Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams Don’t Dry Review PC

German developers CrazyBunch resurrect iconic adventure character Larry Laffer into the modern age with Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams Don’t Dry. The last game Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded launched on June 27th 2013 so a long time coming. Before getting into specifics, for those wondering, the title is a spin on another wacky game called D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die which we’ll assume CrazyBunch are fans of. Obviously, the title hints at the base humour consisting of sexual overtones, innuendo and vulgarity. However, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously despite aiming at “mature” audiences and if you are seeking a pure sex game then look elsewhere.

Larry starts his adventure waking up in an underground room – a secret lab below Lefty’s bar. Somehow sleeping several years from 1987 and arrives in the future. Current technology such as the Internet, mobile phones and trends are alien to him. It’s a great excuse for plentiful parody of our social media driven age which the game wastes little time in poking fun at.

Let’s cut to the chase. There is a distinct double edged sword approach here which needs highlighting. Ultimately, players should aim to experience Larry’s adventure first hand. Whilst it’s fun to watch snippets online, the point-and-click style means reward comes from working puizzles out. It’s too easy to refer to a guide or Youtube video when stuck but that’s giving in and takes away the fun. That said, the game at times is so full of obscurity (and here is the double edged sword) that you might have no choice but to look up a hint. This is a throwback style game with very little in the way of assistance. No hints or even remarks from Larry to assist, should you falter along the way. If you’re unwilling to explore all avenues or combine every item together in semi-meaningless ways then hitting a brick wall is inevitable.

In the absence of any online guides, progress coming to a halt is a royal pain and hurts the flow of the adventure. Some events are more obvious than others, but it is easy to miss things. That is even when you can highlight all interactive objects on the screen in each scene. Larry converses with numerous characters and it’s within the conversation that more parts to the puzzle become unlocked. Sadly though it doesn’t always makes sense or fit with Larry’s current objective. For example, Larry might have snagged an item from character A but has no clue why he needs the item. It joins Larry’s infinite pockets where only through progression the item’s value makes itself known. Sadly, too many items bog down Larry’s inventory which hampers the player more than anything.

 

Obviously, the point and click vague approach is an acquired taste and as mentioned, in the absence of any online guides is needlessly punishing. Therefore, patience is a requirement alongside a mentality of not spoiling the game by cheating. If these ideals solidify within then Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams Don’t Dry is the game for you. If not, then wasting money on a game where you look up hints online every 5 minutes isn’t a good investment.

Visually, the graphics are the best feature with excellent designed characters and locations. It’s an animated comic book look which suits the genre and is in keeping with past games. Larry has transformed from the midget with a bulbous head, into a smoothie looking middle-aged wiseguy. This suits the overall looks of the secondary characters and whilst perhaps not as jarring is realistic in comparison. A welcome change all the same.

 

Audio is another plus point, with wonderful performances from a wide variety of characters Larry meets on his travels. The script is pretty decent and might make you chuckle or smile on occasion. The only gripe here is the delivery speed, where often it’s quicker to read than listen. That means, skipping the spoken word is an option for the impatient.

CrazyBunch suggest a completion time of around 12 hours which is good value for the asking price. Some players might beat that time, whereas others not even make it that far. This is a problem for this game. It’s just not very accessible to anyone other than the point-and-click faithful. In this day and age a timed hint system, or even subtle quips from Larry when players needlessly wander about (See Lara Croft in her recent games) could work here. That said, players will back-track a lot and undertake menial tasks in an attempt to progress the story. Larry is a bit of a gopher making for slightly dull encounters in the grand scheme of things. To make up for it though, players can view unshockable Instagram type clips as a bonus.

 

To conclude, it’s great fans have a new Leisure Suit Larry game to play with. Leisure Suit Larry Wet Dreams Don’t Dry looks good and plays as expected. However, it’s not the best game in the series and won’t entice new players into the fold. This is in part due to its poor pacing and archaic game design. A game which relies on obscurity, bundles players with numerous objects and basks in trial and error doesn’t make a good all-round experience. That is despite some pleasant positives with the script and cartoon visuals. If you can stomach aimless wandering around without giving in to a guide, then check this out. It’s fun to play and amusing to see where it ends up. Anyone else though should avoid unless they are quite happy looking up hints online every time thrown spanners hamper progression.

Score 7/10

Written by: Rob Cram

Rob Cram has hundreds of video game reviews, thousands of articles under his belt with years of experience in gaming and tech. He aims to remain fair and free from publisher/developer influence. With his extensive knowledge, feels his gaming opinions are valid and worth sharing. Agreement with his views are entirely optional. He might have a bias towards cyberpunk.