When the puzzle game Chants of Sennaar runs well, there is nothing comparable

Arrived early Songs by SennaarIn a walled garden someone spoke to me in a language I did not understand. But it was clear from their posture and the shaking of their heads that they were talking about the dead plant next to them. An hour later I came back to this conversation with more knowledge and understood everything they had to say. But this first time, even if I missed some important context, I got the gist, and I sympathized; I’ve also killed my share of plants.

Songs by Sennaar is a language-based puzzle game based on the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. In this retelling, your character makes his way through five floors of a tower, each home to a different community with a different language. Using an illustrated journal, you will assign each word you find to an image, slowly piecing each language together. You use the words you learn to solve other puzzles, navigate the tower, and understand what others are saying. All of this is made possible by decoding language – and I can’t emphasize enough how fun the process is.

The game runs beautifully on Switch, assuming you can tolerate some annoying autocorrects (not the game’s fault) when writing in your journal. The massive vertical towers and tiled corridors that form the backdrops are stunning, and the Middle Eastern architecture effectively communicates the atmosphere of each community, from an imposing gated castle to a laid-back, artsy town with a dark secret.

The other characters you encounter along your journey are crucial to progressing. Early in the game, a wanderer asks you to open a door before doing the same for you, excusing himself and bowing before disappearing. At every turn, Songs by Sennaar takes you through the puzzles through the mysteries and revelations of language. While these characters have no backstory beyond the specifics of their culture, their contributions to your quest to climb the tower make them feel like co-conspirators or antagonists; For example, a group of masked bards laughing at you wordlessly hold grudges, while an animal sidekick might make you laugh.

A lesser game would make each character just a piece of a puzzle, but developer Rundisc refuses to do this, and you’re just as likely to have a simple conversation with someone as you are to talk to them to solve a puzzle. These conversations create the same magical feeling that comes when you learn a new language and realize for the first time that you can speak a complete sentence: putting words together into actual expression is intoxicating, even if you’re just listening to someone complain about their dead plant . Even if you don’t talk, you can come across people playing music or making pottery. The world of the tower feels alive.

Image: Rundisc/Focus Entertainment

Songs by SennaarThe game’s lowest points lie in the puzzles you get stuck in, and Rundisc gives you the most unnecessary hints on how to progress. Sometimes these challenges were appreciated because I had to figure out the way forward for myself. Other times I wish there was a stronger sense of direction. When you crush puzzle solving, the game flows; as soon as you stumble, it slows to a stop.

This loop is perforated by stealth sections where you avoid enemies who want to kick you out of the tower. I’m not a fan of mandatory stealth modes, and I’m especially not a fan of trying to solve linguistic puzzles while sneaking. And even though the puzzles are the hardest part, the stealth is no slouch either: some levels feel a bit ridiculous due to the imprecise controls. As frustrating as they are, the stealth sections liven up the pace of the game. Plus, they have the holy grail of stealth-level mechanics – instant reset from the same room – so I could never be too angry if I got caught. The game also offers fast travel points, allowing you to bypass most of the stealth sections you’ve already completed.

Image: Rundisc/Focus Entertainment

When Songs by Sennaar is on a roll, there’s really nothing like it. And when it gets annoying, it never stays that way for long. But I think fun is the wrong measure for this game. Is viewing ancient Egyptian sculptures fun? Is it reading Ovid or Virginia Woolf? Is learning a language anyway? Sometimes. But we do these activities to experience a different kind of pleasure: accessing a shared understanding of what it means to be human, across boundaries of time and interpretation.

Songs by Sennaar folds all its puzzle-solving bricks into a Rubik’s Cube of a concept, and yet above all it revels in pan-linguistic understanding. The figure pausing on a rooftop, or the grunted “no” from a security guard, or the laughter of a child playing hide and seek all remind you of your place in a community. Learning a language means observing and appreciating a culture unknown to you. It’s a lofty goal for a game, and it is Songs by Sennaar reaches.

Songs by Sennaar was released on September 5 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. The game was reviewed on Switch using a pre-release download code from Focus Entertainment. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. You can find Additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy can be found here.