The best language deciphering games

Language deciphering games are games that revolve around understanding fictional language elements. Players make sense of these elements based on contextual clues and repeated occurrences of specific words or symbols, either in dialogues or in the game’s environments. Most language deciphering games include an in-game dictionary (also referred to as a “word bank”) meant to keep track of equivalent words in some other language the player is already fluent in.

Acquiring knowledge about a language in an adventure game usually facilitates exploration and helps advancing the story. Popular games such as Chants of Sennaar and Heaven’s Vault include elaborate constructed languages with cohesive grammar, vocabulary, and fictional writing systems. Players add presumed translations into their word bank, and they receive confirmation once they’ve made enough correct guesses.

Language deciphering gameplay may also be based on simpler forms of fictional language. Several games include a collection of visual symbols that players need to map onto an alphabet, a syllabary, or onto specific words; this is a combination of a constructed script with a substitution cipher. These scripts may be used to include secret messages within a game or to flesh out its world.

The games listed below are the most favorited language deciphering games in the Thinky Games database.