Platforms:
PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Released:
April 8, 2025
Publishers:
Ubik Studios, Naisu
Developer:
Ubik Studios
A journey through the memory-shaped landscape of a woman’s life awaits in Leila, a point-and-click adventure from Istanbul-based developers Ubik Studios. Featuring hand-drawn artwork, environmental puzzles, and a gentle aesthetic, this lo-fi narrative experience leans into a cosy vibe to tell an emotional, if brief, story.
You play as the titular Leila as she enters a virtual world based on her own life. She begins her adventure by putting on a VR headset and taking herself through a video game environment that’s been generated from her memories. As you lead her through this imaginative landscape, more of her past is uncovered and gamified, and she shares her reflections on each different scenario as you play through.
Right away, the gorgeous hand-drawn visuals and considered art direction in Leila take centre stage. The main menu itself is a stunning homage to cosy scenes such as Lofi Girl, and the different art styles in each of Leila’s memories perfectly capture specific nostalgic feelings of those periods in her life. Ubik Studios has also hit it out of the park with the audio design, featuring a number of chilled-out tracks and impressive voice acting for Leila’s narration.
Rather than relying solely on speech, however, the game’s storytelling techniques are often uniquely interactive, with light puzzles feeding into the story while Leila narrates how she felt during this period of her life. Many of these are nice environmental puzzles that take advantage of the game’s beautiful artwork and challenge you to view each scene in different ways, always informed by Leila’s monologue.
A few are satisfyingly tricky – I particularly enjoyed a sequence where you need to notice and replicate patterns in Leila’s childhood bedroom, which had me stumped for quite a few minutes.
When you do get stuck, there’s a hint system that can highlight an area onscreen containing your next objective, usually providing enough of a nudge to help you solve the current puzzle without simply telling you the answer. It’s handy for the more abstract brain-teasers, though it annoyingly gets disabled during some of the periods of simple pixel-hunting. These aren’t super common, but they’re frustrating enough to feel like a roadblock in an otherwise smooth adventure, reducing you to clicking around the screen for a single interactive element.
At roughly two hours, Leila is definitely on the shorter side. This is usually a non-issue for most narrative games, but in Leila’s case the story simply doesn’t get enough time to marinate before reaching its end.
You get only momentary glimpses into Leila’s relationship with her daughter, while significant plot points and some of the game’s heavier themes remain only touched on, never fully explored. Its final sequence – a beautiful celebration of strength, joy, and sisterhood – ends up lacking the emotional impact it strives to achieve as a result.
Despite its brevity, Leila does provide a gorgeous world to enjoy a couple of hours in. Between its impressive visuals, relaxing soundtrack, and excellent voice acting, it’s a gentle vibe-driven experience that doesn’t outstay its welcome. Definitely worth a look for fans of short narrative adventures who don’t mind a bit of clicking around.
7
Good
Positive:
- Beautiful, detailed hand-drawn visuals
- Cosy lo-fi aesthetic and soundtrack
- Some neat environmental puzzles
Negative:
- A little too short for the narrative to have weight
- More pixel hunting than necessary
A cosy, brief, beautifully crafted narrative experience, Leila tells its story in a uniquely interactive way. It leverages its gorgeous hand-drawn artwork in its environmental puzzles, which tend to satisfy despite some occasional frustrating pixel hunting. Its short length does mean that you’re left with more of an aesthetic wash rather than an impactful narrative journey, but for the right player, Leila’s bite-sized story will be just enough of a cosy treat to satisfy.
About the Author
David McNamara
he/him or they/them
David is a proudly queer performing artist and software developer. He spends most of his downtime with a controller in his hands and a lazy beagle on his lap.
