Loretta

Although there are flaws in Loretta's gameplay and adventure mechanics, it has a compelling story, brilliant writing, gorgeous graphics, and immersive audio that will make for an enjoyable afternoon playthrough.

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"Loretta" is a single-player mystery point and click psychological thriller game with an intriguing 1940s housewife story. Players are accessory to Loretta's crimes, deciding the depths of her depravity as she seeks revenge on her unfaithful husband. With stunning graphics, players navigate a nightmare of Loretta's creation, deciding if her story remains a web of deceit or escalates into bloodshed.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 71 reviews

story25 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

The story is intriguing and well-crafted, drawing players into a dark and immersive narrative filled with moral ambiguity and complex characters.
The pixel art and atmospheric sound design enhance the overall experience, creating a visually stunning and eerie environment that complements the psychological themes.
There is significant replayability due to multiple endings and choices that affect the narrative, allowing players to explore different paths and outcomes.

The gameplay can feel tedious due to repetitive sections and mini-games that disrupt the flow of the story, making it less engaging for some players.
While the narrative is compelling, it can be overly linear, with choices that don't significantly alter the main storyline, leading to a lack of meaningful player agency.
Some players found the text presentation and certain puzzles frustrating, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.

story
81 mentions
31 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of "Loretta" is a compelling blend of psychological drama and crime narrative set in 1940s southern America, featuring intriguing characters and multiple branching paths that allow for different endings. While many players appreciate the immersive atmosphere and thematic depth, some criticize the linear progression and repetitive gameplay elements that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game is praised for its engaging storytelling and artistic presentation, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of story-driven games.
- “Amazing characters, smooth controls, and an immersive story!”
- “With a beautiful art style and a story that sticks with you long after the fact, it is hard not to recommend.”
- “The story is gripping, the characters compelling, and the music is enticing.”
- “Didn't really care for the psychological analysis with the Rorschach test if it wasn't going to lead anywhere in the story.”
- “However, I don't know if I would want to go through the whole 4.5 hours to see a different ending if the story is pretty linear to get there.”
- “The game leads you on with the promise that your choices matter but you can't alter the direction of the story outside of the bits where you have the option to kill someone.”
graphics
22 mentions
50 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The graphics of *Loretta* are widely praised for their beautiful and stylized art style, drawing inspiration from renowned artists like Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper. The game effectively combines pixel art with a creative use of color and scenography, enhancing its creepy atmosphere and noir aesthetic. While some players may find the pixel art rudimentary, the overall visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive storytelling and suspenseful ambiance.
- “The art style in Loretta is absolutely beautiful, inspired by the works of Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper.”
- “Visuals are stylized but work very well here and look really good in the context of the world.”
- “This mix of low and high-res artwork resonates wonderfully with the equally sparse sound design and noir-inspired soundtrack to ratchet up the suspense and atmosphere.”
- “Erm, maybe not the visuals, as I find the art style, overall, kind of rudimentary, but it’s the use of color and creative scenography that got under my skin.”
- “Pixel graphics which you’ll either like or not, and a good accompaniment of music.”
- “There is also a noir mode that turns the visuals black and white, if you’re after that specific feeling or flavor, but listen to what the game tells you and play through it at least once beforehand; those transitions are worth seeing in their full technicolor glory.”
music
19 mentions
32 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The game's music has been widely praised for its haunting and atmospheric qualities, featuring a beautiful original soundtrack composed by Efim Mylnikov that blends classical elements with 30's and 40's radio tunes, creating a sinister noir aesthetic. The soundtrack effectively enhances the game's suspense and mood, with each ending accompanied by a fitting classical piece, while sound effects complement the music to deepen the overall experience. Overall, the music is considered a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's immersive storytelling and atmosphere.
- “The original soundtrack was composed by Efim Mylnikov and it is quite beautiful.”
- “The soundtrack is particularly excellent - it's a strange mix of classical and 30's/40's radio tunes (think Fallout) that become distorted and almost hypnotic at times.”
- “The atmospheric music and sound also help deepen the mood and tone of the game, and the direction of a lot of the scenes are direct homages to classic horror movies and directors.”
- “The sound effects fill voids in the music that really set an unsettling tone.”
- “The soundtrack is skilled at creating suspense.”
