The original Leisure Suit Larry games were kind of a raunchy version of King’s Quest, featuring lots of puzzles, in addition to plenty of “adult” humor. The LSL games followed Larry Laffer on his quest to, well, get some action, and that’s pretty much the theme with Magna Cum Laude. This time, though, we follow Mr. Laffer’s nephew, college-student Larry Lovage, as he attempts to get a place on a TV dating show. It’s a solid premise for the series, but unlike its predecessors, there isn’t much gameplay here to back it up.

Gone are all of the puzzles and adventuring of the original game, instead replaced with countless loading screens. During the course of the game, you’ll spend perhaps 30% of your time wading through load screens. Area transitions, minigames and even initiating conversations require lengthy load times. It’s frustrating, boring, and really damages the overall experience. The only plus is that the load screens feature some pretty fine artwork. In most cases, it’s a sexy shot of one of the girls, or even better, a photo of her real life model. Seems like the developers spent a lot of time on those screens, since even towards the end of the game, I was seeing new pictures. Wow, Harriet’s model sure is hot, but that doesn’t make the frequent loading excusable by any means.

When you actually do get to play, your goal is to charm the local girls and earn tokens of affection. These can then be given to the TV judges and will improve your chances of getting on the show. Charming each girl is a simple process that involves playing a few minigames and talking to her. Conversation is the best part of Manga Cum Laude, and honestly, it’s the only reason to play this game. During each chat, you take control of one of Larry’s sperm. A small window opens up at the bottom of the screen, and your job is to guide the sperm onto the happy faces. These trigger the “best” things he can say to the girls, which are usually lies, and oftentimes very amusing. Equally amusing are the other chat options, indicated by several different icons, ranging from sad or angry faces to a penis or a sombrero.



The different conversation options are nice, and usually funny, but Larry has no real control over the conversation. Either you’ll succeed, and get the “good ending” or you’ll fail, and the girl will reject you, meaning you have to try again. To succeed, grab the happy faces and avoid the bad ones, while at the same time avoiding things like farts and belches. These, naturally, make Larry less appealing to the girls. You’ll also have to avoid alcohol, as it seriously slows down the response time for your sperm, making it all the more difficult to hit those happy faces.

The rest of the game consists of lame minigames, always accompanied by two or three loading screens. You can play a version of Tapper to pass out fliers and feed monkeys or play Whack a Mole to mix drinks and spank some of the naughtier girls. Playing Quarters means gently pulling and pushing the analog stick to toss quarters into a mug, and is about as exciting as it sounds. Dancing and trampoline bouncing are handled with a simple Simon Says rhythm game. These segments have a strange timing to them, and it wasn’t until nearly the end of the game that I could finally do these events really well. Not that it matters, though, because if ever a challenge is too great, you can spend some secret tokens to automatically bypass it.

The secret tokens can be found in random places, or simply earned by getting a perfect in any event. They can then be spent on unlockables, none of which are especially exciting. The new (and naughtier) loading screens were appreciated, though. There aren’t many tangible secrets to unlock, but there are countless little jokes hidden all over Larry’s world. You’ll even meet the original Leisure Suit Larry, who has several amusing one-liners.



The voice acting complements the script nicely, as all the major characters are competently voiced. Larry’s voice actor is especially strong, which is fitting, since he’s constantly talking about one thing or another. Most objects in the game can examined, and he usually has something to say about them. The music is fitting, and even includes a few licensed tunes. From a visual perspective, Manga Cum Laude shines. The main girls are extremely well-rendered, and dare I say it, pretty damn hot. Other people in the game, those existing only so that the world doesn’t feel empty, don’t look nearly as good, but they serve their purpose. The animation is solid all-around, and Larry has some great facial expressions.



Article By: Joe Mackie