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.

While there's still room to elevate the puzzle design and I'm eager to see even more ambitious ideas in future entries, the game's strengths clearly shine through. Remember though, this score is just a snapshot — the complete review paints the full picture of why this title is worth your attention. And it really is.

Leila is Ubik Studios' first venture, and I can say that it was a great start. But, like everything in life, there is always room for improvement. The lack of certain features was felt during gameplay. Since this is a game where the scenario must be investigated thoroughly, a zoom feature would be very welcome. The text size is also quite small. Other than that, Leila is a good choice for those who want a slower and deeper narrative, linked to gameplay that stimulates the player's vision and hearing with its hand-drawn art and beautiful soundtrack.

It’s good, honest work on the developer’s behalf, and depending on who you are or where you are in your life, you could very well walk away from the game feeling better about the steps you’ve taken to get to where you are now. Despite its issues, I found myself respecting the game for what it was, and I enjoyed playing through it, even as someone who is not a big fan of puzzle games.

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.

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. 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.

Leila tells a story that most people should hear. It gets to the truth of ourselves in the hustle of each day with who we are and how we navigate life. However, at times, the story feels a bit rushed. We explore these moments with Leila and she opens up rather quickly. Some of these moments felt too quick or rushed through. In some ways, I wish this game would have been a bit longer to elaborate on certain moments and feelings. We know her marriage has become stagnant and yet we get very few glimpses as to why. By the end, we see she is more hopeful and free after a full day with this game console. Was her journey to self-forgiveness simply one day long?

Despite some friction from voice acting and annoying puzzle bits, I think this is a solid experience worth enjoying on PS5.

Ubik Studios brings us a point-and-click game that is very different from anything we have seen before. It is an introspective journey of Leila, a woman who navigates her memories, resolving internal conflicts she had in the past. To do so, she must complete several puzzles of varying difficulty. It's all great, with a beautiful artistic style, and even the reflections can leave a lasting impression on our hearts. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

If you enjoy adventures with hidden objects and don't crave complex puzzles, Leila is an ideal short narrative of a much more mature nature than we are used to in the genre. However, it's a disappointingly rushed narrative whose emotions don't have the power they should have.