4/5 ★ – PigParty's review of Chants of Sennaar.

Beaten: 1/2/2025 Playtime: 12 hours What a beautiful game in graphics, score, and gameplay. A language puzzle game that demonstrates just how massive a language barrier can be, yet also how easily it can be shattered. That all languages share the same roots. That communication is imperative to life and prosperity. That learning to speak with each other in spite of language barriers opens us up to an entirely new, far more inclusive and exciting world. Chants of Sennaar is essentially the idea of the tower of babbel. Each floor of the tower houses an entirely different group of people with an entirely different culture and way of life. You must learn their language, uncover their secrets, evade their dangers, and solve their puzzles in order to ascend to the next floor. Each word you learn in each language helps you learn the next language a little easier. I had tons of fun along this journey. The story builds up to something so profound and beautiful that it's the video game medium that allows you to take in the 10+ hour journey to feel such a deep impact emotionally. I would rate this higher than an 8 out of 10 (which is still incredible) if the puzzle design was so intuitive that I never had to look up a guide - if the game always gave me enough that even if I was stumped I could always figure it out soon enough. Unfortunately I did have to use a guide for a couple steps along the way near the end as I was just outright confused. The near-end puzzles can get quite a bit abstract and directionless. Maybe I'm dumb but the game design was so intuitive and accessible for 95% of it which made the much more obtuse puzzles near the end feel that much more excruciating and disappointing. I hate having to cheat and look up the answers in a puzzle game, especially in one that I've done pretty well in for most of the game. Obviously anyone's mileage will vary when it comes to what puzzles someone finds more challenging but for me, it does detract from my enjoyment when I get so stumped I resort to looking it up. There's also a couple points where the hardest puzzle feels like the labyrinthine level design - and that's not very fun. While every game has its flaws, I adore how profound this little indie game is. I love how well designed it is. I love the satisfaction I get from that eureka! moment when I understand something significant about a language. I love the beautiful art style and simple sound design. I love the risk Rundisc took in making a game that goes against the stream in almost every way possible. While very different from Outer Wilds, the highest compliment I can give a game is a comparison to that same wonderful feeling of building knowledge to progress that Outer Wilds excelled so well at, and Chants of Sennaar does a fantastic job at that.