Lingo

About

Lingo is a single player action game. It was developed by Brenton Wildes and was released on December 12, 2021. It received very positive reviews from players.

"Lingo" is a single-player adventure game centered around word puzzles and exploration in a first-person perspective. Featuring nonlinear gameplay, keyboard-based challenges, and an open world filled with secrets, the game boasts over 46 hours of playtime. Created by Brenton Wildes, "Lingo" offers a unique and immersive gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 633 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

music4 negative mentions

Lingo offers a unique blend of word puzzles and non-euclidean exploration, providing a satisfying sense of discovery and accomplishment.
The game features clever and inventive puzzles that challenge players to think outside the box, often leading to rewarding 'aha' moments.
The community around Lingo is active and supportive, with many custom maps available that expand the game's content and mechanics.

Navigation can be frustrating due to the non-euclidean design, making it easy to get lost and difficult to retrace steps.
Some puzzles can feel arbitrary or overly complex, requiring players to guess answers that may not seem intuitive.
The graphics and sound design are minimalistic and may not appeal to everyone, potentially detracting from the overall experience.

gameplay
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
71%
4%
The gameplay of Lingo is characterized by its innovative word-based puzzles set in a non-euclidean open world, where players must intuitively discover mechanics rather than being explicitly guided. While the puzzle design is praised for its depth and cleverness, many players find the navigation challenging and the lack of clear signposting can lead to frustration. Overall, the game offers a rewarding experience for those who enjoy mechanic discovery and complex problem-solving, though it may require patience and a strong vocabulary.
- “A good mix of your standard unscramble a word or synonym puzzles with some really inventive word association mechanics that lead to exciting moments.”
- “Lingo presents an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop that takes you through discovering many of its rules and patterns, leading to brilliant moments of epiphany.”
- “The mechanics are genius, and the game does an excellent job at teaching them to you without making them obvious.”
- “Finding the puzzles that teach you their mechanics is a chore, and for this reason, I kind of gave up.”
- “Unfortunately, no such mechanic exists here.”
- “The first couple of hours of the game are extremely rough, and I would not be surprised if many players bounce off the game due to the level of intransparency about what the core mechanics even are.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
69%
14%
The graphics of the game are predominantly described as simplistic and minimalistic, often compared to titles like Antichamber, but lacking polish and detail. While some players appreciate the charm of the basic visuals, others find them off-putting and reminiscent of outdated aesthetics, with a few noting that the graphics do not detract from the overall puzzle experience. Despite the visual limitations, many reviewers emphasize that the game's engaging puzzles and unique mechanics make it worthwhile, encouraging players not to judge the game solely by its graphics.
- “All of its aspects combine together to create what I can only describe as an interactive abstract minimalistic artwork.”
- “The art style is simplistic but charming.”
- “What hides beyond the simple graphics is a top-tier puzzle design game based around words that takes a simple mechanic and fully explores its limits.”
- “The graphics aren't great, but the puzzle design is stellar.”
- “The graphics: they are pretty much as simple as you can get, with the world being made up of solid-colored blocks and an occasional painting on the walls.”
- “The music and graphics are gratingly awful to the point that they impede gameplay, and the central mechanic of the game, manipulation of words, in no way requires or even complements a mazelike non-euclidean map.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
53%
27%
The music in the game has been widely criticized for being basic, repetitive, and poorly fitting with the gameplay, leading many players to mute it entirely. Users report that the audio experience is lackluster, with some even suggesting that silence would be preferable to the existing tracks. Overall, the sound design detracts from the game's appeal, with players recommending bringing their own music for a better experience.
- “Lingo 2 is equally generous, with an improved graphic engine, better music and a clearer, more varied and easier to navigate layout.”
- “(some custom levels have custom music!)”
- “The music is a few short tracks in a loop, so I usually have it muted.”
- “No music, and the only sound effect happens when you complete a puzzle.”
- “Sound-wise, the music just straight up sucks. I can't pretend it's good; it's just really bad. I shut it off very quickly, and turned it back on to hear each area, and it just doesn't fit at all. The sounds for completing puzzles are satisfying, but that's about all the game has going for it in the audio department. Very lackluster compared to its gameplay.”
- “The music and graphics are gratingly awful to the point that they impede gameplay, and the central mechanic of the game, manipulation of words, in no way requires or even complements a mazelike non-Euclidean map.”
humor
