Oh, Larry, it’s been so long. After… wait, it’s only been eight months? Yes, time does seem to drag on during these extended lockdowns, but throughout it, two Leisure Suit Larry games have been unleashed into the Xbox ecosystem. The first of them, Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don’t Dry, was a surprisingly decent return to form with some laugh-out-loud moments and surprisingly sharp metacommentary. It was really only let down by a high asking price and an even higher quantity of technical problems. However, while this sequel has informed us that wet dreams dry twice, is it possible that lightning strikes twice? Will I be able to top my previous record for most double-entendres in a single review? Let’s find out.
Beginning with the story, Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice picks up right where the prior game ends, so spoilers for those who have yet to play that game. The apple of Larry’s eye, Faith, has lost her memory and has gone missing at sea. Now, it is up to Larry to set off on an adventure with his trust PiPhone (complete with an AI who is Cortana in all but name) to find her and maybe even find some more love along the way. Right from the get-go, this story is closer in line to a traditional adventure title, which is not inherently a bad thing. Gone is the urban splendour and phallic structures of New Lost Wages for the dense bushes and even more phallic ruins of several different islands. However, Larry’s journey is full of sticky situations waiting to happen, from several encounters with a seductive super spy to an evil plot hatched by the new ruthless, CEO of Prune Corp with a… unique set of requests for his agents.
The story for what it is is okay, if a step down from the previous game. The setups are mostly predictable and standard adventure territory with a Leisure Suit Larry spin on them, but the emotional core of the story between Larry and Pi is surprisingly decent and evocative of the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana in Halo 4 (if nowhere near as well-executed as that game). On the whole, the story is pretty slow and steady, but it does reach one heck of an explosive climax in what is easily among the craziest plotlines in an adventure game.
The humour this time around is more of the same if played a bit more straight than the previous game. The sex jokes are positively plentiful, as is the wordplay (take the L out of the game Flappy Bird or replace the N in Cancún with an M and you’ll understand perfectly the sense of humour here). The game also has some… rather un-PC characters, and while many are in on the joke, some do border on offensive, so this is worth keeping in mind. Once again, like the previous game, the biggest surprises are found when the humour shies away from the lewd for something a bit more creative. For example, one of the biggest laughs in the game occurs when a hapless standup comedian has lost his joke book and must rely on a Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook to fill in the gaps, unaware of whatever a “Paladin Cleric” is supposed to be. The little moments do make this a more enticing package.
The gameplay is more or less the same as the previous title. This is a standard point and click-style adventure game (although you can move Larry by using the right analog stick as well) with some addition quality-of-life enhancements such as a quest-log and the ability to double click on a door to fast travel to the next area. The puzzles in the first half of the game are fairly easy and manageable but then start to dive deep into the “Guide Dang It” territory, as it is lovingly called in the second half. Some of these puzzles are long and hard, meaning you may want to just use a guide and skip to the good stuff. Several in-depth ones do exist for those interested, but for those more accustomed to the genre, these puzzles are at least a tad more logical than the ones in its predecessor, even if they are harder.
The presentation here is more or less the same. Character models and music are reused, in addition to new characters, environments and tracks. While not the prettiest game, it does fit the style quite well. Honestly, there are no real complaints here.
Where Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice improves the most over its predecessor is in the performance. Wet Dreams Don’t Dry was something of a messy experience, with several crashes and bugs. However, Wet Dreams Dry Twice only froze once and had minimal bugs over my 7-hour playthrough, which was a very pleasant surprise. Quick Resume, however, is not supported by this title, so if you wanna spend some more time with Larry, you need to give him a couple of minutes to get up and running.
Finally, the value proposition here is about the same as the prior title. Wet Dreams Dry Twice is a bit longer, but also a bit more expensive at £37.49, which does make it a somewhat large ask for those not deep into Larry’s games. I think with a price cut, this is absolutely worth the money if it sounds appealing.
All in all, Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice is a decent second (or is that 9th?) round with ole Larry Laffer. The game is not going to be for everyone, but what is here is ultimately enough for a more polished, if less inspired, experience. However, Larry should definitely look into spicing things up a bit, because the series does run the risk of becoming flaccid. Flaccid, of course, referring to the synonym of lacklustre. Get your mind out of the gutter!
Dive in with Larry in Leisure Suit Larry – Wet Dreams Dry Twice on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
