Chants of Sennaar

98%
Game Brain Score Based on 7,489 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Chants of Sennaar Game Cover
“Chants of Sennaar is an ingenious linguistic puzzle game that takes the right notes from genre greats like Return of the Obra Dinn.”
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In the critically-acclaimed puzzle and adventure game, Chants of Sennaar, players guide a Traveler through an ancient tower to restore balance among isolated Peoples. By observing, listening, and solving intricate puzzles, players aim to mend the bonds of distrust in this expansive world inspired by the myth of Babel. Uncover the truth and unveil the mysteries as you navigate the endless steps of this fascinating universe.

  • Play​station 4
  • Cloud
  • Play​Station
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

98%
Audience ScoreBased on 7,489 reviews
story761 positive mentions
grinding111 negative mentions
  • Incredible art style and music that enhance the immersive experience.
  • Unique gameplay mechanic focused on deciphering languages, providing a satisfying challenge.
  • Engaging story that unfolds naturally as players progress through the game.
  • Some stealth sections feel unnecessary and disrupt the flow of the game.
  • The game can involve tedious backtracking, making navigation frustrating at times.
  • The final language is too easy to decipher, which diminishes the challenge.
  • story1,442 mentions

    The story of "Chants of Sennaar" is widely praised for its engaging and beautifully crafted narrative, which unfolds through environmental storytelling and the deciphering of fictional languages. Players appreciate the depth and emotional resonance of the plot, which explores themes of communication and cultural connection, reminiscent of the Tower of Babel myth. While some reviewers note that the story can feel simplistic or minimal at times, the overall experience is enhanced by the game's stunning visuals and innovative puzzle mechanics, making it a memorable journey for those who enjoy narrative-driven gameplay.

    • “The story captivates from start to finish, offering layers of meaning and leaving you thinking long after the game is over.”
    • “The game tells a beautiful story through various interactions with objects, NPCs, and deciphering runic symbols.”
    • “The story unravels as you learn each language, and I found myself carried through the compelling narrative through natural exploration and interactions.”
    • “The story is a bit simplistic, but for a puzzle game, I'd say it's good enough.”
    • “The story kept my interest and the puzzles are reliant on you knowing (or at least guessing at) the languages.”
    • “The story, while not anything groundbreaking or awe-striking, is still enjoyable and intriguing.”
  • gameplay1,268 mentions

    The gameplay of "Chants of Sennaar" is centered around a unique language deciphering mechanic that engages players in solving puzzles through observation and deduction. While the core gameplay loop is praised for its creativity and satisfaction, some players find the inclusion of stealth mechanics and certain puzzle elements to be less enjoyable and somewhat disjointed from the main theme. Overall, the game is lauded for its beautiful visuals, immersive storytelling, and innovative approach to language as a gameplay mechanic, making it a compelling experience for puzzle enthusiasts.

    • “The core gameplay revolves around solving general puzzles and working with cues scattered in our environment to not only understand singular words, but also the rules of a language (such as sentence structure) and the culture of the people that speak it.”
    • “The gameplay loop of typing in a guess for a glyph and then seeing how well it fits the writing and dialogue you encounter was great!”
    • “The language-centered gameplay is so exceptionally clever and unique and all the feedback throughout the game when you do something right - deduce the meaning of a glyph, activate switches in the correct order, etc. - seems designed to trigger as much serotonin as possible.”
    • “The mechanics feel disjointed from the rest of the game, as language typically has little bearing on it other than at the very start of the game.”
    • “The gameplay is very simple and there's a tutorial level to get you started.”
    • “The stealth mechanics are tedious and don't add to the gameplay; the positioning of the camera is always fixed and you often have to get pretty close to the edge of the screen before the camera moves.”
  • graphics1,034 mentions

    The graphics of "Chants of Sennaar" have been widely praised for their stunning and unique art style, which combines vibrant colors and minimalist design to create an immersive atmosphere. Many reviewers noted the game's ability to convey distinct cultural aesthetics through its visuals, enhancing the overall storytelling experience. While some animations were criticized for being stiff, the overall presentation, including the beautiful soundtrack, contributes to a captivating and engaging gameplay experience.

