Glyphica: Typing Survival
- October 9, 2024
- aliasBLACK
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Glyphica: Typing Survival" is a roguelite typing tutor game where players must type words above enemies to defeat them in fast-paced, horde-style combat. Enemies have different attack patterns, and players can upgrade their arsenal with unlockable weapons and loot. The game challenges players' focus, speed, and strategy, making it a unique and engaging take on both typing tutorials and survival games.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique blend of typing practice and roguelike gameplay, making it engaging and fun.
- Great for improving typing speed and accuracy, especially for touch typists.
- Minimalist aesthetic and responsive controls enhance the overall experience.
- Difficulty spikes significantly, making it challenging even for experienced typists.
- Visual clutter can obscure important text, making it hard to see what to type.
- Currently lacks content and variety, with limited weapons and repetitive gameplay.
- gameplay33 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its unique mechanics and engaging challenge, particularly for those familiar with typing games, though many players find it initially difficult and suggest the addition of introductory levels. The combination of typing to activate weapons and bonuses creates a compelling loop, with a balance of active and passive gameplay elements that enhance replayability. While some users note issues with balance and derivative elements, the overall experience is considered fun and addictive, especially for those looking to improve their typing skills.
“The gameplay is focused and fun, and it gets appropriately challenging deeper into the game.”
“Decent balance, decent replayability already with more content coming, and a compelling core gameplay loop that also doubles as typing practice.”
“A super fun concept with some fun little gameplay bits like target priority based on how many vowels are in a word, how many enemies are grouped, and how close they are to your beam that has a turn speed.”
“Many players are complaining that it is too difficult, and I would agree that it needs a couple of 'introductory' levels before the current first level -- it is quite difficult until you understand the mechanics of the game and start coming up with a strategy.”
“I seriously wish it had launched into early access with more than an hour and a half of meaningful gameplay.”
“A boring game with no educational content and purely derivative gameplay, combined with a staggeringly overdeveloped sense of self-importance.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of Glyphica are characterized by a clean, minimalist aesthetic that many players appreciate for its clarity and ease of use. While the visuals are generally well-received, some users note that the simplicity can occasionally obscure important text, suggesting that improvements in font differentiation could enhance the experience further. Overall, the game's design reflects a thoughtful approach, with ongoing development indicating a commitment to refining the visual elements.
“I really dig the minimalist aesthetic, and finding the best weapon combinations is fun and interesting.”
“I actually quite like the clean aesthetic of Glyphica. Everything is sleek and easy to see, with no trouble reading the text or seeing what's going on.”
“Even with a more minimalist leaning aesthetic of the game, you can see the love being put into the game to make it satisfying and enjoyable.”
“Completely recommended if you don't mind the simple graphics.”
“If there was an automatic changing of fonts, or maybe a subtle color palette difference between text and visuals, that would make this game even more fun than it is.”
“Aesthetically clean, Glyphica revisits the typing game genre and mashes it with the action-RPG survival power-up genre.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its pleasant and complementary nature to the game's design. While some users enjoy the relaxing background tracks, others note that the soundtrack can become repetitive, lacking variety across different stages. Overall, the sound design enhances the gaming experience, making it enjoyable for extended play sessions.
“Whenever I open it, I can easily find myself spending at least 45 minutes in the endless mode while listening to music in the background and enjoying the clickity-clacks from my keyboard. :3”
“The music complements the UI and design of this game well.”
“Very visually clear, and it's got very pleasant music and sound design.”
“I would imagine it would have some kick-ass relaxing music that potentially changes in each stage (much like Risk of Rain 2, the best indie video game score I've heard in years), but you are generally stuck listening to the same score on loop.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a lack of a narrative element in the game, with one user expressing disappointment over the absence of a story mode or themed word challenges, contrasting it with their experience in another typing game, Epistory. Overall, the consensus is that the game does not offer a story, which some players find to be a missed opportunity.
“What I would love to see in the future is some kind of story mode or theme mode, where you get words in certain themes, like animals, fantasy, horror, or others.”
“As an avid typist, I've been waiting for typing games like this forever - the only other indie typing game I can think of on Steam is Epistory, which is really more of a puzzle-RPG.”
“Coming from Epistory (another typing game), this is a sore point for me.”
“What I would love to see once in the future is some kind of story mode or theme mode, where you get words in certain themes, like animals, fantasy, horror, or others.”
“☑ no story”
- optimization4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report smooth performance during gameplay, others experience significant stuttering and lag after short play sessions, indicating ongoing performance issues that need addressing.
“The game runs smoothly; if it didn't, I would be concerned.”
“From puzzle solving to build optimization and the hectic, fast-paced combat, everything feels well-tuned.”
“Fixing the performance issues has greatly improved the overall experience.”
“However, every time I boot it up on my laptop and play for more than five minutes, it ends up stuttering and lagging for a year before going back to normal.”
“Fixing the performance issues.”
“From the puzzle solving to the build optimization, and the hectic fast-paced combat.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability due to its balanced mechanics and engaging core gameplay loop, which also serves as typing practice. Players can expect even more content in the future, enhancing the overall replay value.
“The replay value is over 9000!”
“There is a decent balance and replayability, especially with more content coming, along with a compelling core gameplay loop that also serves as typing practice.”
“Decent balance, decent replayability already with more content coming, and a compelling core gameplay loop that also doubles as typing practice.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism, as players feel that the difficulty of the initial content is disproportionately high, making it frustrating to progress. This has led to disappointment regarding the value of the purchase, especially when the game is marketed as accessible for all skill levels.
“I know I'm a relatively bad typist, but advertising as 'typing tutor meets horde survival' and having the base, lowest difficulty something I'm struggling to pass at all, with the only other content gated behind that, makes this a somewhat regrettable purchase so far.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
“I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users appreciate the humor in the game, particularly noting the amusing interactions and clever use of the keyboard, which adds a fun and engaging element to the gameplay experience.
“Having such a funny way to use my keyboard is cool.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's dark mode enhances its atmospheric feel, evoking a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of classic titles like Space Invaders. This combination creates an immersive experience that resonates well with players.
“I especially appreciate the dark mode, which enhances the atmospheric feel of the game, reminiscent of classic titles like Space Invaders, adding a nice touch of nostalgia.”
