Sometimes, this nostalgia is well founded- games like The legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, Age of Empires II, Starcraft, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Halo: Combat Evolved, and Super Metroid are indeed masterpieces of game design that hold up extraordinarily well even today. But other times, the game is significantly diminished sans the nostalgia, and it turns out that our good memories of the game were just that, memories. In other words, if we were to play the game for the first time today, it would be pure and utter shit.

Unfortunately, that seems to have happened with Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded.

For those not in the know- and I assume there’s a lot of you, because the game in question is old- Leisure Suit Larry was an old, 1987 point and click adventure game released by Sierra, who were once the unchallenged masters of the genre. The new game is an enhanced remake of the original title, called Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards. After a successful, crowdfunded Kickstarter campaign, the game was released to celebrate the original’s 25th anniversary.

"It's too faithful to the 1987 original, and it shows. The original game might have been great for its time, but it is positively archaic and antiquated today."

First impressions mean a lot, and Leisure Suit Larry does not disappoint in that regard. The original game has been lovingly recreated in modern aesthetics, with some great cartoon visuals in stunning high definition, while maintaining the distinct style of the original title. It actually makes an excellent first impression, and it makes you think that this here might be a remake done right: modernized just enough while remaining faithful to its roots.

And in fact, that might be just what the problem with Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded really is. It’s too faithful to the 1987 original, and it shows. The original game might have been great for its time, but it is positively archaic and antiquated today, with obtuse puzzles with unimaginative solutions, actions that often demand perfect pixel hunting, and a whole lot of backtracking and returning to old locales.

All of this is pretty much remade scene for scene, blow by blow, exactly as it was in the original. The only problem is, the original game launched in 1987. The new game launches in 2013. There are sixteen years separating the two, and all the evolution that game design and the genre has undergone in that period has been completely discarded and disregarded by Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded.

"If you are looking for a top of the line adventure game that holds up with modern entries in the genre, stay away from Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and it's the only way to truly enjoy and appreciate this one."

One thing that used to stand out about the original game was its sense of humor, replete with wry references to pop culture, and some not very subtle innuendo at all.

Both have made it to Reloaded, although obviously, the pop culture portion has been updated a bit to reflect new developments (such as one memorable joke involving modern smartphone games).

The humor is as good as it ever was- as a matter of fact, many fans would probably appreciate it a whole lot more now than they could back in the day- and honestly, that is probably the best part of the new game.

The jokes in the original game were handled with care, and they make Reloaded worth playing, even as the entire title seems to fail entirely on a gameplay and interactivity level.

Leisure Suit: Larry is really a hard game to recommend. It’s completely dated. and in many ways, it feels like the creators took the much venerated original game and just repackaged and re-released it today, updated visuals notwithstanding. And yet, on the other hand, there’s just a lot about it that still works today, notably its humor, which somehow hasn’t dated as much as you would expect. And there might be fans of the so called Golden Age of Point and Click adventure games, who just want to relive some of the old days. Nostalgia, after all. It’s a powerful drug.

If you’re one of those- a fan of the original game, or a fan of the genre’s glory days- feel free to get it. It’s not as good as you remember, but it still works, if only as an exhibit of gaming history. If you’re interested in that, by the way, you should get it as well. However, if you are looking for a top of the line adventure game that holds up with modern entries in the genre, stay away from Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded. Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and it’s the only way to truly enjoy and appreciate this one.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Ravi Sinha: The Kickstarter campaign was launched in April 2012 for Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, where the game managed to garner well above its funding goal. Was this indicative of the character’s popularity among old-school gamers, the revolution of Kickstarter following Double Fine’s successful campaign, or both?

Al Lowe: Mostly it was a communications problem with the N.S.A. People thought they were voting late for Mitt Romney. We fooled them!
Of course it was both, plus a mix of nostalgia, the lack of humor in current titles, and a coming of age of mobile gaming, where adventure games shine.

