XBOX REVIEW | Leila

Leila is a point-and-click narrative puzzler that explores challenging subject matters. The protagonist, Leila, is a mother, author, and wife who receives a game console that allows her to revisit her life through a series of memories. As she interacts with the console, she is transported to a vibrant forest, where she solves puzzles and delves into her memories to gain a deeper understanding of her experiences. The game unfolds across four chapters, each revealing a unique aspect of her journey.

While some of Leila’s memories are painful and somber, I found it refreshing to see a game focus on these kinds of situations—ones that many of us, as adults, may encounter at some point in our lives.

Leila features a distinctive art style that immediately captures your attention. Its stunning hand-drawn 2D graphics are a testament to the careful thought and effort the designers put into making the game shine.

Things I liked!

• Presentation | The first thing I noticed when I started playing Leila was the cozy and relaxing title menu screen. Leila feels a lot like a graphic novel with puzzle elements integrated throughout. The title screen depicts an open window on a sunny day, with the city skyline in the distance, your desk in front of you, a cat purring on a shelf to your right, and various objects like a game controller, a globe, glasses, and a speaker on other shelves. Interacting with any of these objects allows you to change the game’s settings, which I found to be a really creative idea.

• Visuals | As I mentioned in the introduction, Leila features hand-drawn 2D graphics that truly shine and help bring everything together. While playing Leila, you will encounter a variety of point-and-click puzzles. The backdrops are a mix of still and animated scenes. For example, in the first chapter, you find yourself sitting in a coffee shop, where the barista goes about his business. This animation brings the scene to life and significantly enhances the immersion. As the story progresses, there are also other neat visual effects, such as zooming and fun animations.
  
  
• Sound | The soundtrack in Leila perfectly complements the gameplay and enhances the immersive experience as you play. While most of it is simply background music, it never becomes annoying or overly repetitive. The sound effects are excellent—from the squeak of glass when cleaning windows to the hum of the vacuum while tidying the house. Little touches like these really impressed me. I also thought the voice acting was quite good; it helps maintain the flow and pacing of the game.
  
  
• Story | The story in Leila is unlike any other I have played before. While it is not always a happy or cheerful tale, there are joyful moments throughout, some of which I could personally relate to. I would love to see more games focus on mental health, explored through the perspectives of different people. Leila’s story unfolds over four chapters, revisiting various moments from her past as well as her present life. One chapter includes a content warning for a depiction of body horror that is fairly gruesome. For those who are squeamish, this section can be skipped, with a text summary provided to ensure no part of the story is missed.

Mixed & disliked!

• Controls | While the controls generally work well, I often found the cursor difficult to spot. It would have been helpful to have an option to make the cursor larger or even change its color to ensure it stands out against the background. I think the controls might feel more comfortable on a PC, and perhaps a bit more attention could have been given to optimizing the console version.

• Difficulty | I found the puzzles in Leila to be either too difficult or too easy. Some had little to no explanation, with certain puzzles being quite obscure in terms of what you were meant to do. Despite this, all the puzzles blended well with the narrative and none were repeated. Some, like searching for hidden objects in the background, were enjoyable. Interestingly, when replaying the game, the hidden objects’ locations vary, which I appreciated. When stuck on a puzzle, there is an option to reveal a hint. However, this feature only works sporadically—for example, when searching for an item in the background.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 7 Hours
How long to beat the story? 3 hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 5/13 OR 375/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 10 Hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Full Throttle Remastered and Day of the Tentacle Remastered

CONCLUSION

Score:77/100

I really liked how the developers handled and told the story of the lead character, Leila. While it is not always comfortable to experience and tackle tough topics such as childhood trauma, mental health, and simply being human in the world we all share, it is incredibly impactful. The art design and sound are spot on, and it’s clear that the developers poured their heart and soul into this game. I found the puzzles challenging and tough; although I got stuck a few times, I eventually found solutions and made progress. Others might find the puzzles easier to grasp than I did. I particularly enjoyed the final puzzle, which reminded me of those in Hellblade 1 and 2. Leila won’t be for everyone, but if you enjoy point-and-click games with a strong narrative and plenty of puzzles, then Leila might be the game for you.