A puzzle game where you decipher languages

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Chants of Sennaar is an innovative puzzle game about deciphering cryptic languages. It's the first entry in a new series of indie game recommendations called "Weekender".
=== Get the Game ===
Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/19...
Switch - www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nint...
Xbox - www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/stor...
PlayStation - store.playstation.com/en-gb/p...
=== Games Shown ===
Venba (2023)
Viewfinder (2023)
Unpacking (2021)
Terra Nil (2023)
Pseudoregalia (2023)
Storyteller (2023)
Rollerdrome (2022)
Chants of Sennaar (2023)
Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)
Heaven's Vault (2019)
Sethian (2016)
Tunic (2022)
=== Credits ===
Music provided by Epidemic Sound - www.epidemicsound.com/referra... (Referral Link)
Music from Chants of Sennaar OST, by Thomas Brunet
=== Subtitles ===
Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/videos/teAXaOcazxk7/

[@ShadowthePast]

I cannot overstate how seamless the UI is in this game. Being able to have your guesses be integrated into the gameplay makes the translation experience so smooth, that you can direct all your attention exclusively to figuring out the language.

[@yasmeleon]

yeah, and every time you think... oh shit, i have to remember that password/sequence/etc., the protagonist takes out his book and doodles exactly that down :D

[@square5775]

Honestly love this series idea, can't wait to see more indie games put in the spotlight!

[@bagorolin]

What they say ⬆️

[@ItsJepp]

What they say "What they say ⬆" about ⬆

[@R3TR0J4N]

Same, it's a welcome one

[@SimuLord]

I find it interesting because there are so many games I won't give the time of day to precisely because they're too short-when I buy a game I'm looking for a potential member of the Thousand Hour Club (a club that, on my Steam account, includes just five games-American Truck Simulator, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, NBA 2K12, and Super Mega Baseball 3.) Whether it's a game you can play a round of in an hour and those hours add up over endless weeknights of after-work play or whether it's a game that lends itself well to dozens of different kind of challenge run across 50-hour sessions (not just Bethesda RPGs; if I cut the hours-played cutoff from 1,000 to 500, then Skyrim, Rise of Nations, My Time at Sandrock, and Stardew Valley join the list, and those latter two are a different sort of "50 hours 10 different ways" experience), those are my gaming diet. Of course, the philosophy of "5 hours total gameplay but they're 5 great hours" vs "1000 hours of comfortable and familiar spread out over years" (if I had Steam-like data for games I bought before 2009, then games like Rome: Total War, Oblivion, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, The Sims 2, and the SNES port of SimCity would all make the list of 1,000-hour-plus games) is a whole different line of argument and a story for another day.

[@magicmotte788]

Same! I always search this kind of stuff, but well - I‘m bad at finding it xD

[@morrishansing3959]

I played the entierty of Sennaar without using the notebook to get the "official translations", it is both possible and highly enjoyable!

[@MH_Binky]

In discussing the simplicity of the languages, you mentioned that the languages only consist of so many words. One of the rosetta stones in the game actually has a devotee glyph that isn't included in the dictionary - cut off, but easily identifiable. It uses the building/location radical, containing the symbol for warrior. Which implies that the languages do expand beyond those limited concepts, but only those that are necessary for the player character to know are used.

[@blindmanflamingfishdafeesh]

SPOILER WARNING (click read more if you wanna see it) Which language? This sounds cool. Also, IDK if I'm being forgetful, but sometimes there are instances where one word means the same thing, but they call it different things. For example, the "alchemist" word is called "scientist" in the warrior level and "brother" in the bard level. Same with "devotee" and "impure." Maybe it was something like that.

[@triattack8068]

Spoiler: My first guess it that it's the devotee word for the Warrior's fortress, but that would mean a devotee actually got past the gate.

[@blindmanflamingfishdafeesh]

@@triattack8068 They call the devotees Impures though.

[@triattack8068]

Well, depending on the context that may not matter, as this is about a devotee word

[@birdeynamnam]

I wonder if that was on purpose or just something that was cut and forgotten by the devs

[@colonelvector]

As someone with a child I cannot express how useful these types of short games are

[@PippaPasses]

I highly recommend the channel FirstFive

[@the11382]

I would love to see the concept with existing languages.

[@MultiArtStyleTWT]

@@the11382 Yeah, that would be so cool, and also give the developers more time to focus on other aspects like puzzles, music, graphics etc.

