Chants of Sennaar

Bibliographic information:

Title: Chants of Sennaar

Developer: Rundisc

Publisher: Focus Entertainment

Copyright Date: September 2023

Platforms: Switch/ Play Station4/ Xbox One/ PC

Format: Video Game

Genre: Puzzle/ Adventure/ Single-player

Awards: None

Rating: E for Everyone 10+ (Nintendo)

Game Summary:

You stumble into the Tower of Babel but you

cannot understand anything anyone is saying or any of the markings on the wall. As you work your way up the tower you complete puzzles that help you decipher different pictographs, slowly piecing together the story of its people. But there are multiple groups of people in the tower, and you will have to learn different languages to uncover the history of the tower and the cultures within it. By saving the information you learn from each puzzle in your journal you become versed in the languages of the Tower of Babel.

Developer Background:

Chants of Sennaar is one of two video games that Rundisc has developed, the other being Varion. Rundisc is an indie video game studio out of Toulouse, France.

Critical Evaluation:

I am a language buff but admittedly suck at learning languages. I love duolingo and have spent much of my life studying languages that I am nowhere near proficient in. To find success in this game is so fulfilling! I love a puzzle game and I love ancient cultish history even more! Chants of Sennaar mixes my favorite things together. I am no video game expert and this game was easy for me to understand and to navigate. The colors and the graphics were well done and the animation was impressive. I could see myself and others getting lost in this game and without realizing it, playing until the next day. While this game is intended for everyone 10 and up, I believe that teens will enjoy and get a lot out of this game. Not only does it stimulate your brain by solving puzzles, it helps with skills related to memorization, learning body language, and inference.

Creative Use for library Program:

Daily Decipher- Librarians can post a message written in a language from Chants of Sennaar each day. Everyday patrons can try and decipher the message for a prize. This will encourage the use of the game and depending on the message can promote other books relating to Chants of Sennaar or other language learning programs. Prizes can include month long subscriptions to language learning platforms like Duolingo and Babbel or international snacks!

Speed Round Trailer:

The Tower of Babel is real, discover the languages and puzzles within the tower to uncover the secret histories of the people inside! Maybe, if you are lucky, you can reunite the diverse people in this strange tower. If only learning languages really was this fun and easy!

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:

I struggle to see any challenges that may arise from this game. There is a level of hierarchy and violence in the game amongst the people which in reality is inhumane but it is done in a way that does not condone the actions.

Reason for Inclusion:

My entire undergraduate career was spent translating dead languages and learning about mysterious cults and religions, how on earth could I pass this game up? I included this game because puzzles are so addicting and can be argued to be a healthier form of video game "brain rot" to parents. In addition this game works on skills useful to teens at this stage of life such as reading body language and inference.

Check Out:

References:

Brunet, T. (2023, October). Chants of Sennaar (Original Soundtrack) [Album]. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/album/0ME8N5Ay9x5idqFtI0AXHz?si=iIQOZHlZRZWr-IN5N8RFdw

Focus Entertainment. (2023, September). Chants of Sennaar Launch Trailer [Video]. YouTube https://youtu.be/__hzPH3tcvA?feature=shared

Focus Entertainment. (n.d.). Chants of Sennaar. Accessed June 2024 from https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/chants-of-sennaar

IMDb. (n.d.). Chants of Sennaar Awards. Accessed June 2024 from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29951857/awards/

Nintendo. (n.d.). Chants of Sennaar. Accessed June 2024 from https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/chants-of-sennaar-switch/

Rundisc. (n.d.). Home. Accessed June 2024 from https://www.rundisc.io/