply personal moments of her life.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
47%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its delicate, melancholic, and emotive qualities, beautifully complementing the narrative and art style. Many players find the soundtrack deeply immersive and soul-touching, enhancing the overall atmosphere and emotional impact. Requests for an official soundtrack release also highlight the strong appreciation for its composition and mood.
- “The soundtrack is delicate and melancholic, composed of soft piano notes and ambient tones that fade in and out like distant echoes.”
- “Most soundtracks from the game felt like they were giving me a hug and a gentle pat on my shoulder, like an embrace.”
- “The music, subtle and atmospheric, feels like an undercurrent of long-buried emotions rising to the surface.”
- “No proper instructions, can't mute the music, just overall meh.”
- “Any plans on releasing the uncompressed soundtrack album on Steam?”
- “Time to time I felt like just stopping to feel the soundtrack of the scene; some of them were incredibly soul-touching, I was astonished.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
62%
9%
The gameplay in this narrative puzzle game is minimalistic and intentionally designed to evoke quiet reflection and emotional storytelling, with varied mechanics that keep the experience fresh. However, many players found the puzzles occasionally frustrating and unclear, often requiring external help due to insufficient in-game guidance and ineffective help features. While the gameplay complements the atmosphere and narrative well, some feel it lacks fluidity and could benefit from more creativity and polish.
- “Very unique game - the main attraction here is the hand-drawn art and the deeply compelling writing, but it also does some clever things with rudimentary gameplay mechanics that I enjoyed.”
- “Rather than relying on conventional gameplay structures or action-heavy sequences, Leila creates an experience centered around quiet reflection, emotional storytelling, and evocative puzzles that feel more like journal entries than traditional challenges.”
- “It offers delightful visuals, an immersive soundtrack, an emotive and heartfelt narrative, and engaging and varied gameplay.”
- “Some puzzles really needed a little more guidance; after clicking around for minutes, I had to check a gameplay video to continue.”
- “The gameplay occasionally dragged, especially during moments where I had to click around aimlessly to figure out what to do next.”
- “I'd say mechanic and puzzle wise it could be more creative and most important the puzzles could be made better.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
The atmosphere is widely praised for its brilliant storytelling, immersive soundscape, and beautiful hand-drawn visuals, creating a cozy and emotionally rich experience. The game's slow pacing encourages players to fully absorb its aesthetics and narrative, making it a standout aspect.
- “The story never hurries; instead, it gradually builds atmosphere, encouraging players to slow down and absorb each scene’s visual cues, soundscape, and emotional weight.”
- “The hand-drawn visuals, atmospheric sound design, and strong voice acting come together to create a compelling experience.”
- “The atmosphere, aesthetics, sounds and story are super cozy right now, I can tell this will be my comfort game for a while.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is noted for some achievements that require extensive effort and exploration, with a few being particularly grindy. While most challenges encourage experimentation, certain tasks may feel tedious to players.
- “But the story wasn't for me; the choices the main character made caused me to lose empathy for her halfway through, and there were a few annoying puzzles and grindy achievements.”
- “The achievements are mostly for non-obvious tasks and rewards for exploring and trying things out; a few are rather grindy.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences stability issues, notably freezing during a key sequence at the end of the book, which disrupts gameplay and requires a restart.
- “When I get to the end with the book, it replays the sequence when the child was there and then it just freezes my game.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the monetization approach entertaining and feel that it adds positively to the overall experience.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is cleverly integrated and often hidden within its visual style, offering subtle and amusing details for players to discover.