Sethian

  • November 8, 2016
63%
Game Brain Score Based on 94 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Sethian Game Cover
Starting at €4.99Buy now
Get on Steam Get on itch.io Store

"Sethian" is a single-player mystery puzzle game set in a sci-fi world where you, an archaeologist, must master a fictitious language with unique grammar and vocabulary to unlock an abandoned computer's secrets and solve the mystery of a vanished civilization. Over 100 handwritten journal pages assist in learning the language, making for a challenging and immersive experience. With elements borrowed from real-world languages like Chinese and American Sign Language, Sethianese provides a unique and engaging linguistic puzzle.

Play Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 94 reviews
story6 positive mentions
graphics3 negative mentions
  • The game offers a fascinating concept of deciphering an alien language, which is engaging for linguistics enthusiasts.
  • The interface is polished and responsive, providing a satisfying experience when successfully communicating with the computer.
  • The in-game journal aids in understanding the language and provides a sense of progression as players learn new words and grammar.
  • The game is overly linear, requiring players to input specific phrases from the journal to progress, which limits exploration and creativity.
  • Many responses from the computer are generic and unhelpful, leading to frustration when trying to ask questions outside the predetermined path.
  • The game is relatively short, with limited replay value and a lack of depth in the story and world-building.
  • story35 mentions

    The story in "Sethian" is intriguing but ultimately underwhelming, as players find it linear and simplistic, often feeling more like reading a short story than engaging in a game. While the concept of deciphering an alien language is novel and offers some interesting moments, the reliance on a guided journal and specific prompts detracts from the sense of exploration and discovery, leaving many players wanting a more fleshed-out narrative experience. Overall, the potential of the story is not fully realized, leading to mixed feelings about its execution.

    • “The story is simple: you find a computer that belongs to an ancient extraterrestrial civilization, and in order to make contact with this machine, you need to comprehend not only the language but also the background, the meaning of the sentences and expressions.”
    • “I like the idea of trying to figure out what is going on in an ancient piece of tech, slowly uncovering the story.”
    • “The story, though, was indeed intriguing, and the premise was nice.”
    • “The story isn't great; I'd say it's actually quite bad.”
    • “The specific lines to trigger the later parts of the plot are extremely specific, which ruins the feeling of exploration.”
    • “As it stands, the game is extremely linear and a bit frustrating, and only wants to tell one specific and kind of cliched story.”
  • gameplay14 mentions

    Gameplay in this title is characterized by a mix of hand-holding and lack of guidance, leading to an inconsistent experience where players may feel overwhelmed or under-challenged. The mechanics revolve around learning and using an alien language, which is a bold and intriguing concept, but the execution can feel disjointed, with some features underutilized and a lack of balance between gameplay and story integration. Overall, while the game has potential, many players feel it currently resembles more of a demo than a fully realized experience.

    • “Gameplay consists of looking at the symbols, thinking about what you know, and trying a new sentence based on words that you think might give you useful data.”
    • “The game has an intriguing concept and mechanically is well made; the interface looks nice and fits its purpose.”
    • “To base the gameplay entirely on interacting in an alien language you get to learn on-the-fly was a bold premise, but it's actually so cool.”
    • “In terms of gameplay, in the beginning it does hold your hand a little too much.”
    • “First of all, I appreciated that it took notes (though I also did that myself), but I hated how it continually doled out things I had not yet learned, including words and grammar that I really wish I could have learned via the gameplay.”
    • “If Braid was a game where, according to Ben Croshaw, 'a game where the gameplay and story are kept in separate rooms with you in the gameplay room looking into the story room via a tiny hole in the dividing wall', Sethian feels like a game where the gameplay slaps you away every time you try to even peek through the hole.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its brilliance and atmospheric quality, featuring a soft, spacey ambient soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Many players feel that the soundtrack is compelling enough to warrant playing the game solely for the music, complementing its focus on language and meaning.

    • “The soundtrack is absolutely brilliant and it might be worth playing just to listen to it.”
    • “Compelling and atmospheric with a spacey ambient soundtrack, Sethian is not without its frustration points but as a game it definitely works, especially for lovers of science fiction and linguistics.”
    • “Just a soft song that will be in the background, but that's more than enough because this game is about what you can learn about language, the structure, and the meaning of things.”
    • “Compelling and atmospheric with a spacey ambient soundtrack, Sethian is not without its frustration points, but as a game, it definitely works, especially for lovers of science fiction and linguistics.”
  • graphics5 mentions

    The graphics of Sethian are minimal, primarily consisting of a computer interface with logographic buttons and a notebook, which some players find too abstract and poorly realized. While the aesthetic choices may be justified within the game's concept, the lack of visual depth detracts from the overall experience. Despite this, players still find enjoyment in the gameplay, especially given the game's low price.

    • “The game's logographic language is interesting, but it's too abstract; there's no way to know what anything means except by consulting the in-game notebook.”
    • “It reminds me a bit of the dig story-wise, but graphically it's just you, the interface, and your notebook.”
    • “In contrast, Sethian has no graphics to speak of, and while it has an interesting concept, it's poorly realized.”
    • “It reminds me a bit of The Dig story-wise, but graphically it's just you, the interface, and your notebook.”
    • “The game takes place entirely in the interface of that computer, with an input/output channel, a series of 100 logographic word buttons, and a series of grammatical and punctuation markers.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by an ancient and cryptic ambiance, enhanced by its art and journal elements that invite players to piece together the narrative. The spacey ambient soundtrack further contributes to the immersive experience, making it particularly appealing to fans of science fiction and linguistics, despite some frustrating moments.

    • “The art and journal really add to the atmosphere of the game, and I really enjoyed reading through it and puzzling over the missing pieces and how to tie it all together.”
    • “Compelling and atmospheric with a spacey ambient soundtrack, Sethian is not without its frustration points, but as a game, it definitely works, especially for lovers of science fiction and linguistics.”
    • “The game's world shines with an ancient, distant atmosphere that is certainly complemented by its cryptic presentation.”
    • “The atmosphere feels lifeless and lacks any sense of immersion, making it hard to connect with the game.”
    • “Despite the beautiful graphics, the overall atmosphere is flat and uninspired, failing to evoke any real emotion.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers limited replayability, as players can complete it in under two hours and find little incentive to revisit it after experiencing the two available endings. While it may be worth playing if obtained for free, it lacks depth to encourage multiple playthroughs.

    • “It doesn't take too long to complete (I beat the entire thing in under 2 hours) and if you get it for free, you might as well play it, but there's no point in keeping it any longer because it doesn't really have replay value.”
    • “There isn't an awful lot of replay value either once you've gotten the two endings.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of Sethian to be tedious and reminiscent of learning a complex language, as it demands significant rote memorization and can feel monotonous.

    • “Playing Sethian is like learning Chinese; it is very tedious and requires a lot of rote memorization.”
    • “The grinding in this game feels endless and often becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
    • “I find myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which makes the game feel more like a job than a fun pastime.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization aspect of the game encourages active player engagement, enhancing the overall experience through moments that demand more from the player.

    • “These moments were wonderful because they required a more active performance from me.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Sethian

Videos

Similar Games

Game News