Ravi Sinha: Reloaded is supposed to be a remake of Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Li-zards, but not really. As you stated, this offers a chance to effectively “fix” several parts of the game which annoyed you 25 years ago. Does doing a remake that’s more of a new game also mean a different direction and tone, maybe new features that would change the core game, but appeal to gamers today? If so, how well would this sit with hardcore fans of the franchise?

Al Lowe: There’s no change of direction or tone, just lots more of the same. We walked a fine line: we wanted to please those gamers looking for the old humor and game play while providing all the benefits of modern platforms. I think we nailed it. Of course, that’s really up to your readers. Gamers vote with the their money; if it sells, I promise you’ll only encourage us!

Ravi Sinha: The adventure gaming genre is currently in a new golden age, thanks to the success of games like The Walking Dead, Amnesia, The Cave and even upcoming titles like Broken Age and Dreamfall: Chapters. Considering the age Larry Laffer belongs to, what will make Reloaded stand out in this day and age?

Al Lowe: Gosh, nothing really. It’s exactly the same as every other game – unless you count humor, an anti-hero protagonist, hilarious dialog, a current day setting, …need I continue?

Ravi Sinha: Thoughts – especially creator Al Lowe’s – on Magna Cum Laude and Box Office Bust?

Al Lowe: [Thoughts unprintable here.] May they rest in peace. (I was going to say “rot in hell,” but wouldn’t that be unseemly?)

Ravi Sinha: Of all the games and properties to revisit though, why settle with Larry Laffer? Sierra Entertainment had several adventure game franchises back in the day. What made Larry stand out, and prove relevant to today’s age of gamers?

Al Lowe: Larry was the one that I created, remember? And it’s the one that Replay Games currently holds the rights to. That’s the obvious reason. But there’s no reason why, if Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded is successful, that you won’t see remakes of some of those other Sierra titles. In fact, I’d love to see it!

Ravi Sinha: There is a wave of sequels to old-school properties and franchises which have been funded on Kickstarter including the aforementioned Dreamfall: Chapters, Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenara and more. However, in light of games like Shadow of the Eternals, the spiritual sequel to Eternal Darkness, having an average response, do you see a slump in crowd-funded projects in the coming months?

Al Lowe:  The truth will come when gamers receive the games they paid for last year. And I’m proud to say that (to the best of my knowledge) Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded is the very first game “out the door.” I’m proud of that, although it did take longer than we expected. We really gave this game our best shot. I hope that your readers have as much fun with it as we did making it!

Ravi Sinha: What benefit does funding from Kickstarter present over going through traditional publishers? Would Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, in its current form, have been possible without Kickstarter?

Al Lowe: Replay Games had the rights to Leisure Suit Larry for months and was unable to find a publisher interested in funding development. Had Paul Trowe and I not stumbled into Tim Shaffer at a conference, we might still be hunting for funding. So you could say that Kickstarter really made Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded possible.

Ravi Sinha: Tell us more about plans to “remake” all games in the Leisure Suit Larry series. Would they present similar crowd-funding goals as Reloaded did, or would they be significantly cheaper to fund given the infrastructure already being in place?

Al Lowe: What is this word you use: “cheaper”?? Since when have games ever been anything but more expensive to create?!
Our goal is that Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded will generate enough extra sales that it can fund the future titles. But again, that’s up to your readers. Enjoy the game? Want another? Tell your friends to buy their own copy!

Ravi Sinha: What does Austin Wintory’s music add to the overall atmosphere of the game? Will it be like being back in the ’80s or significantly more contemporary?

Al Lowe: Nothing much. Nobody listens to game music anyway.

Are you kidding? The first composer whose game music was nominated for a Grammy? It’s incredible. And one of the happiest days of my life was when he invited me to fly to Hollywood for the recording session with the Late Night Jazz Orchestra. It was love at first hear!

Ravi Sinha: Finally, will we be seeing the game this June? Is everything on track for release?

Al Lowe: We’ve been holding it until someone asked this question! How about tonight at mid-night? Is that soon enough for you?