Chants of Sennaar

What a wonderful experience! I stood up and clapped as the end credits rolled.

Chants of Sennaar is a somewhat challenging puzzle adventure game with very little hand-holding. There's much joy to be had in exploration, experimentation, and figuring things out for yourself. Most prominently, you must decipher foreign languages, specifically their orthography, grammar, and even meanings in translation. That might sound like a poor fit for a video game, but the mechanics for it are sensible and comprehensible.

The story is unveiled in layers (literally!) and is enticing from beginning to end. Every veneer you peel off reveals something new, interesting, and often delightful.

The presentation is simple but beautiful, comprising expressive animations, alluring color palettes, and wonderful music pieces.

If I have to complain about something, it's the controller interface. It can be a bit tedious to sort through the many orthographic symbols. Also, picking directions and objects can be finicky. I have a feeling that most playtesting was done with mouse and keyboard. But this blemish did not affect my pleasure, and I should emphasize that it's absolutely playable with a controller, even if it's not always ideal.

What a lovingly crafted and satisfying game! Chants of Sennaar is an instant classic and a must-play for fans of puzzle adventure games.