Linguistic Games - A Non-Comprehensive List
Obsessed with games about languages? Played one and crave infinitely more? Fear not, for I am here with a small handful of recommendations that will perhaps tide you over for a little bit before you start going crazy again!
This is a humble list of some games about linguistics or languages (or anything adjacent) as a main feature that I, a translator by trade, have played or heard about. Hopefully this is useful for anyone that's looking for new linguistic experiences!
Games I've Played
These are games I've actively played to full or near-full completion. They've all been great too btw.
Heaven's Vault
Oh boy, where to even begin talking about this game. Heaven's Vault is a game in which every single choice you make matters... and there's no turning back! This game is made to be replayed, as tedious as it might be to do so, and the lack of savefiles does hurt it a bit if you're as impatient and curious as I am. However, the story is so gripping and the twists and turns are so captivating that you just wanna keep playing to know everything!!
The story is simple on the surface: you're an archaeologist traveling across space with a simple goal: find out both what's going on with your curious companion and what has the Nebula in such a tizzy.
The artstyle is amazing, the game feels good to play, characters will remember every decision you've made and react accordingly... You might even discover a route so far from what you originally set out to do, it may derail your entire ending!
The language mechanic itself is fun, and figuring out the symbols and how they build on each other is incredibly enrapturing! Sometimes a bad guess can send you hurtling down the wrong path, but that's just life!
All you really need to keep in mind about this game is that two routes will never be the same... but they might be heavily similar. Or not. As long as you are aware that this is a slow-paced game with plenty of replayabilty, you're in for a fun, mysterious experience of trying to fit the jagged edges of the puzzle pieces together. And the picture they form is absolutely worth it.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation4, PC (Steam)
Price: €21,99 (Steam, PlayStation Store), €15,99 (Nintendo eShop)
NOW €8,79/$9,99 UNTIL JUNE 5TH ON STEAM!!
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Chants of Sennaar
Yeah, it's me again, Chants of Sennaar's #1 megafan. What about it.
CoS is perhaps my favorite game out of this whole bunch. You're basically dropped in a strange, unfamiliar place... and everyone speaks a language you don't understand! Through logic and experience, you'll uncover the meaning of all the words you've been hearing though the sunny lower floor of the tower... because of course, this is a tower!
Tongue-in-cheek Babel reference aside, you go through different societies, each with their own language reflecting it, in your efforts to reach the very top of the tower. The story is plural yet simple, with a central one revolving around your character and lots of small side stories that keen-eyed players will find a delight to uncover.
On the language side of things, well... Language is Sennaar is both a device to advance the story and a collectable of sorts. It is possible to finish the game with incomplete knowledge of all the languages, but filling your notebook with every single word is just so much FUN! Apart from that, many languages have certain patterns one might recognize - verbs or nouns or some words may be written in a specific way, which makes it easier to understand the meaning of some things.
I want to spoil this game as little as possible. This is a game that should really be experienced if possible, so this little overview probably feels somewhat lackluster... oh well! One thing that stressed me out BAD in this game -spoiler alert, I guess?- were the stealth sections (there's not that many, just two stressful ones near the beginning and at the very very end), but in retrospect they were not bad at all. Trial and error makes it all work, and to be fair this game is incredibly lenient when you get caught.
Also the ending's nuts and i've been rotating the main character in my head ever since i first played this. artsyle is so cool too. insane game please give it a chance.
Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), Xbox One
Price: €19,99
NOW €12,99/$12,99 UNTIL JUNE 5TH ON STEAM!
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Sethian
Alright this one is for the true linguistic nerds out there. This is NOT a puzzle game. The other two games so far had puzzle and adventure elements, but this one? You only get two fucking things: a diary that updates as you go... and a weird screen with even weirder symbols.
You wanted a language to decipher? Well here you go! Learn this language. Use it to ask questions. Get answers. So on and so forth.
Sethian's language is impossibly interesting. This language doesn't take its grammar, syntax or stuff like that from English. Oh no. As the creator stated, it "borrows elements from Chinese, American Sign Language, and other real world languages, in addition to some features which have no real world counterpart."
Also, just as a heads up, you're not gonna get the meaning of every single symbol or word. Sorry. But let's be real - that's just true to learning any new language. Some things are better left as a mystery!
Sethian is not very long, but if you're into this language stuff it's honestly an incredible experience. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Platform: PC (Steam)
Price: €4,99
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Cypher
This game is relatively similar to Sethian language-wise, even if it's not nearly as complex. Premise is as follows: you're helping a stranded space traveler make their way out of the planet they crashed onto... by acting as a translator between them and his local companion!
