Well, that was a 10/10. Highly recommended to puzzle amateurs.

++ great art with a warm colour palette
++ interesting "translation" mechanics, mixed with minigames and stealth segments
++ right length and pacing
++ a touching story on the theme of the tower of Babel, with an optimistic twist. It's told in a minimalist way, mostly with environmental storytelling
+ puzzles are on the easy side, but still satisfying to solve.
+ no missable or stupid achievements if you're into that

Chants of Sennaar is much more than just a linguistic puzzle—it is a philosophical journey into the nature of meaning. it invites you to experience key ideas from Wittgenstein, Quine, and other philosophers, not merely in theory but through practical engagement. the game compels you to confront the instability of meaning, the challenges of radical translation, and the necessity of pragmatism in linguistic understanding.

when we finally step out of the tower, we have not merely deciphered a collection of symbols; we have dismantled barriers and rediscovered the possibilities of communication. it offers you a rare opportunity: not just to read about these ideas, but to experience them firsthand.

This game's defining concept of learning and translating languages is something I've only seen one other time, and it was a Source mod that's probably over a decade old. It's a great system for people who are keen to solve puzzles and it keeps itself fresh by increasing the complexity of the languages and how they're spoken/written, not just trying to learn their words. You go from learning one language that lacks a way to pluralize its words effectively, then go to another that speaks backwards like Yoda. The only critique I have of it is that it reinforces the correct answer, and it's possible to just brute force your way to understanding the language; this would be better if it was optional for the game not to tell you the correct answers, or if brute forcing answers was punished.

It's a game I probably would've written about as a paper for one of my art design classes in university. The game's usage of color theory, typography, and architecture to help really define cultures reminiscent of the real world and immerse you within the culture of them as you're progressing throughout the game. You only spend one or two hours per culture, but it's immersive the whole way through. There are nitpicks I have every now and then regarding immersion, like why do the Warriors use trolleys to carry like, three things at a time? Or why does the core defining aspect of "playing instruments" fit the bill for two very different cultures, when they have other unique aspects about them?

I can definitely understand making this a point-and-click kind of game, but its use of a moving camera that was inconsistent from scene to scene made it a bit annoying just to move around in a few instances. The moving camera itself gave way to really showcasing some vast environments, so again, I get why it's used. Having to backtrack for achievement completion was also pretty underwhelming. There were also two instances where the game didn't prompt me to complete a culture's glyph by the time I had already finished the level, and it was because I didn't click on one little thing throughout the whole level that would've revealed it, even though I knew what the word meant and it was basically a formality to figuring it out.

I honestly wish the game was more difficult in some aspects. Every language is limited to a handful of glyphs/words and it limits complexity. The only real stump I encountered was when I was deciphering a language completely outside of the contexts of my own cultural upbringing, and it was disappointing that a good chunk of those words I just brute-forced until the game said they were correct.

Overall though, I really did enjoy this game. It was a great puzzle experience and most of my critiques are really just me wanting more of it. Play it if you like challenging puzzles and want to try a different kind!

This is a very pretty game. I think there should have maybe been a "hard" mode where they never provide you with the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ translations of the hieroglyphs. In real life, you can be wrong about a symbol for a long time. Just in general you see little glimmers of what the language puzzles could be but never quite get to. For instance, early on in the first area you might notice that places that store things are a box with a rudimentary version of the symbol for the thing inside. Well, it's nice that you notice that but you're never asked to extrapolate information like that to progress the game or even to open side things (although in the final area which is for some reason in a different style and even simpler than the earlier ones) you are shown this idea more explicitly.

I think it would have been nice to have some characters you could interact with and say things to and give instructions to, but maybe it would have been too hard to code.

But yeah, I did quite like exploring the tower. I liked that the stealth portions were simple enough to not frustrate you (and it's fine to have them there for a little variety) I love that the puzzles were of a genre that was only at most ever touched on in other adventure games. I just wish the plot and puzzles were a bit more complex. I suppose that's my feeling about most modern adventure games.

Wow.. Actually one of the best games I've ever played. The game is so well written and VERY beautiful (could screenshot anytime and make it to a wallpaper). It is so satisfying to learn what new symbols mean. Before playing this game I thought that I would be a little too dumb because I'm not a philologist but this game is very enjoyable for everyone. Every new language is like a puzzle and it's feels very rewarding after every unlocked word. Will recommend this game to my friends.

Chants of Sennaar may be a little clunky or janky at times, especially when it tries to vary its gameplay, but these shortcomings are overshadowed by the brilliance of the main mechanic and its accompanying satisfaction.

I had heard this title be mentioned in various video essays, praising its handling of a game mechanic that revolves around figuring out words of a strange language. I eventually got curious - being in an especially puzzly mood lately - and tried the game myself. I can safely say that my relatively high expectations were fully met and I had a lot of fun, playing through this game. You are a nameless character, navigating through what appears to be the Tower of Babel, meeting peoples and their languages. Each region has their own culture and revolving language.

When you start in a region, you will likely feel overwhelmed by the amount of strange words that you are confronted with, but the more you explore, read and talk to people, the better your idea of the language gets and you start to combine and deduct the meaning of words. This process of slowly figuring out and from becoming illiterate to understanding really felt cathartic every time.

The art style is minimalistic but certainly stylish. I must confess, it did not really fit my taste, but I could look at it and appreciate and it certainly felt cohesive yet diverse. Sound design and music perfectly complemented the gameplay, yet some music transitions and volume mixes in the music felt a little clumsy at times. Some more music integration polishing would certainly not have hurt the game, yet it still worked just well enough for what it intended to be.

Although I must say, I wish the game would have focussed on this strength a little more. There are other passages which require stealth gameplay or time based reactions and those, to me, always felt a bit forced and unintuitive to control. Personally, I would have rather found more words to decipher and understand than this type of gameplay thrown at me.

Still, I appreciate the developers trying to shake up the logic based gameplay a little here and there and I will gladly forgive them for making these sections a little underwhelming, as the main focus of the game was so incredibly fun and enjoyable, that my memory of the game only revolves around the language feature.

If you enjoy logic puzzles, are fascinated by languages and dig yourself a little (almost) cozy game, I see no issue in whole heartedly recommending this game for scratching that particular itch!

Stylish, fun to play, and doesn't take forever to finish. I can't believe I haven't played it until now. If you'd like to enhance the experience, try playing in a language you don't know (or trying to learn, and use a dictionary, of course).

Holy Moly... They've got a cat to pet, ancient flappy bird, what i can only describe as gaming in 2050... BUY THIS GAME RIGHT NOW PLEASE ITS AMAZING.

probably one of the best games in it's genre, whatever genre that really is. I lump it in with return of the obra din cause these games share a lot of the same puzzle solving idea, however this one was MUCH easier, still very fun.

my white ass is NOT learning bardic