- “The atmospheric music and sound also help deepen the mood and tone of the game and the direction of a lot of the scenes are direct homages to classic horror movies and directors.”
gameplay
12 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
The gameplay in *Loretta* is primarily a side-scrolling point-and-click adventure that involves exploration, dialogue, and puzzle-solving, but it has received mixed reviews. While some players appreciate the narrative depth, others find the mechanics and puzzles frustrating or overly abstract, which can detract from the overall experience. The reliance on multiple endings may also hinder the storytelling for those who prioritize gameplay over plot.
- “Gameplay here involves walking around as Loretta, talking to people, looking at items, making decisions, and occasionally doing a little puzzle solving.”
- “In terms of gameplay, Loretta is a side-scrolling point-and-click adventure.”
- “Solid gameplay and story throughout.”
- “This is essentially more like watching a slow burn pixelated thriller, so if you're a gameplay-over-plot person, this may not be for you.”
- “My biggest complaint with the gameplay was the abstruse puzzles that divide the narrative.”
- “They're meant to display the twisted psychology of the main character, but they were either too abstract to add to the narrative or too frustrating to enhance the gameplay.”
atmosphere
11 mentions
64 % positive mentions
9 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its evocative and immersive qualities, drawing strong influences from film noir and classic horror. The combination of a haunting soundtrack, meticulous sound design, and striking pixel art effectively creates a mesmerizing setting reminiscent of the post-war American South. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to build suspense and mood without relying heavily on jump scares, making it a standout example of atmospheric storytelling in interactive fiction.
- “Great soundtrack, not bad intriguing story, mesmerizing atmosphere of the deep American South of post-war times.”
- “This mix of low and high-res artwork resonates wonderfully with the equally sparse sound design and noir-inspired soundtrack to ratchet up the suspense and atmosphere without resorting to jump scares.”
- “The atmosphere is positively Hitchcockian, graciously carried by excellent sound design, making great use of uncomfortable silences suddenly pierced by icy sharp strings.”
- “I gave its choice of locales flack earlier, but I’ll be damned if the atmosphere across all of them isn’t shoulder-to-shoulder with the very classics Loretta would so eagerly love to stand beside.”
- “This mix of low and high-resolution artwork resonates wonderfully with the equally sparse sound design and noir-inspired soundtrack to ratchet up the suspense and atmosphere without resorting to jump scares (although the game does have a few of them, they're well done).”
replayability
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The game offers notable replayability through its branching narrative, allowing players to explore different perspectives and endings. However, some players find the experience frustrating due to repetitive scenes and the need to interact with objects in specific orders, which can diminish the overall enjoyment. While there is potential for varied playthroughs, the limited story changes and tediousness of unlocking different endings may hinder long-term replay value.
- “There's replayability for those who want to play to either the 'angel' or 'devil' of the story.”
- “I gotta say I'm impressed with the story and replayability to get different sides of the story as well.”
- “The branching narrative and the replayability that comes with it are bonuses.”
- “It does increase replayability but in a frustrating manner, making the player feel like they always missed something, not because there's more to a situation but just because they didn't click objects in the right order.”
- “This has a serious impact on the replay value of Loretta as, due to the story remaining the same, unlocking the different endings gets tedious fast as you have to retread the same scenes time and time again.”
- “Idk how much actual replayability there is with different choices.”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of *Loretta* to be tedious, as achieving different endings requires repetitive gameplay through the same scenes, diminishing replay value. While the atmospheric elements enhance the narrative, the necessity to retread familiar content can detract from the overall experience, making some mini-games feel monotonous despite their simplicity.
- “Whilst they do add more to the story, dependent on which initial ending was achieved, it can seem tedious.”
- “Sadly falling short of its ambition, Loretta is a narrative adventure that will keep you at the edge of your seat throughout its short runtime, but hides its heart of darkness behind tedious replaying.”
- “This has a serious impact on the replay value of Loretta as, due to the story remaining the same, unlocking the different endings gets tedious fast as you have to retread the same scenes time and time again.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight the emotional depth of the game, noting how its use of contrasting light and color effectively conveys themes of moral ambiguity and the hidden complexities of family life. The interplay between bright, assertive colors and darker undertones creates a rich emotional landscape that invites players to explore both the surface and the underlying truths of the narrative.
- “While the former’s chiaroscuro famously evokes moral ambiguity, every light accentuates the darkness left behind. There’s something to be said about how brash and assertive colors, along with the openness of broad daylight, can conceal what’s behind the seemingly wholesome façade of family life as much as they reveal.”