As We Review: Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Don’t Dry (XBOX ONE)

Larry Laffer is back on the Xbox after a decade, this time in his unique 2D art style. His last entry on the Xbox was the unfavorably reviewed and ironically named, Box Office Bust. Which, along with MCL was a 3D game.

With Wet Dreams Don’t Dry, Larry finds himself transported to modern times, waking up to a world that is strange yet familiar. As his antiquated views come clashing with the modern landscape, he decides to take all the advancements today has to offer to impress a powerful tech leader he wants to date.

For him, gone are the days of asking someone out in a bar, and instead, his best hope relies on this magical small box people call the “smartphone”.

It is a very effective setting that sees Larry try and wrap his head around an exaggeration of how the modern world works. Often, the ridiculousness of this caricature that the game portrays, resonates with what we see in our modern world, making Wet Dream’s humor both relevant and relatable. For him, gone are the days of asking someone out in a bar, and instead, his best hope relies on this magical small box people call the “smartphone”.

His smartphone features a parody of apps that most people use today, like Instagram, Uber, or Tinder. Smartly enough some of the apps also seem to refactor old mechanics into a newer shell. Uber, for example, becomes a substitute for classic maps, acting as a travel button to different hotspots around the map.

Regardless of the new changes, the game still plays like a classic point and click adventure, where you have to solve puzzles by finding the correct items for certain obstacles without any sort of timer ticking down.

Whilst reloaded did see some of the adventures Larry originally went on get remastered, this feels like the best uplift of the series, and it is a treat to see classic locations such as Lefty’s Bar come to life with modern visual upgrades. The art is clean, and the colours are vivid, making it a treat to play, especially on HDR screens.

If you are coming to this as a classic adventure fan, you will most definitely appreciate how classic it feels in its gameplay.

I was originally worried about how the puzzles might be updated for today’s audience, knowing that a lot of games require much less thinking these days, either due to missing complexity or a better understanding of design which allows us to guide players. However, I was pleasantly surprised to notice myself scratching my head quite a few times without getting frustrated. If you are coming to this as a classic adventure fan, you will most definitely appreciate how classic it feels in its gameplay.

One thing to note, however, is that the game is still ridiculously risque, where it feels as if the developers are trying to throw every teenage level of sex joke at you. This aspect is further evident with suggestive imagery and plot points thrown around.

Still, even with the parody of our modern lifestyles and in your face obscenity, I didn’t find the writing or gameplay offensive, and like business as usual, Larry still tries to help people by doing the right thing and comes off more likable than misogynist. Though there are some dialogue choices that people unfamiliar with the series might find questionable or a bit creepy.

Fans, on the other hand, will appreciate that Jan Rabson is back as Larry, bringing with him the unique delivery and personality we have come to expect from the titular character. Not only that, but some newcomers might appreciate that Lefty is voiced by none other than William Roberts, who most might know as Vesemir from The Witcher 3.

On the negative side, I did find myself fumbling with the Xbox controls a bit…

Whilst the strong cast did make for strong characters that I had come to find interesting, the writers are due some credit as well. Especially for the parodic dialogue that has just enough realism in it to be relatable and funny.

On the negative side, I did find myself fumbling with the Xbox controls a bit, but only because the familiar Xbox control scheme isn’t present here. B isn’t used as a back button, nor is select the button to bring up any sort of an objective screen here. Whilst it doesn’t take too long to get used to it, coming back to it after playing something else can still make you prone to hitting the wrong buttons.

Unlike the point and click method of movement on PC, the Xbox controls allow you to move Larry around with the left stick, leaving the right one for a stand in mouse cursor that you can use to interact with the environment. The B button is used as Examine, A for interact and the Y button to use your items. You can quickly switch which item you have currently equipped with your bumper buttons.

Unlike the point and click method of movement on PC, the Xbox controls allow you to move Larry around with the left stick, leaving the right one for a stand-in mouse cursor that you can use to interact with the environment. The B button is used as Examine, A for interact, and the Y button to use your items. You can quickly switch which item you have currently equipped with your bumper buttons.

Still, even with the temperamental controls, Wet Dreams Don’t Dry is immensely enjoyable on the Xbox

Still, even with the temperamental controls, Wet Dreams Don’t Dry is immensely enjoyable on the Xbox, especially if you are a fan of the series. It managed to update the best parts of the game without falling prey to the simpler puzzle solutions of some modern games. Though the now mature audience or new players might find certain aspects a bit childish or risque.

Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don’t Dry is now out on the Xbox One for $39.99 or £33.49. However, it is on sale for a limited time, and you can purchase it from the Microsoft store link here.