Lorelei and the Laser Eyes stands out for a lot of reasons. It has deviously difficult puzzles and a distinct ambiance that appears to be inspired by noir filmmaking. You play as a woman named Lorelei who wanders around an extravagant hotel and solves its many mysteries. The game packs in loads of convoluted secrets, but that’s not actually what intrigued me while playing. The biggest enigma from my playthrough involved one unique item: a tampon.
Lorelei can store a variety of items in her elegant clamshell briefcase. When you start the game, you’ll find useful items like your car key and a tampon! Its inclusion stood out to me because tampons are such a common everyday item and yet they rarely appear in video games. I’ve been playing video games for decades and have encountered thousands of different items, but I only remember seeing tampons in one other game (that other example being the wonderful clutter-arranging game Unpacking).
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes was developed by Simogo, the same team behind the pop-infused racing game Sayonara Wild Hearts. Polygon asked the studio’s co-founder, Simon Flesser, about why the team decided to add the item to the game. Flesser noted that common objects like tampons can help create a specific ambiance or feeling within the game.
“These everyday items and actions, like using the restroom and taking the elevator, are all there to establish a sense of mundanity, or normality,” Flesser told Polygon via email. “The more absurd and surreal components of the game feel even stranger when presented together with these ordinary elements.”
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As for the idea, it didn’t come out of any developer meeting, but at home. “It was suggested by my partner, who simply just asked why the woman does not carry tampons in her purse,” Flesser said.
Both my colleague Nicole Carpenter (who reviewed the game) and I had not been able to find a use for the tampon. As I’ve played, I’ve been content to try and stick the tampon in random holes and slots. This has not worked. However, this did make my co-worker and I wonder if the tampon did have any kind of practical application for a puzzle. As it turns out, the tampon isn’t some galaxy-brained solution to any of the game’s puzzles. As Flesser said, “It simply exists.”