Honestly, let’s just call it what it is. Larry Laffer is a loser. But he’s our favorite kind of loser—the polyester-clad, breath-spray-abusing, mid-life crisis on legs that we just can’t seem to quit. When Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded dropped in 2013, it wasn’t just another cash-grab remake. It was actually a weirdly historical moment for gaming.
You’ve probably seen the headlines about "crowdfunding success," but the backstory is way messier. Basically, Al Lowe—the series creator and the man who once called himself the world’s oldest game designer—came out of retirement for this. He didn’t want a simple port. He wanted to fix the puzzles he’d hated for twenty-five years.
Why the 2013 version happened (and why it almost didn't)
The original 1987 game, Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, was a slow-burn hit that basically defined "adult" gaming in the 80s. But by the early 2010s, the franchise was a bit of a corpse. After some pretty terrible spin-offs that Lowe had nothing to do with—looking at you, Magna Cum Laude—the brand was tarnished.
Then came Replay Games and Kickstarter. They asked for $500,000. They got over $655,000. This actually made Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded one of the first major video games to be fully funded and released via the crowdfunding boom. It beat Broken Age to the finish line.
Lowe brought back some heavy hitters. We’re talking Josh Mandel on design and Austin Wintory—yes, the Grammy-nominated Journey composer—to handle the music. It was a weird mix of high-brow talent and low-brow dick jokes. It shouldn't have worked. Kinda did, though.
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The "New" Lost Wages
If you’re expecting a 1:1 remake, you’re wrong. Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded is technically the second remake of the first game (the first being the 1991 VGA version). But this one added a whole new love interest: Jasmine.
She wasn't in the original. She was a "stretch goal" reward for the Kickstarter backers. To get to her, you have to navigate a whole new series of puzzles involving whale oil and perfume that wasn't in the 1987 floppy disk version.
The game still keeps the five core locations:
- Lefty's Bar: Where everything starts and where you'll probably die first.
- The Mini-Mart: For all your "lubber" and wine needs.
- The Love Chapel: For those impulsive Lost Wages weddings.
- The Casino: Where you'll spend way too much time save-scumming at the slot machines.
- The Disco: Where Larry shows off his "moves" (which are just... sad).
One of the best updates? The "Point & Grope" interface. In 1987, you had to type things like "use condom on self." In Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded, you just use the zipper icon. It’s more streamlined, but the narrator still mocks you for every single click.
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It’s not just about the sex (seriously)
People love to label this as "porn for gamers," but that’s a total misunderstanding of what Al Lowe was doing. Larry is a satire. He’s a jab at the "swinging" culture of the 70s that didn't realize the party was over by the 80s.
In Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded, the humor is actually sharper because it leans into the absurdity. The game is arguably more about the frustration of the quest than the "reward." You spend hours trying to buy a drink or get a taxi, only to realize Larry is still just a guy in a cheap suit who lives in his mom's basement.
The voice acting helps a ton here. Jan Rabson returned to voice Larry, and his delivery makes the character feel more like a pathetic uncle you feel sorry for rather than a creepy predator. It's a fine line, and Rabson walks it perfectly.
The bitter ending of the comeback
Here is where it gets a little depressing. While the game was a hit with the fans, the "happily ever after" for the developers didn't last. By December 2013, just months after the release, Al Lowe left Replay Games.
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The company said it was "amicable." Lowe said it wasn't. It basically nuked the plan to remake the rest of the series. While we eventually got the Wet Dreams Don't Dry games years later from a different studio, they lacked that specific Al Lowe DNA.
Is it still worth playing today?
If you can handle the "save early, save often" mantra, yeah. It’s still one of the funniest point-and-click adventures out there. Just don't go in expecting modern sensibilities. It’s a time capsule of a time capsule.
How to actually win (or at least not go broke):
- Abuse the Slots: Save your game while standing at a slot machine. Bet the max. If you lose, reload. If you win, save. It’s the only way to afford the $20 cab rides in Lost Wages.
- Check the Coaster: At Lefty's Bar, look at the coaster. The combination to the back-room cabinet is right there.
- The "Ken Sent Me" Password: It's a classic for a reason. Use it on the naugahyde door at Lefty's.
- Don't forget the Apple: You'll need it for the "Eve" encounter. Trust me.
- Avoid the Dark Alleys: Unless you want to meet a mugger and see a "Game Over" screen that mocks your life choices.
To get the most out of Leisure Suit Larry Reloaded, stop trying to "beat" it and start trying to interact with everything. Lick the walls. Talk to the fire hydrant. The game has five times the dialogue of the original, and most of the best jokes are hidden in the failure states.
If you're on a modern PC, grab the version on GOG or Steam. It runs better than the old mobile ports, and you’ll want the high-res art for all those hidden background gags. Just make sure nobody is looking over your shoulder when you get to the "Nuclear Crotch" achievement. Seriously.
Grab a copy, pour yourself a virtual (and maybe real) drink, and remember: things could be worse. You could be wearing a leisure suit in 2026. Actually, knowing how fashion works, that might be back in style by now. Try to enjoy the "Lost Wages" atmosphere for what it is—a gloriously tacky, neon-soaked reminder that sometimes, the search for love is just a series of really bad inventory puzzles.