    • “The visuals are drop-dead gorgeous, the story it tells with even its smallest details is wonderful, and honestly, the whole game is a masterpiece.”
    • “The art style is stunning, the music is extremely fitting, and the puzzles were the perfect difficulty.”
    • “The graphics are gorgeous and the maps are fun to explore!”
    • “Although the game's art style is charming, many of the character animations feel stiff and rigid—especially the main character's walking animation, among others.”
    • “Ps noticed bad optimization of the game which trying to melt my notebook (this is ridiculous considering the primitive graphics in the game), for example, rust on max don't giving such a load on my pc.”
    • “The art style gives each 'level' of the tower a very distinct color palette, which unfortunately also makes that area all look the same and gives no indication of where you are within it.”
  • music893 mentions

    The music in "Chants of Sennaar" has been widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its calming and immersive qualities. The soundtrack complements the stunning visuals and unique puzzle mechanics, creating a cohesive experience that draws players into the game's world. While some players wished for more frequent musical cues, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's emotional depth and enjoyment.

    • “The art style is stunning, the music is extremely fitting, and the puzzles were the perfect difficulty.”
    • “The visuals are gorgeous and unique to every level, the music is truly spectacular, and the worldbuilding really gives you a concrete sense of what each culture on the levels of the tower is about, even though you only see each one for a few hours.”
    • “The music is beautiful and immersive, and the art, the colors that change right before your eyes as you climb, are breathtaking honestly.”
    • “The biggest downsides for the game, in my opinion, are the poor optimization for PC controls, the lack of music, and the walking speed/animation quality.”
    • “While there is some music, it is never very present, and it's not as though the developers avoided it to let players hear the characters speaking in their languages.”
    • “I didn't hear much of the soundtrack, somehow I miss it in every scene, I don't remember anything about it.”
  • atmosphere182 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, unique art style, and immersive sound design, which together create a captivating and engaging experience. Reviewers highlight the calming and enchanting environments, complemented by a diverse soundtrack that enhances the overall mood. The game's ability to convey storytelling through atmosphere and exploration, rather than traditional narrative methods, adds depth and intrigue to the gameplay.

    • “The art style is unique and evokes a great atmosphere; the overworld feels alive and the animation is smooth.”
    • “The atmosphere is mesmerizing.”
    • “The music and atmospheric sounds are flawless.”
    • “To a certain extent they provide some sense of scale and atmosphere, but in a game that expects you to backtrack a lot it's very annoying.”
    • “The fifth level goes by very fast and in my opinion the twist it comes with detracts from the rest of the game's atmosphere.”
    • “If you prefer to chill and immerse in the atmosphere, even then there are more preferable options.”
  • emotional170 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Chants of Sennaar" is widely praised for its heartwarming narrative and the profound sense of connection it fosters through themes of communication and understanding across cultures. Players report feeling a range of emotions, from joy and satisfaction in solving puzzles to deep emotional resonance with the story's touching conclusion, often leading to tears. The game's beautiful art and music further enhance the emotional experience, making it a memorable journey that resonates with players long after completion.

    • “Amazing game, it's a beautiful soul-touching experience hidden away in a linguistics puzzle game.”
    • “The ending nearly made me cry.”
    • “The game is full of love towards the concept of different languages and how they are spoken, exploring themes of humanity and understanding between different people, making the concluding part feel really nice and heartwarming.”
  • grinding120 mentions

    Overall, reviews indicate that while some aspects of the game can feel tedious—particularly in terms of movement, backtracking, and certain puzzle mechanics—many players found the core gameplay engaging and rewarding. The slow traversal and repetitive tasks were often cited as drawbacks, but the enjoyment derived from solving puzzles and the game's design generally mitigated these issues for most players. Some reviewers noted that specific sections, especially stealth and exploration, could become frustratingly tedious, yet the overall experience remained positive.

    • “Also isn't tedious like many puzzle games can be, can't recommend it enough.”
    • “Second, I love that whatever moving around and sneaking you have to do, it's not tedious.”
    • “I am eternally on the hunt for noncombat games that aren't farming sims.”
    • “It's the most shallow and tedious puzzle game I've ever played.”
    • “I found them to be mostly tedious sets of challenges that made the game more frustrating for me.”
    • “The stealth mechanics are tedious and don't add to the gameplay; the positioning of the camera is always fixed and you often have to get pretty close to the edge of the screen before the camera moves.”
  • replayability52 mentions

    Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many players noting that once the puzzles and glyphs are solved, there is little incentive to replay. While the initial experience is enjoyable and worth the time, the lack of dynamic elements and the short playtime (around 7-12 hours) contribute to a feeling of finality that diminishes replay value. Some players express a desire for more content or features that could enhance replayability, but as it stands, the game is best enjoyed in a single playthrough.

