Chants Of Sennaar Nominated For 'Xbox Game Of The Year' At Golden Joystick Awards

"We're absolutely ecstatic"

by Fraser Gilbert Thu 5th Oct 2023

It's almost that time again! We're finally starting to see some Game of the Year lists cropping up, and we'll be getting a whole bunch of them at the 41st annual Golden Joystick Awards taking place on November 10th in London.

Multiple categories at the Golden Joysticks are now available to vote for, including the Xbox Game of the Year. Surprisingly, this category includes Chants Of Sennaar, which is a new puzzle-adventure title that quietly launched a few weeks ago.

If you're wondering how you missed it, the reason is probably that it arrived just a few hours before Starfield! It's been getting a great reception though, with an 84 on Metacritic and an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam.

You can check out the trailer for Chants of Sennar above, along with more details and screenshots below.

"Divided since the dawn of time, the Peoples of the Tower no longer speak to each other. But it is said that one day, a Traveler will find the wisdom to break down the walls and restore the Balance.

Explore and discover an enthralling world in a colorful, poetic setting inspired by the myth of Babel, where men have forgotten their past. Travel the endless steps of a prodigious labyrinth, uncover an ominous truth and unveil the mysteries of this fascinating universe where ancient languages are both the lock and the key.

When it comes to the rest of the nominees, the list is a bit more predictable. Here's the full selection:

As you'd expect, PlayStation, Nintendo and PC all have their own "Game of the Year" nominees as well, and nominees for the "Ultimate Game of the Year" will be revealed later in October in an attempt to "consider more of the year's big winter releases" such as Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and others.

If you're interested in placing your votes, all the information you need is on the GamesRadar website.

Have you played Chants of Sennar? Which do you think deserves to win in this list? Tell us below.

Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he spends his time reporting on the biggest stories in the world of Xbox and beyond.

1
K1LLEGAL
Thu 5th Oct 2023

I usually keep up with gaming news and i’ve never heard of it. Completed Hi-Fi rush last week as a break from Starfield and it was incredible. Hope it gets the nods it deserves.

2
somnambulance
Thu 5th Oct 2023

Cocoon is a far better pick for a puzzle game this year. Hi-Fi Rush is the best of that batch by far.

3
Trmn8r
Thu 5th Oct 2023

Has anyone even heard of this game before?

4
MaxC
Thu 5th Oct 2023

I don't see it winning against the other contenders, but I'm glad this got a nomination because it seems like everyone has slept on it. I adore this game and it's my personal game of the year. It's super niche and I think my review of it on the Xbox Store is the only one there. lol

And @somnambulance, I don't agree that Cocoon is "far better". It has much higher production value, it has a great opening 30 minutes that's better than most games out there, and it's on Gamepass which makes it way more accessible, but neither the puzzle gameplay or boss battle gameplay felt particularly new. What did you not like about Chants of Sennar that made Cocoon the better puzzle game in your opinion?

5
AJM59
Thu 5th Oct 2023

Just spotted there’s a demo for this, so I’ll be checking that out

6
somnambulance
Thu 5th Oct 2023

@MaxC I believe Cocoon’s a better choice because of the puzzle design. The game doesn’t hold your hand, but yet it never feels frustrating. With each chapter you progress, the game opens up like a blooming flower. I disagree that it doesn’t explore new puzzle gameplay elements as the orb traversal is truly novel. And, yes, the production value is very high, especially for such a condensed package. Cocoon is the highlight of the year for me on Xbox, personally. I will agree that the boss battles are essentially similar bosses to what we get in Zelda-likes these days, but they’ve just go a new coat of paint. But I’m biased because I like that.

I have nothing against Sennaar. Like you said, it’s far more niche as a title. It’s a good game and really would’ve benefitted from being on Gamepass. I’d put it above Dead Space and Lana out of that list though, possibly Starfield too (Starfield is honestly one of the hardest games to evaluate in history… I think I’d put Pentiment above Sennaar though). There is a certain rigidity to some of the puzzles that are borderline frustrating though. It’s a solid title, but not a GoTY candidate, in my opinion, whereas Cocoon certainly is a candidate for me. Cocoon will certainly make my personal top 10 this year, which, as it’s going is the most difficult to assemble top 10 I’ve had in ages. Love this year for its high quality gaming.

And I suppose I do agree that I’m glad it was nominated too because it may bring in new players.

7
AlwaysPlaying
Thu 5th Oct 2023

Also never heard about this … if this game was on Gamepass then more noticeable

8
MaxC
Fri 6th Oct 2023

@somnambulance Ah, see I would say it's the other way around: Cocoon's puzzles are rigid (always one solution) whereas Chants are flexible. For example, I feel like there's a whole perfunctory routine you have to do multiple times throughout the game of grabbing and placing the world-orbs as you bring them out of / into a specified world. That got irksome to me. The game itself is also extremely linear with the illusion of backtracking by opening new sections of worlds you have in your possession later on, but you only can or need to do that at set times in the prescribed timeline of the game.

Whereas in Chants of Sennar, I felt like you can actually make a lot of progress or even solve the puzzles/translations based on understanding context alone without necessarily knowing the proper translations. I had that come up a few times throughout the game and thought it was so cool that my misinterpretation of a meaning was still viable in moments where I had to answer or respond. On top of that, you can also make your way through some areas, particularly levels 3 and 4, in any translation order you like based on what you can ascertain from context. Really brilliant stuff and far from rigid.

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