[@PauLtus_B]

​@@MultiArtStyleTWTI completely disagree. Real languages are much more complicated than any from the game. The languages here are basically optimised to be useful for a game.

[@bladechild2449]

I mean, it's not THAT short. This took me longer to complete than Obra Dinn.

[@GingerBreadSed]

As a linguistics lover that game looks absolutely amazing! I'm also working on a language puzzle game so this is hugely inspirational 👀

[@Imperial_Squid]

If you like Zelda and Souls like games I highly highly recommend Tunic as mentioned in the video, most of the instructions the game gives you are in a different language with only a few words in English but as you go on you get hints about translating it and it's such a dopamine rush to get it all figured out and be able to read all the instructions when you're done, I thoroughly recommend giving it a go!! (Also if the combat is too difficult and you just want a more puzzle based experience, you can tune the difficulty in the settings 👌)

[@GingerBreadSed]

@@Imperial_Squid Thank you for the rec! I will definitely check it out :)

[@Phoeniiix]

oooo im really into these language puzzle games, any info on the game youre working on? or is it entirely a WIP

[@GingerBreadSed]

It won't let me post a reply for some reason, but I'm still in the early stages of working on an archeological visual novel-style game where you have to decode writings from ancient artefacts :) hoping to have a demo on itchio later in the year!

[@Phoeniiix]

really cool! ill have to keep an eye on itchio then haha @@GingerBreadSed

[@FugaceFugite]

I like the idea, though I would appreciate the format to be split in two sections, the first as completely spoiler free as possible (for example no hints about how the language might be constructed) and the second that does go into more details, maybe it could even contain a personal review meant to be watched after we've completed the game for ourselves. I don't know if I'm among a minority but I personally enjoy new experiences the most when going in blind, or almost without any info past the minimum to get an idea of whether or not I'm interested, especially for things based on discovery : plot twists, obscure puzzles, stories, etc.

[@leonardquirm]

Agreed - personally I think the explanation of the door/valves puzzle was fine, given that's literally the first puzzle of the game, but highlighting some of the later concepts (which I certainly hadn't identified in the course of the demo) feels like a spoiler I'd have rather not had.

[@jaundice27]

yeah, I had to stop watching because of all the spoilers

[@starlight777]

I second this! Showing a little demo is fine. But after the door puzzle I stopped watching anyways, as I already decided to get the game and wanted to avoid spoilers. So maybe using less spoilers in general (if possible) could generate more watch time, too?

[@moonshot3159]

nah fck off thats alotta effort for mark-kun

[@saintsalieri]

KZbin might not be the website for you.

[@micahpayton9804]

This is such a great idea for a series! It’s like a book club but for video games. I think I’ll follow along and play all the games you talk about. Great work once again Mark!

[@sunbleachedangel]

A book club for small or medium sized indie games sounds amazing

[@ahmed4363]

Good luck playing it. Lucky people

[@thelastpersononearth9765]

This man has great taste of games. I played Return of the ovra dinn due to his video and damn that game is pure genius.

[@dcmansell]

Chants of Sennaar is a fun game with fun puzzles. But holy hell does it need a map system of some kind. The levels are so maze-like (even outside of the multiple LITERAL maze sections) that navigating your way around is an absolute chore.

[@flummox3d]

Kinda like Heaven's Vault, only more puzzley. Love it!

[@Drraagh]

Was going to reference that same game.

[@mrzeegamez]

I saw the title and immediately thought it was going to be Heaven's Vault

[@silversonome5360]

I love Heaven's Vault! Definitely will check this game as well!

[@davidstaffell]

Heaven's Vault sounded so good, but in actuality I hated it

[@darthtace]

@@davidstaffell I don't blame people who don't enjoy Heaven's Vault -- it was obviously developed with a very particular kind of nerd in mind, and if you don't fit that mold then you'll likely hate it. Doesn't help that the MC is deliberately written to be unlikable, so a lot of people will bounce off her too. I loved the game to death, though... I might go replay it, actually.

[@EdenHellCipher]

I forgot that I started watching this video, stopped watching to download this game, and never got back to watching this. Having now played the whole game and found this video in my backlog, might I say, thank you for giving this game a shoutout. It vastly exceeded all expectations, and I wish more games like this existed.

