Loretta Xbox Series X Review 8/10 “Spiralling Down” ☠️🍶 @yabutuzoff #IndieGame #GameDev

Set in 1947, you control Loretta - a housewife who has murdered her husband, having finally had enough of his drinking, gambling, cheating ways - and decided to take matters into her own hands.

The game opens with a detective investigating his disappearance, he has come to question Loretta and have a look around the farm and it is here where we gain control of the titular character.

Early on you are presented with the choices that will shape her fate, I made the decision to try and poison the detective and… well… let’s just say it ‘didn’t go well’.

Throughout your time with this game you will get the chance to make important decisions such as should you higher your kill count or resist your murderous temptations and see if you can break free, and escape your current predicament.

The game operates as a point and click thriller, although there aren't many puzzles and the game progresses more through dialogue and the choices you make. The art style is wonderful, the pixel graphics create a wonderful, creepy environment as the backgrounds capture the time period perfectly, whether it’s the rural south town or an art deco hallway.

Characters have a blank face that adds to the disturbing detachment that the character is going through. The horror of the game is subtle and more about the psychological distress of the character than things like jump scares, it’s a slow burning thriller with a tense atmosphere, interacting with characters lead to tense confrontations - how are we going to talk our way out of what we have done? Can we outwit our pursuers? Will it all come tumbling down? have we made the right decisions?

The game feels like a giant downward spiral. Though you make choices throughout the story there is an element of fate and though you are desperate to go down a different path, fate says otherwise. The game features multiple endings with a few different outcomes.

I want to praise the music of Loretta, the suspense and horror it adds to the game is amazing, the haunting audio adds multiple layers to the experience, capturing both Loretta's mental state and the tensions of the situation she is in, it really adds to everything and makes a huge impact.

One problem I did find was regarding the mini games in between some scenes, I get what they were going for, but it becomes more of an annoyance than adding to the rising tension, as you are never given instructions and sometimes it takes a while just to work out what needs to be done. The first time one appeared on screen I thought it was just a loading screen and sat there for a bit wondering why I was stuck in a loading screen. They are definitely an irritation, not enough to ruin your experience - but I can’t see many people enjoying them.

This the 2nd review of Loretta on Games Freezer the wonderful Pixel Hunted has also given his thoughts so check that review out as well (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2023/04/loretta-review-710-nice-looking-tense.html).

Summary

A tense, noir-laden thriller with a great story and top notch music make Loretta a must play for all who love this genre, and want to have a memorable experience.