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by clever wordplay, self-mocking presentation, and unique non-euclidean moments that elicit laughter through surprising discoveries and absurd scenarios. Players appreciate the blend of challenging puzzles with lighthearted elements, resulting in a satisfying and entertaining experience that often leaves them chuckling at their own realizations. Overall, the game's humor enhances the exploration and puzzle-solving aspects, making it a memorable and enjoyable journey.
- “Lingo is an insane puzzle game about rule discovery, non-euclidean exploration of funny teleporting and confusing corridors, and above all else: insane puzzles.”
- “We had a great time deducing the rules, laughing at clever wordplay and themed rooms, and puzzling over phonetic riddles.”
- “Lingo is one of the most intuitive metroidvania games I have ever played, and every ah-ha moment left me laughing and smiling, half at the ingenuity of the puzzle and half at my own stupidity for not thinking of it sooner!”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting moments of unexpected joy and profound reflection, particularly through its narrative and puzzle mechanics. The game evokes a range of feelings, from elation to vulnerability, making players feel both intelligent and challenged. Despite its simplistic graphics, the emotional depth and community support enhance the overall experience, leaving a lasting impact.
- “I cried when I saw the bottom brown 'daughter' panel.”
- “I can't say much else without too many spoilers, but this game genuinely made me feel emotions and rare, potent bursts of serotonin I absolutely did not expect from a game with a simple logo.”
- “I've never played a game that's simultaneously made me feel like such a galaxy-brain genius and such a fool, tripping around with my shoes untied.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's story is primarily centered around the player's personal journey of learning and overcoming challenges, with minimalistic visuals and no traditional narrative. While some players appreciate the focus on puzzle-solving, others feel that a more developed storyline could enhance the experience and broaden its appeal.
- “This game made me feel smart for figuring it out; for the most part, the graphics didn't even bother me that much, but having a story with the visual packaging around this (think Talos Principle) would still go a long way to put this into the big crowd.”
- “The only story is you and your relationship with the game as you learn its rules and conquer its challenges.”
- “No interruptions, no storyline, and the most minimalistic visuals it could have; it's a purist puzzle game.”
- “The only story involved seems to be the story of you, the player, solving puzzles and discovering new areas.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some navigation and scavenger hunts can feel tedious, the well-crafted endgame puzzles provide a satisfying challenge. Engaging with the community, such as through Discord or streaming, can enhance the experience and alleviate some of the monotony associated with exploration. Overall, the enjoyment of grinding varies, with some moments being fun and others feeling repetitive.
- “The exploration tries to be interesting, but ends up tedious and annoying.”
- “There's a few tedious scavenger hunts in the endgame but there is a number of well-crafted endgame puzzles that really push your understanding of the rules which make the overall experience extremely satisfying.”
- “I highly recommend joining the discord, and even too I would recommend streaming the game if you can, there are several members of the discord who like to watch/join in and it makes these exploration moments much less tedious.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, while the game's performance has seen significant improvements, users note that it still struggles with optimization, particularly due to the limitations of the Godot engine in handling large worlds. Some areas, like the hedge maze, may have been over-optimized, but the enhancements are generally viewed as a positive change.
- “The performance has improved tremendously.”
- “The game runs very poorly because the Godot engine is not very optimized for making large worlds like this one.”
- “I would say the hedge maze may have been over-corrected, but the performance improvements are well and truly a game changer.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
Players find the game's design surprisingly enhances its replayability, despite the maze-like world that can disorient and transport them to new locations. The challenge of navigation and exploration encourages multiple playthroughs, making each experience feel fresh and engaging.
- “You wouldn't think this was the sort of game that had infinite replayability, but the design is just that strong!”
- “But the entire playable world is just one giant maze that will occasionally warp you to a completely new location with no way back to where you were (and good luck trying to remember how you got there!).”
- “The entire playable world is just one giant maze that will occasionally warp you to a completely new location with no way back to where you were, and good luck trying to remember how you got there!”
- “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return, as the side quests feel repetitive and uninspired.”
- “The lack of meaningful choices and consequences makes replaying the game feel like a chore rather than an adventure.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report a high level of stability, noting that they have not experienced any frame drops or glitches during gameplay.