[@primaneutrina]

I’ve been really enjoying Chants so far! I call the games with deduction/adventure elements a “Metroidbrainia” because progression comes from your knowledge

[@willmungas8964]

Noita is a metroidbrainia then lmao

[@TurtleTracksStudio]

My favorite type of game, but probably the hardest to get right. Outer Wilds, Paquette, Can of Wormholes, Tunic, they're just so phenomenal when done right

[@primaneutrina]

@@TurtleTracksStudio I adored Outer Wilds, that’s a true Metroidbrainia! Also loved tunic. Will have to check out the other ones you mentioned!

[@jlmonolith]

@primaneutrina I was considering sharing this video with you, with the caveat that it shows a few things you haven't already seen, but here you are already in the comments! 😅

[@primaneutrina]

@@jlmonolith I’ve been sent it a few times already 😅

[@spybloom]

I wonder if a game like this could work with real languages. That'd be a fun way to passively learn a new language, because you'd get all the common words and grammar through context

[@NuiYabuko]

That wouldn't be all that fun for people who know the language though, if we're not talking about almost extinct languages. In those cases making a game about such a language might peak the interest of people and perhaps even help preserve it for future generations. But overall making up a unique language brings everyone on the same level.

[@whalefall413]

@@NuiYabuko why would someone who knows the language want to use a language learning game for the language they already know? spybloom was saying that it would be interesting if this could be used to teach people new languages. It's not really a game anymore, but a tool to teach a skill that some don't know. So it doesn't really matter if a spanish version isn't fun for a spanish speaker, since the target is for a non spanish speaker who would like to speak spanish

[@whalefall413]

I had the exact same thought

[@aogasd]

Somewhat, but the UI carries you a lot. I found myself memorising a couple handful of words in my time playing the game, which is obviously good... but not good enough if your intent is to actually absorb a real language. in the game, after you correctly guess words, you don't have to remember them anymore, as the game will give you the translation in the tooltip.

[@yasmeleon]

well, to begin with, this is only a script system, not a spoken language. it'd need a whole voice recording and rely on listening which this game doesn't

[@aaronizaguirre4802]

Can’t wait to see more of this series

[@snowfloofcathug]

Sounds like Heaven’s Vault which I loved, definitely gonna check this out!

[@higgy0789]

Just played through this game after seeing this video. It's fantastic. I love it so much! The visuals are stunning, the ending has some fun surprises, and the whole game is surprisingly cohesive for a game about several different cultures and languages! The ending wraps it in a wonderful message that is thought-provoking, and the role of the player is a really cool interesting one. Thank you so much for this video!

[@matthewjones6786]

Only played the demo so far, but it's SO good. I never thought deciphering a language could be so intuitive!

[@duneysands946]

Every game in the intro sequence is also 100% worth playing. Special shout-out to Pseudoregalia, which is one of my favorite new Metroidvanias

[@jmlkinc]

What indie games most need is an informed curator making recommendations so people can filter out all of the chaff. This sounds like an amazing series.

[@PhantomVirus]

I played Tunic and had a blast (though I’m sad to admit I did have to look a couple things up to get through it), so this might be up my alley!

[@jakobnolda2113]

This new series already convinced me. I love the way you are recommending curated games that are really worth our time.

[@pgndck]

Stopped at 1:54, bought and got the platinum for this game, returned back to see the video to the end. Thanks for an awesome recommendation!

[@TheUncouthGentleman]

I got this game and was instantly hooked. I made it about as far as the Warrior cargo-room and while I've not played very many puzzlers, this is AMAZING, I love it so much.

[@iraildojunior4647]

This is why I follow your channel. The game design techniques are very interesting, but the main reason is to see new games with inovative ideas (Or at least a well implemented one). Indie games are the true soul of gaming.

[@HeisenbergFam]

Weekender is a new series I wholeheartedly support, always a vibe to see indie games being appreciated

[@omeryigit7666]

Also I am (and I think a lot of people like me are) in need of short games in the middle of hectic and busy life... 😊

[@edwardnewtonLA]

Top, top tier, Mark. Very into this series going forward. I want to find more awesome short games to play.

[@kyleowsen]

Its a testament to how well this game works and immerses you that I never once questioned how the people were speaking in visible symbols.

[@apasten0818]

Nonono, you've got it all backwards. The written symbols were speaking to you as you "read" them. (Edit:Alternatively it's due to Exile that it looks that way)

[@call_me_maple]

Hell yeah, I needed a new spotlight series. Thanks for this Mark, I'll keep my eyes out for new entries in the series.