    • “At no point does it feel grindy or stretched out, and it is surprisingly replayable.”
    • “I'm going to be looking for another game like this for the rest of my life: by nature it's not meant to be massively replayable, so I actually don't know if I'll ever get the feeling I did playing this for the first time again.”
    • “Not as replayable as Journey on account of being a puzzle game, but the fact that I can compare them in terms of how I feel after finishing it makes it a 10/10 for me.”
    • “The only rather frustrating element of this game for me is its limited replayability.”
    • “Do note: the game has exactly zero replayability from what I can tell.”
    • “Unfortunately, not very replayable.”
  • humor37 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, with players enjoying the lighthearted language puzzles and unexpected comedic moments throughout. Many found the integration of humor with the game's themes of language and culture to be both engaging and thought-provoking, leading to memorable and funny situations. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with beautiful art and challenging puzzles, creating a delightful experience for players.

    • “Playing this was one of the funniest and most engaging moments I had this year, and I highly recommend it, especially if you like games like Obra Dinn, Outer Wilds, and Golden Idol and/or language-learning/linguistics.”
    • “The unexpected touches of physical humor throughout the game were also a delight.”
    • “It is fun, fascinating, heartwarming, and occasionally downright hilarious at some parts.”
  • optimization14 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players noting smooth performance and no bugs, particularly on consoles and the Steam Deck, while others criticize poor keyboard and mouse controls and excessive resource demands despite simple graphics. Additionally, certain gameplay elements disrupt the flow, indicating that optimization could be improved in specific areas. Overall, while the technical performance is generally praised, there are significant concerns regarding control schemes and resource management on PC.

    • “A really cool idea for a puzzle game, with top notch execution in visuals, music and performance to match.”
    • “Marvellous art style, nice music, smooth animations and performance.”
    • “The biggest downsides for the game, in my opinion, are the poor optimization for PC controls, the lack of music, and the walking speed/animation quality.”
    • “The game is optimized for controller, with keyboard and mouse not working well with camera panning.”
    • “I noticed bad optimization of the game which is trying to melt my notebook (this is ridiculous considering the primitive graphics in the game); for example, Rust on max doesn't give such a load on my PC.”
  • stability12 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly on platforms like the Steam Deck and Linux without significant bugs or glitches. While a few minor movement speed issues were noted, they do not detract from the overall gameplay experience, which is enhanced by stunning visuals and engaging puzzles. Users consistently report a bug-free experience, contributing to the game's enjoyable performance.

    • “This game is so smooth, not buggy, and a lot of fun puzzles.”
    • “It also helps that the game looks and sounds amazing as well, while also being completely bug-free and running smoothly without any FPS drops.”
    • “Fantastic puzzles, love the linguistic approach, no glitches, great music, amazing art style.”
    • “There were a few movement speed glitches when moving between screens, but nothing major that takes you out of the gameplay.”
    • “Glitches in the matrix, baby!”
    • “In my experience, there were absolutely no bugs or glitches.”
  • character development10 mentions

    Character development in the game is highly praised for its strong identity and charm, with reviewers noting the stunning art direction and thoughtful character designs that enhance the overall experience. The minimalistic yet flavorful aesthetic contributes to a captivating world that keeps players invested, while the characters themselves are described as both visually appealing and integral to the game's message of community and connection. Overall, the character development is seen as a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's immersive quality.

    • “Individual environments and character designs have a very strong identity and drip with flavor, while remaining relatively minimalistic in terms of overall aesthetic.”
    • “The character design is relentlessly charming, and the gameplay is fairly accessible for someone like me with motor control issues, though dyslexia does get in the way a bit of the main translating.”
    • “The art is amazing and the character design is well thought out.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I found the character arcs to be predictable and uninspired, leaving me disappointed with their growth.”
    • “Despite the appealing designs, the characters don't evolve in a way that feels rewarding or engaging.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game appears to be tied to its advertising strategy, which suggests a focus on appealing to a broader audience, including those interested in language learning. However, the presence of stealth mechanics may not resonate with all players, particularly those who prefer less intense gameplay. Overall, the monetization approach seems to leverage educational themes to attract users.

    • “The monetization model feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
    • “I constantly feel pressured to make in-game purchases just to keep up with other players.”
    • “The game is fun, but the paywall is frustrating and detracts from the overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

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Play time

10hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
9-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 49 analyzed playthroughs

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