Try To Get Away With Murder In Psychological Thriller Loretta

Loretta is an independent psychological thriller inspired by American noir films of the 1940s and 1950s. Made by solo developer Yakov Butuzoff and published by DANGEN Entertainment, Loretta is a story-driven visual novel about a woman who has decided to murder her unfaithful husband. Cast as Lora's accomplice, the player must lead her "through a self-crafted nightmare." 

Set on an isolated farm in the American South, this thriller takes inspiration from the work of filmmaker Alfred Hitchock, Philip Ridley's film The Reflecting Skin, 1922 by horror legend Stephen King and Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita. Loretta's art style is inspired by the work of modern realist painters Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper, with the 1947 setting being brought to life by artist Daria Vodianaya alongside character portraits done by Fyodor Buldatov. 

 

Loretta is a point-and-click adventure game with an emphasis on dialogue, environment interaction and exploration, and moral dilemmas. As Lora, the player must not only plan a murder, but also hide the evidence and navigate the fallout of their crime. Through the player's actions, "the plot can either turn into a web of dodgy lies, or a crescendo of bloody murders."

While murder is on her mind, Lora is seen by the developer as a heroine "stuck in a cold empty house barely making ends meet", who is forced to deal with "betrayal... infidelity... and the difficult social situation of the 1940s." Lora, and the player's, actions, Butuzoff warns, will have consequences. No one is safe in Loretta as every important character can be killed. However there will be a price to pay as every murder or attempted murder affects the narrative immediately, or further down the line.

Loretta has a free demo on Steam out now and is coming soon to PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Alex David Johnson (@AlexJohnWriting)
News Editor, NoobFeed