Chants of Sennaar
, developed by the small independent Toulouse studio Rundisc, received the prize for best video game of the year on Thursday evening during the 5th edition of the Pégases, which rewards the best French creations in the sector.
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The title published by the French publisher Focus, which received a score of 85/100 on Metacritic (site which aggregates the test scores of specialized journals from around the world, Editor's note), was praised for its concept: this puzzle game , which places translation at the heart of its
gameplay
, transports the player into a Tower of Babel type structure, in which several opposing populations reside.
While a conflict brews, the player will have to decode the languages - made up of ideograms - of each civilization, to climb the edifice and hope to reconcile the peoples.
Inspired by Toulouse and comics
The French game was also distinguished by its colorful graphics, borrowing from the comic strips of the 1970s and 1980s, in particular those of the French author Moebius.
“To stand out, and because with two (developers) we could not compete with studios employing thousands of people, we therefore opted from the start for a radical artistic direction,”
confided to
Figaro
Julien Moya, co-founder of the tiny Rundisc development studio, a few months ago.
“
We were also inspired by the Romanesque architecture of Toulouse and its surroundings.
A decor that resembles us
”, the studio being domiciled in the town of Haute-Garonne.
The Pégases, founded by the National Video Game Union which brings together French professionals in this industry on the model of the Césars for cinema, have been awarded since 2020 following a vote carried out by the more than 1,500 members of the Academy video game arts and techniques.