In this game of adventure and enigmas where ancient languages are both the lock and the key, travel the endless steps of a prodigious labyrinth, multiply unexpected encounters and unveil the mysteries of a fantastic world inspired by the myth of Babel.
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genuinely one of the coolest, most original and most beautiful games I've ever played. Because of the premise it's the kind of game you can only really play once in your life, and as sad as that is it made the whole experience of playing it feel so much more precious and singular. Usually when playing games I will unashamedly look things up from time to time, when I get completely stuck or I want to double check that I'm not missing anything important, but I committed to not doing that for this game and I'm so glad I didn't. The difficulty was perfectly balanced for me, there was enough challenge especially in the late game to keep me engaged but i never found a problem I couldn't solve with a little time and effort. ooooo i love this game so much
This review contains spoilers
For being as accessible as it is while still getting across the feeling of helpless culture shock at the outset of every new civilization, Chants of Sennaar hits a remarkable sweet spot. It may be too hard for some, too easy for others, but anybody playing it will feel the satisfaction of both learning to understand each culture, as well as watching the big picture come together.
Personally, I think just about everything this game does could be taken a step further into the obscure and it would be for the better - more structural differences between languages, more emphasis on each language being a reflection of that culture's values, more context clues and less of the freebies/Rosetta Stones that are given to you frequently. The pacing in the final area is also a bit strange, but ultimately these are minor complaints when there's so much to love here.
Visually, this is one of the best looking games I've played in a long time and it's a shining example of why fixed camera angles should be used more in games. every single shot has so much attention given to the composition, and what the game wants to show you about the world. every single screen is a clue of some sort, guiding you towards learning about the meaning of glyphs, the things a culture revolves around, what they fear, etc.
The game also fully earns the message that it carries out about bridging cultures by putting effort into understanding one another. By having you go through the Tower's different civilizations one by one, understanding each new one through the lens of other cultures with different values, you begin to see through lines and learn how to find the meeting points between them.
Even with high expectations going in, it's far better than I had anticipated, and one I'll be thinking about for a long time.
Personally, I think just about everything this game does could be taken a step further into the obscure and it would be for the better - more structural differences between languages, more emphasis on each language being a reflection of that culture's values, more context clues and less of the freebies/Rosetta Stones that are given to you frequently. The pacing in the final area is also a bit strange, but ultimately these are minor complaints when there's so much to love here.
Visually, this is one of the best looking games I've played in a long time and it's a shining example of why fixed camera angles should be used more in games. every single shot has so much attention given to the composition, and what the game wants to show you about the world. every single screen is a clue of some sort, guiding you towards learning about the meaning of glyphs, the things a culture revolves around, what they fear, etc.
The game also fully earns the message that it carries out about bridging cultures by putting effort into understanding one another. By having you go through the Tower's different civilizations one by one, understanding each new one through the lens of other cultures with different values, you begin to see through lines and learn how to find the meeting points between them.
Even with high expectations going in, it's far better than I had anticipated, and one I'll be thinking about for a long time.
Incredible game! I love everything about it, I just wish that the puzzles were a bit harder
The deduction of icons feels perfectly balanced between not being too spelled out and not being too vague, and I love how each distinct culture is efficiently evoked through their language. Which concepts are core to their culture and common enough that you learn them first? How does their language frame concepts they share with other cultures (e.g. devotees vs impure ones)? Which concepts are so inessential that their language seems to omit them entirely?
Beyond the slow accumulation of understanding, I was impressed by the meta-challenge of forming cultural links, and the eventual ending sequence itself. A lot of similar games feel the need to have a big climactic gameplay sequence to drive home the combined emotion of the story and the full robustness of their puzzle design, but the difference with Chants of Sennarr is that it’s the rare example that actually imagines and executes it well, so I wasn’t distracted with frustration at any point.
Also, what a simple but visually stunning game.
Beyond the slow accumulation of understanding, I was impressed by the meta-challenge of forming cultural links, and the eventual ending sequence itself. A lot of similar games feel the need to have a big climactic gameplay sequence to drive home the combined emotion of the story and the full robustness of their puzzle design, but the difference with Chants of Sennarr is that it’s the rare example that actually imagines and executes it well, so I wasn’t distracted with frustration at any point.
Also, what a simple but visually stunning game.
A game of wonderfully engaging language deduction puzzles. Loved the art style, and the mixture of different languages across the hierarchy of the different societies made for an engaging narrative. I found the maths sections a bit too tricky (but that's a me problem) and the last 20 minutes of the game felt like it was forced to provide a dramatic finale, but otherwise this game was a treat to play and I hope its success makes room for more like it.
Hmmm does this word perhaps mean 'apple'?
Correct! The word was 'to exercise!'
Okay.
P.S. fuck the bard people.
Correct! The word was 'to exercise!'
Okay.
P.S. fuck the bard people.