Grade: 3.5/5.0

Few biblical narratives have entrenched themselves in the general public in the way the Tower of Babel has — a monumental edifice that defied the very heavens. As a parable used to explain the diversity of language and the pattern of human dispersion across the globe, the Tower has captivated imaginations for millennia.

Inspired by the Tower of Babel, Rundisc’s adventure game “Chants of Sennaar” is a foray into the story that once pierced the skies. At the beginning of the game, the player wakes up in a mysterious labyrinth within a tower housing a variety of distinct communities, long divided and unable to communicate with each other. But legend speaks of a hero who may restore balance to the tower and unite it against the odds — and perhaps that hero is the player.

The player starts with the barest of bones when it comes to language. It takes no time at all to grasp the symbols for “I,” “me” and “you,” among other linguistic building blocks. However, as the player navigates the tower, it’s evident that these pieces alone are insufficient. 

For an extended period, the player must wander the tower’s floors with a scattered grasp of the languages they encounter, relying on the body language of surrounding characters to make up for the gaps in knowledge. A couple of warriors may joke with each other as they hunch over and laugh; while the player may grasp that their conversation is humorous, the joke itself flies right over their head.

But as “Chants” progresses, the level of satisfaction gained once the player does begin to decipher the languages is unparalleled. The glyphs aren’t just rapidly generated to fulfill a game mechanic, but the details of the glyphs reflect a level of care and attention to a core facet of the game. Revisiting characters and areas after becoming increasingly proficient in the languages they speak is a testament to the value of the knowledge acquired by the main character and the player. 

The puzzle mechanics, however, are largely hit or miss apart from the language component. Each segment of the tower not only invites new languages but new environmental puzzles as well. While “Chants of Sennaar” comes with some of the more typical environmental puzzles such as raising or lowering water levels in a channel, others don’t feel quite as challenging or satisfying. 

The stealth sequences are the most problematic of the puzzles, though stealth sequences are typically much harder to sell to audiences for games like “Chants,” where stealth doesn’t seem as necessary to navigate the world. Sneaking around the devotees or the warriors simply isn’t as thrilling compared to the overarching gameplay of “Chants.” 

These sequences don’t impede the gameplay enough to make it a problem, but rather just a general nuisance — and they also serve as a fairly crucial environmental storytelling component. In a world where language isn’t integrated from the beginning but must be painstakingly learned across hours of gameplay, it’s important to know that the main character does not get the privilege to walk around unimpeded either.

Whether it’s the sweeping arches and the intricate terraces of the tower or the vivid color story of the game itself, “Chants” is a beauty to behold. The art direction of “Chants” is phenomenal and, artistically, among the best in games this year, thus far. The illustrations players gain access to in the player’s pictorial journal as they decipher glyphs — and the general game design — are so well executed that the game is engaging, both visually and mentally.

While the story of the Tower of Babel has long been used to understand the diversity of the many peoples of the world, “Chants” chooses to come to a different conclusion in the true ending of the game. In a beautiful, jaw-dropping final sequence, the game instead highlights the potential for unity across the many disparate communities in the tower as it strings together what ties all of these diverse groups together. 

With matchless attention to detail, “Chants” emerges as a one-of-a-kind game experience that triumphs in the pantheon of big-name games that have been released in 2023.