Typoman

Typoman is a challenging, if at times frustrating platformer with a great core concept. It relies too heavily on trial and error and the controls could be a bit tighter, but the puzzle design and stark, haunting aesthetic more than make up for any drawbacks.

Brainseed Factory has pieced together a fantastically atmospheric ride, filled to the brim with engaging word-jumble brainteasers and supremely tight run-and-jump mechanics. Once that old grey matter kicks into gear, planning solutions ahead of time, so as to be able to focus more on the extremely accurate leaps and bounds required, will become second nature.

One of those small surprises that come from the indie market, Typoman could remind you of Limbo, but soon it takes on a very different and interesting gameplay path.

A lot of untapped potential remains, even though it starts as a fascinating mix of platforming and word puzzler with well conceived integration of the Wii U gamepad.

Typoman is a really interesting and fascinating experience. The concept itself, the artistic direction and the great atmosphere all make for a game which will be a pleasure to many and will remain in our memories for a long time. Unfortunately there are some limits too, they don't spoil the experience at all but don't allow Typoman to be one of the best titles available on the Nintendo eShop.

With a good sense of progression and an ever-rising challenge threshold, in moments of greater tension word-forming can become frustrating but this does not hinder Typoman's creativity and originality.

Typoman’s appeal boils down to whether or not you’re willing to invest in shorter games that are content light, yet have genuinely interesting ideas that are beyond what’s come before. By using words as an aesthetic and gameplay device, it writes its own reasons for why it is unique. My only wishes were that the platforming was tighter and that it had a few more levels. Typoman is over far too quickly for my liking, but this is high praise for what it did in its short time.

Not as good as Braid or Limbo by any means, but nonetheless an estimable 2D puzzle adventure oriented experience. Too short and flat, though.

It took me around 4-5 hours to finish, which in my opinion was about the right length for this type of game (no pun intended!).

Typoman fashions a marvelous world full of wordy wonder, and those who feel it would be up their alley should definitely give the game a try based on that alone. However, the smudges that can come in the platforming, combined with the roller coaster difficulty, may very likely frustrate some when they find themselves caught in a death loop.

With a bit more polish to the difficulty curve, cheap deaths and controls I would love to see Typoman return in another adventure.

The combination between word puzzle and platformer makes Typoman very unique and entertaining. Unfortunately the controls are not comfortable and the logic of the puzzles is a bit lost at the end of the game, which makes Typoman a little too frustrating to enjoy.

This is one to at least look out for on the Wii U. Just keep in mind, there is some trial and error that has to be played through to get to the good bits.

Typoman has a great creative concept that falls short in length and execution. [Issue #19 – January/February 2016, p.24]

The goodwill that it builds at the start does starts to suffer as you realise just how limited the spelling mechanic can be, and start to run into the rough edges around he platforming.

The idea is original and the base is interesting, but at the end of the day it all feels empty and feels like a wasted opportunity. With better mechanics, it could have been a way better game.

Typoman is a brilliant proof of concept muddied by messy mechanics, unclear prompts and a lack of meaningful motivation. While the wordplay is superb, the focus is never on that strength as often as I wish it was.

It needed a little more tightness and guidance in some way that it just didn’t have in the end.

This isn’t an awful game by any stretch, it’s not nothing special, despite the feeling it should be.

As unique as Typoman is, seeing the scale of its missed opportunity unfold only saddens me evermore.

Typoman is a gorgeous game with a lot of half-baked ideas (and physics) and, frankly, deserves better. As it exists, the game is not worth recommending.

A great idea that's thoroughly undone by leaden platforming and cut-and-paste puzzles. [Jan 2016, p.76]

The beginning of Typoman showed promise, full of amusing and creative moments, something that anyone could enjoy. But unfortunately it wasn't able to hold that momentum for very long and quickly devolved into tedium and confusion, and lots of standing around doing nothing.

Brainseed Factory had a cool idea but failed utterly in terms of gameplay design. [03/2016, p.51]