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If you enjoy very difficult puzzle games, try Epigraph
Epigraph has been a joy, especially when you consider that it's only $3.
I love puzzle games like Portal, The Outer Wilds, Etc., but when I try to explore further in the genre, I often struggle to find many that provide a sufficient challenge.
I found that Epigraph, while short overall, provided a solid 4-6 hours of playtime.
The goal in the game is decipher a series of stones and tablets containing a totally unknown language.
The Zachtronics games are also phenomenal and probably even more difficult overall if you're like me and looking for a challenge.
I'm a fan of all the games you name (though I'm still a beginner at the Zachtronics fare), but despite all being puzzle games they have pretty significant differences in the types of puzzles they feature. Can you elaborate a little on what types of puzzles Epigraph features? I'm a big fan of many kinds of puzzle games but I like different things about different kinds and want to have reasonable expectations.
I'm a big fan of language-deciphering in particular, but the other games I've played with similar content have varied in how well they executed the concept (I'm a linguist and conlanger, so my standards are probably a bit wonky there).
Hmm, it's hard to elaborate without giving hints as to the answers.
I think you'll like it if you're a linguist. You're given a short, hand-written note that basically says, "Here are a couple of known words from a language we think might be related. And here is a tablet that was translated to a language we do know."
From there you figure out the structure of the unknown language. You're given seven (I think) tablets/statues right off the bat and a task you can only complete once you know the language.
The puzzles are realistic in the sense that they mirror real-life examples of deciphering ancient languages. There are no levels or unlocks. You get everything immediately and get to work.
ooh it does sound like my jam. Without giving any spoilers about the specifics, is the language structured differently than English? If you've played Heaven's Vault, that was my biggest peeve with the language there, that it basically was just English written with special characters. As opposed to something like Chants of Senaar, where even the very simple languages vary in bigger ways from English.
Yes.
The game is currently on sale for 70% off. You can get it for less than $1 USD!
Thank you for recommending this! I downloaded it and played this afternoon and had a fantastic time!
Zachtronics games are a favorite of mine as well, though this more reminded me of Chants of Senaar while playing (though more narrowly focused).
I think my favorite part was the attention to detail in places that may have been unnecessary but added a lot to the game.
Spoilers
Things like the relationship between the languages taking from how many pronunciations change over time/between cultures in the real world, or the notational patterns relating Ts to Ds matching that between Ps and Bs.I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'm glad I could send a fellow puzzle-gamer over to what appears to be a genuine indie dev.