Lorelai - horror adventure from creator of Downfall and The Cat Lady

[Boleskine]

Already greenlit but here's the Steam Greenlight page.

Lorelai by Harvester Games

Published by Screen 7.

A brand new horror adventure from the creator of The Cat Lady and Downfall...

Lorelai will never forget that day.

The little she had, it was taken away.

Her whole world disintegrated. She never really had a chance...

But Lorelai refused to give up.

She will fight. And even death won't stop her from getting it all back.

+ HD graphics
+ Full English voice acting
+ Original soundtrack by micAmic
+ Additional languages* (subtitles)
+ Achievements & Trading Cards
+ Controller support

Thank you for voting! Keep an eye out for more information, announcements, new screenshots and other videos here!

* Please note this game is being made in Unity, amongst the benefits higher resolution graphics and multi-platform support. However, because the engine is new ground for both developer & publisher, some features like translations may be added or updated after release.

 

[Tramboi]

I still don't know if I like Downfall and The Cat Lady. Lots of good stuff going for them. And some cheap tricks too.
But I'll get this while I'll still be making my mind

 

[Starwars]

I thought the Cat Lady was a piece of shit though it had some good ideas. Never tried Downfall.

 

[Sòren]

i agree with the last two comments. if the writing improved, it might acutally be decent. I dunno.

 

[Explorerbc]

Cat Lady was good, I liked how the story kept getting more and more fucked up and depressing.

 

[ghostdog]

A lot of silent hill vibes with this one. This guy has some great ideas but he always mixes it up with some bad ideas. Let's hope he has evolved as a writer.

Also let's hope that the character sprite gets more frames, so it doesn't look that wooden. There's a reason good 2D HD sprites are hard to make.

 

[belated]

The Cat Lady was awesome, so will definitely get this!

 

[Ludo Lense]

That gate with the animal heads....

Guess we are gonna go talk to the Queen of Maggots again. I wish he would have been more subtle about it.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

After I finished Scrooge la brunette The Cat Lady yesterday I'm definitively intrigued to know what Remigiusz Michalski is cooking up next.

Gotta play Downfall next though.

 

[taxalot]

My ex was called Lorelei. It was a horror story alright.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

 

[Ivan]

oh, gilmore girls, k

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

 

[TheWorld]

I missed this. Loved both cat lady and downfall so I'm really looking forward to this one.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

April 26th is now the official release date.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

The game is already released on GOG.com, and should soon follow on Steam.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

It's finally out on Steam.

A welcome word from R. Michalski
26 Apr @ 8:39pm - markymint
Lorelai, a brand new emotional horror ride from the maker of The Cat Lady and Downfall, tells a coming of age story of a young girl trying to escape the hell of her toxic family home. But adulthood is like waking up from a long dream. There will be times you will wish you were asleep again... But you can never go back to the same dream.

"It took 3 years to develop this game. It wasn't an easy one. Learning the new engine, new technologies... and finally going full HD and mixing 2D & 3D graphics - it's a lot of work for one guy whose studio is basically a cluttered room in his own apartment.

But it's finally here. And I can only hope that people will receive Lorelai as warmly as they did The Cat Lady!

I'd like to believe that at the core the main attraction for people who play my games is the heart and soul put into them. This "garage rockband" nature of a lovingly made true indie game, the very opposite of the corporate giants that sure make some beautiful looking technically flawless products... but often feel fake and generic.

Well, I lived Lorelai for the past 3 years. It was with me each morning I woke up, and each night I put my PC off to sleep. And I believe I made the best game I could with the skills I've learned over the years. And I made it exactly how I wanted to.

It's been a pleasure to work with my free-lance character artist Stefano Collavini again. And with a number of excellent voice actors. I listened to their voices for hours on end when editing their lines and I can tell you they're all extremely talented amazing people. Special mention should go to Maisy Kay, who voiced the game's protagonist - she swooped in at the most crucial moment and saved the day. Being a fan of my previous games she knew exactly what I wanted Lorelai to be and she really brought her character to life.

