Good old Ponty is back with a video game review, and one with a particular relevance to blogging:  Typoman.

Anyone who writes daily will tell you that you will have typos.  If you’re not taking time to proofread, revise, and edit your writing (which I rarely do for these posts), you’re guaranteed to have them, no matter how fluidly and clearly you wrote.  Some lone word, some misapplied apostrophe, some stray letter, is going to sneak its way in.

Also, a game about spelling words is perfect for a blog, one that possesses pretenses of featuring literary non-fiction on rare occasions.  Words that must be spelled in a dangerous video game environment are even better.

But let me wrap up, lest I commit a dreaded typo.  Ponty delivers a great review of what sounds like an amazing game.

With that, here is Ponty’s review of Typoman (let me know if he—or I!—have committed any crimes against spelling and grammar):

Platforms:

• Playstation 4/5 [This link is an Amazon Affiliate link; I receive a portion of any purchases made through this link, at no additional cost to you. —TPP]
• Nintendo Switch
• Android
• Windows
• Linux
• iOS
• Xbox One
• Wii U
• AmericanTendo (actually, this one is fake – nod to Stranger Things fans!)

Word games are easy. There are a ton of them, some you can find and play online, some on the console and some on the bog-standard board. You either play against the computer/console, against another player or versus the AI but it’s all relatively simple. Jumbled up letters, limited in number, you have to find either the longest word or the one that scores the highest in order to beat your opponent. But what if another factor was added to give the game, well, an element of danger, if you will? What if you could only progress to the next level, as it were, if your word gave you the power to do so? That’s pretty much what Typoman does.

This dark, atmospheric platform is all about the power of words. If you face an obstacle, you must form words with the limited amount of letters you get to pass or destroy that obstacle. Sound simple? It really isn’t and as you obtain more letters and the traps become more difficult, getting your little Typoman – a tiny character made up of, ahem, characters – to the end will test not only your knowledge of words but your patience too.

Despite being an independent game, the creators put a lot of thought into it. The industrial environment our character, HERO, finds himself in is as dark as it is challenging, but with the power of words at his disposal, he has the tools to escape. Working out what they are, in what order and where to place them is another matter. Remember, there’s a point here but there’s also danger. Traps, monsters, moving platforms, electric fields; it’s all happening in this game and you have to figure how to negotiate the puzzles set before you.

Visually, it’s stunning. Some may call it simple but sometimes, simple is best. Faded backgrounds leave the foreground in shadow and the soundtrack adds to the mystery. The music for the game reminds me of old Resident Evil games and the graphics, to me, are a mix of the old Soulstorm games and Little Nightmares. It’s a hellish environment with tricky puzzles to boot but man is it addictive. It’ll tax you to your limits but it’s worth the effort.

The controls are easy enough to work out. Lift, carry, throw, run, jump, spell. Your only action is to use whatever you have at the time to move and evade, the words enabling you to progress.

To finish this short review, all I can say is play it and let me know how it turns out for you. Maybe you’ll find some niggles which I didn’t report but to be honest, there’s very little wrong with this game. It’s easy on the hands and hard on the brain. It looks good, sounds great and is a ruddy good way to jog those dormant brain cells into life.

Jnyoe!