It's very fun and the way the language works is quite interesting, but don't expect much length or depth. Honestly, this is an amazing free game you can play if you want to scratch the itch a bit! ...Even if it might leave you itching for more. Oh, well!
In case you're seeing this on PC, here's a link to the game's itch.io page. Have fun!
Platform: PC (itch.io)
Price: Whatever you want it to be!
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The Gostak
This is the one exception: I still haven't finished playing this game. In fact, at the time of writing, I just started. But this 2001 text adventure is an absolute masterpiece. Difficult as fuck, but a masterpiece nonetheless.
This game does not have convenient graphics or a handy way to keep track of what you've learned. What I'm doing is taking out my notebook and my multicolored pen and getting to WORK. You have to discover, parse or even guess the meaning or function of words based solely on their relations to OTHER unknown words that you uncover... by using the same words you know nothing about! You are the gostak. The gostak distims the doshes. From there, it's all on YOU to not only understand what's going on, but also complete this adventure... because it IS an adventure!
Your goal is unclear at the beginning, but as you unravel the language and begin to understand your surroundings, you'll see more and more of this world. As mentioned before, this is a text-only game, which can be a turnoff for some people. I, however, would say that the joy of figuring out words and the relationships between them without even knowing what they mean is simply amazing.
Here's the link to the game's website, so you can whip out your trusty word processor (or, if you're old school like me, your handy pen and paper) and go to town! May the gitches frike and the duscats glake!
Platform: PC (website)
Price: Free!
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Games I Have Not Played
Homicipher
Well. From what I know about this game, it's a threefold game: horror, language, and adventure all rolled into one!
The only reason I haven't played this game is because I despise horror games with all my heart. They make me extremely anxious and I just don't have a good time at all. Everything else about this game is screaming out to me - a developed language-learning/guessing system? A crazy point-and-click adventure with multiple endings and interesting character interactions?
I'd say that if you don't mind the whole horror side of things, you should absolutely give this a try. I'm afraid I can't say much else about this game!
Platform: PC (Steam)
Price: €13,79
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7 Days to End with You
All I know about this game is that you're given basically nothing to work with from the very beginning and that your interpretation of the language affects the story itself. Interesting concept!
A few reviews seem to imply this game is a bit divisive, but it's still on my to-play list. Maybe you, too, should give it a chance!
(If you're interested, maybe try and find a spoilerless review or a better summary... I'm sure there's much to be said about this game, but none of it will be found on this post!)
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), Android (Play Store)
Price: €11,79 (eShop), €7,79/$7,99 (Steam), €5,49/$4,49 (Play Store)
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Honorable mentions
Tunic
This is just a soulslike! Maybe I'm just so bad at videogames I struggle to get past the beginning, but as far as I know I don't think the language is the main focus of the game. It is still a translatable, learnable language, tho!
Outer Wilds
Keeps the same feeling of "knowledge drives you forward" that Heaven's Vault and Chants of Sennar have, but as far as I know there's no language translation central to the game. I mean, there is, it's just automatic and you don't get to play with a new language. Amazing experience nonetheless! (I'm still yet to finish it...!)
Tork (Can you torque the talk?)
2004 flash game, but it is now sadly unplayable. It employed a language-learning system similar to Chants of Sennaar.
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Honorable honorable mentions
Rapid-fire list of non-language games that just scratched the same itch somehow.
Return to the Obra Dinn
Incredible notebook detective game about finding out what happened to the crew of a ship. Deductive reasoning takes the wheel here.
The Roottrees Are Dead
Another notebook detective game! This time, you're a private investigator in charge of filling out an extense family tree... and perhaps some surprises along the way!
Type Help
Rounding up the notebook detective genre, this one has you following the mysterious events that unfolded at a house party using only audio transcripts. Honestly, once it clicks, it clicks. Here's the itch.io link!
Sable
Low-stakes exploration with simple yet atmospheric graphics and a very interesting story to uncover!
Tales of the Neon Sea
An eclectic mix of noir, cyberpunk and pixel art that results in an unforgettable detective experience. Well-written characters, an amazing story, fun worldbuilding... I only wish it was longer!
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Well, that's all! If you play any of these games (or have already played them), please don't hesitate to let me know!!! I just adore these little linguistic gems :D Also, if you know any other games not mentioned in here, PLEASE tell me I'm getting desperate
Hope you enjoy these games! Much love <3