[@kirksknight]

Bought it, finished it, loved it. Great recommendation Mark ❤

[@doug7897]

Love the series idea and OH BOY do I love this first entry. Heaven's Vault left me itching for more translation games (Sethian seems a wee too daunting/confusing though).

[@pacigisto]

This is very awesome, thanks for showcasing it! I think this will be a great new series.

[@danylshtangeev]

Cool format! Thanks ❤ Waiting for the next videos

[@menagerie11]

Absolutely love this idea! Very keen to keep up with Weekender series, this is exactly what I look for from this channel -- clever games with great conceptual + mechanic design. Definitely going to be getting Chants of Sennaar, it looks delightful.

[@gabrieleluan6536]

Great series, Mark! I always follow through on your recommendations, and this is the perfect way for me to find fresh things to play instead of dauntly having to stick to my ever-increasing backlog!

[@kirodrache]

I recognised a few games of this new video intro and was delighted! Can't wait to see more

[@Saint_Wolf_]

Excellent video series concept! I wanna get more recommendations like this. I'll probably pick up this game and if I don't I'll wishlist it.

[@sass2836]

I absolutely love the idea of this series! Time is definitely a lot more precious these days, so I always appreciate recommendations for shorter, quality indies. I'd heard wonderful things about Chants of Sennaar, and this video was another excellent rec!

[@rileyn2983]

YES! I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS SERIES! I love short games, I don't have the time or motivation to beat a long game. So a bunch of recommendations for interesting short games is a great idea! Also Chants of Senaar looks amazing! I can't wait to try it out when I have time. Edit: According to HowLongToBeat, Chants of Senaar is 9 hours long. That doesn't really seem short to me. I wouldn't consider that a "beat it in a weekend" game. Still definitely going to try it out though

[@lienep7917]

It is if you have a lot of free time lol

[@Marlo_Branco]

I finished Chants of Senaar in 6/7 hours . Loved every seconds

[@extremesubtlety]

Woahh this is such a cool concept for a game! And I can’t wait to see more of this series also

[@blacksheep9950]

Great idea for a series! I recently took a break from TotK to pick up and play through Carrion. It's refreshing to sometimes play a game you can beat in a few hours with no filler.

[@SirSoliloquy]

This is an awesome idea and I hope you keep it up!

[@BasketOfPuppies642]

This is an awesome idea for a video series! I've had Chants of Sennaar on my wishlist for a bit.

[@gumbatlal]

Glad to hear people talking about this. It was definitely one of my favorite games I’ve played recently.

[@duckymouth]

I feel like this game could definitely be used as a way to learn real life languages, though I feel like that could make it too difficult with how almost all languages aren't just glyphs for words.

[@erandro]

Love this idea! Your videos are just wonderful.

[@thereallylargeknome7461]

Started playing this game. Fantastic time.

[@mtchllBarrett]

What a great idea for a series! Heaven's Vault is one of my favourite games of all time, I'm definitely going to have to check this one out!

[@fg6186]

This series is a great Idea. And this first part is very well done. Thanks😊

[@gondriano]

Love this kind of games, looking forward to this series, thank you!

[@adrianbik3366]

This is a perfect idea for a series! It brings me hope that even though in a few weeks I won't have much time for gaming anymore, I'll still be able to play something that's very interesting - from start to finish

[@nihongo-fokkusu]

Great idea for a series! And definitely a GREAT game! Thank you very much for the recommendation! I enjoyed every second of this game ❤❤❤

[@Daiwie44]

Thank you! I've been looking for new games, and just on the thumbnail and title alone, I went and got the game! Got to the 3rd tier now, and I'm obsessed

[@zacharywong483]

Fantastic video, as always!

[@timbolla5961]

Amazing initiative !! Thank you Mark

[@HappyAppart]

Hey there. Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for your video. I had seen it a while ago, and just downloaded the game last night, couldn't sleep until i finished it. I wish there were more games like this for me!

[@ThunderRazorYT]

Fantastic new series, Mark! Looking forward to more!

[@snellface]

This is a great video idea! Looking forward to more episodes! :)

[@totalineptitude9165]

Awesome vid, would love to see this series become a regular thing!

[@Dizzula]

Excellent idea for a series, I look forward to seeing more!