Big thanks to bands/musicians that kindly offered their songs to feature in the game, replying to a call I made on Facebook! You are all so awesome! So is my brother micAmic, who created another amazing 40-piece soundtrack mixing real instruments with his new love for Moog synthesizers.

And finally, special mention should go to a long time supporter and professional tester Arjon Van Dam, a man I only met once in my life, but who knows me well through testing all of my games over the years (including the original Downfall in 2009). He only had a few days to test so he did what he could... amd any bugs should be blamed purely on me. But he was a true friend when I needed one. I felt extremely stressed and tired towards the end... and I didn't think I would actually make it on time. Arjon made it possible and dropped everything to help me. Thanks, dude. You are the best.

And thanks to everyone else who got in touch over the years and offered help. Sometimes it was a cool Unity shader, sometimes technical help on the forums, sometimes just words of support. I'm really grateful for all of it.

Lorelai ends a chapter in my life. A trilogy of games that share one universe.


But don't worry.

There's room for more than one universe in my head..."

-- R. Michalski

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

So, is it shit?

 

[Sranchammer]

My favorite older woman

 

[Norfleet]

She needs to wipe that stupid look off her face, it makes her face look terrible.

 

[Norfleet]

I thought the Cat Lady was a piece of shit though it had some good ideas. Never tried Downfall.

Is that the one about Hitler's Bunker?

 

[iZerw]

Wanted to buy it but this Steam review stopped me:

I played Harvester's games since the original Downfall. Cat Lady and Downfall are really good games with crazy psychological horror and surreal elements. For me, Downfall Remade is still the best game only after Bloodborne. For them I waited years for Lorelai and bought it once it released, but sadly I can hardly give it a positive review.
- First of all, TERRIBLE gameplay on puzzle solving. During every level of the game the only thing you can do is walking around in a tiny map, picking up the only thing you can interact with, using it with the only puzzle in this map, then all done. You can't even be stuck because there is nothing can be stuck with. Yes the maps and scenes are far more luxurious with bunch of 3D backgrounds than the previous 2 games, but they are totally meaningless, you can't interact with anything and they don't even represent or indicate any considerable element about the main plot, I would thought I bought a Wallpaper Engine, seriously.
- Second, plain, short, normal story. The experience is really brief for irrelevant plots occupies nearly half of the main story and the main story doesn't even have a twist. The whole game is a moral tale I admit it, Lorelai fights for her life and never gives up even thought life treats her unfairly. But it's a shallow lecture totally lost former works' metaphors and intimations. Lorelai's struggle in real world and her adventure in Queen's world are so lack of connections that it's almost impossible to give the story a deeper meaning. I have to say the story of Lorelai couldn't inherit even part of Downfall and Cat Lady's deep thought nor psychological design, which is the most disappointing outcome.
- Third, ordinary scene designs. I can't say it has to be a flaw, but for players who came for a similar game like former works it will disappoint you. The scenes in Lorelai are no more crazy, bizarre and terrifying with depressing imaginations full of surreal elements. It became normal, market-friendly, so did the puzzle solving gameplay.
All in all, Lorelai completely lost Harvester's most outstanding features that they built up in Downfall and Cat Lady, the terrible gameplay makes it even a failure as a puzzle game. I don't know if this series will go on (which I sincerely hope for) but I really wish that Harvester's next work could be better.

Has anyone here played it? Is it worth the money?

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Don't care about these reviews, I bought it immediately. But I'll hold back playing until the bugs get fixed first.

 

[Werdna's Revenge]

Cat Lady was kinda lame, if that review is anything to go by this is just a more polished (cat) turd.

 

[Herald of Durance]

I finished it. It's definitely less bizarre and depressing than the Cat Lady. It's basically a bit twisted coming of age story with just a hint of Silent Hill-ish undertones, not a surreal horror per se. Puzzles are almost non-existent, as well as any sense of mystery. But still, a decent story with a nice atmosphere and soundtrack. I think the opinions will vary because Lorelai has a very different tone from its predecessors. For me, I don't regret the 5 hours I spend with this game.

Oh, and the graphics are definitely a step up.