2023-09-11 15:35:35
By Robert Glashuttner
Communication through language opens doors to other people, cultures and worlds. It can connect and strengthen empathy as well as divide and deceive. In any case, knowing new languages expands your horizons and reveals differences and similarities between people, countries and peoples.
In our lives, learning foreign languages is as common as it is challenging. Not everyone has a talent for languages and many people find it difficult to cope with the unusual mix of disciplined learning (grammar, phrases, etc.) on the one hand and playful, experimental learning (as much viewing, reading, talking) on the other. A new linguistically influenced game is also definitely playful, although it has nothing to do with conventional translation tools and language apps.
Rundisc / Focus Entertainment
Language construction at Babel
We get in “Chants of Sennaar” as a traveler at the foot of a huge ancient tower that amazes us with high walls, long corridors, mighty arcades and ancient gates. Soon we meet other people, either dressed in robes like us or equipped with impressive head pieces and sometimes with unpleasant-looking swords. We still don’t know the roles of these characters or understand their iconic characters. But that soon changes following we study the streets, squares and buildings with their signs better and talk to the people here.
“Chants of Sennaar” is a linguistic puzzle game in which – like in a classic point & click adventure – we study all available locations carefully and collect as much information as possible. This research is then automatically written into our notebook: the glyphs as well as various documents. Little by little we get an idea of what one or the other sign might mean. We type our guess into the game and from then on the game roughly translates everything we think we understand. The more we explore, the more often there is the possibility of assigning certain characters to certain images. If we correctly assign the glyphs for “door”, “key”, “not” and “warrior” in this way, they will then be activated correctly from now on.
Rundisc / Focus Entertainment
Switching and turning puzzles
“Chants of Sennaar”developed by the two-person team Rundisc from France, is published by Focus Entertainment for Windows, PS4+5, Xbox One+Series and Switch.
The great language puzzles are interwoven with the world, meaning: It’s not enough to look for clues and then translate the characters, we also have to prove that we understand connections. For example, doors only open or keys are found when we are attentive and interpret gestures and sentences correctly. Once you have made the right connections and gotten the necessary information from the right place, the corresponding switching and turning puzzles are usually no longer a big hurdle. There are sometimes stealth elements where we usually have to hide from various guards or sneak past them.
Each level in this individual Tower of Babel has its own language spoken. Once we have unlocked all the first level glyphs, we move up a level and have to unpack our language learning techniques once more. But what we have learned so far is still useful – for example, if we come across translations of two languages or have indications that there are interfaces or similarities between one language and the other.
Rundisc / Focus Entertainment
Original puzzles with language in a great look
“Chants of Sennaar” is an extremely clever, motivating and stylish puzzle game that is not overwhelming, but is anything but trivial. Above all, the own assumptions that are necessary to move forward make this game special. The game developers also recommend – as was common with computer games 30-40 years ago – to put a pencil and paper next to the computer or console and take notes. In many ways it’s like real language learning: the more and the more often you imitate, the better it becomes second nature. One of the first findings in the game is that there are types of characters – the glyphs for buildings, for example, always have some kind of frame.
This game is one of the most notable surprises of this year’s indie game year and a must for anyone who appreciated the great archaeological language game “Heaven’s Vault” from 2019 (FM4 reported).
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#nonviolent #Chants #Sennaar #explore #languages