[@Ribosom-jp3no]

Really like the new series! I tried the game after watching your video and it is really great. Thank you

[@james-michaelrobson287]

That sounds great! Thank you for showing it

[@kevinwilcox6943]

I bought this game on your recommendation, and it was well worth it. Keep this series going! :)

[@NaveenBosco]

Already a fan of the series! Please keep it going for as long as possible

[@martindion4846]

I finished it last week. Awesome game! Take a break if you are stuck!

[@LoyalSage]

Great idea for a series. I missed this video when it came out because I was actually playing this game already. I really liked it.

[@DarshanBhambhani]

Chants of senar is soooo good

[@orryip]

I saw the ad pop up for this on switch news and I didn’t think much of it. Thank you for this mini review. I DEFINITELY want to give it a try now

[@yt_n-c0de-r]

OMG Thank you for this and all the other suggestions. They are great! And "Chants of Sennaar" is just awesome. I'm in the process of researching for and writing a bachelor's thesis on game based language acquisition and its effectiveness. These games will serve as great examples and showcases throughout my process. Thank you for this and the new series.

[@GMTK]

Good luck with the thesis!

[@JBF086]

Had it on my back catalogue but after this video you got me hyped up!!!

[@michaelseraphpiano]

Brilliant series! Love shining a light on interesting, short games!

[@sabersight908]

awesome idea for a series and great for giving the indie developers some spotlight, curious for the next out 😁 👍

[@wombatcountry]

thanks for the new series!

[@job8]

Awesome serie! I can't wait for the next video.

[@JoeSchaller]

Very good video idea! Keep them coming!

[@BinkysCorner]

Yes. FIRE series Idea. Thank you Mark, please keep these coming!

[@doggo-bn4vg]

love the idea, keep making great content

[@zantacprime]

A great idea for a series! Keep 'em coming!

[@izzyr3231]

awesome series idea, and heaven's vault is one of my favourites so I am absolutely here for this one!

[@quinnsakala5961]

I’ve been looking for this game for like two weeks thx

[@dmagik8]

Hells yeah. This is exactly what I want. Thank you for this series idea. I hope it continues long and true.

[@Dominik-K]

Oh this new series sounds fantastic! Clever, inventive and innovative releases on a small time budget are interesting to me

[@AbuCheese]

Thanks for this! Great stuff for real!

[@Coffeepanda294]

Thank you for recommending this. Played the demo and was drawn right in, will probably buy it soon.

[@Ryan-ey3qk]

This is an amazing idea for a series. Please, keep this up!

[@gamedirection6826]

This is the only games I play now a days! Will be subing to this playlist

[@galtenoble]

I love when you do recommendation videos!

[@tibolegends]

Thanks for the recommandation, looks great !

[@artemmentiy7107]

Really good series idea. I like your videos, but I seem to like them even more when they are as short as this one!

[@foxus-a113]

The new series looks great! Can't wait for the other recommendations.

[@KrystianMajewski]

This is great! Thank you, Mark!

[@PlatinumAltaria]

Great game, definitely looking forward to your next recommendation.

[@geoffpado9654]

Thanks for listing the platforms this runs on! So many channels that do similar videos don’t do that so I have to go look it up on my own and be disappointed if a game isn’t on a platform I have.

[@Krail1]

I love the new series!!! "Interesting indie games you can complete in a weekend" is my favorite kind of game, and I'm excited to hear what you've got for us. Chants of Sendaar looks great!

[@adenashiscave]

It looks gorgeous, and I feel like I would enjoy this immensely. Thanks for featuring it.

[@OronnokPrithibi]

amazing! thanks for the episode. i’ll definitely try this title

[@speedhacked_]

Solving the glyphs for the final floor felt so satisfying. Short but sweet. I love it. Sucks that I got spoiled by Heaven's Vault where you can recall the sentence the word is used from, avoiding some backtracking.

[@williamwolfe962]

Chants was so good. My gf and I played through it in one day together, and we were both impressed with the puzzles and with the ease of use of the UI to take notes. Definitely worth a look!

[@willieko]

Pumped for this series and this game just shot to the top of my to-play list! (As soon as I finish Baldur's Gate 3)

[@nAr0oO]

Great Idea, can't wait to watch this series!

[@dixaba]

Love the idea of new series. As for the topic itself - I recently finished Tunic, and tried to decipher runes myself... It started not that bad, but me being a non-native English speaker quickly killed any possibility of finishing this... activity, especially considering that after I gave up and looked up translations, I found out that language and wordplay used are not very straightforward. I'm sad, but glad that I made _some_ progress myself