Awarded gamesGames of the Year
Game Designers AwardWord Game
General Description
| Title | Word Game |
|---|---|
| Release | 2025/08/07 |
| Price | 3,600yen(tax included) |
| Platform | Steam / Nintendo Switch / PlayStation®5 |
| Distributor | Flyhigh Works Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher | Flyhigh Works Co., Ltd. |
| Developer | Team9 / ESQUADRA Inc. |
| URL | https://store.steampowered.com/app/2343610/_/ |
| Copyright | ©Team9 ©Flyhigh Works |
Game Designers Award Reason
“Word Game” consists of only words including characters and backgrounds and reminds players of old PC games playing with classic normal characters. Instead of just being a simple block of text to read, the layout itself represents the scenery or the field, and the text moves like a character. In the circumstance, “I,” a hero/heroine, moves and modify the meaning, context, and development of the text.
This work, which stands out at a stance and has, won by an overwhelming majority of votes even in the Game Designers Award, where the originality is the top priority and the selection was narrowed down to specific titles.
Even more astonishingly, while the game seems like it could only work in Japanese, it is actually a localized version of a Traditional Chinese title. I am sure it took advanced skills and clever solutions to complete the transmission.
I believe this unique and inimitable game is a fitting choice for the final Game Designers Award.
Work Introduction
A New Text Adventure / Everything is Made of Letters
[Game Introduction]
Word Game is the “New Text Adventure,” where players operate “I” and became a hero in the world made entirely of the world to save the world. “Words” are key to everything.
In a certain place, players must find a “gate” to escape, turn the “obscure” into the “clear,” and sometimes combine or separate letters to solve difficult puzzles blocking their path.
[The Introduction to the Story]
Window Calendar 2102. The demon dragon attacked the royal capital.
It was the beginning of the nightmare for the five continents...
This is a hero’s village. And I am a new hero.
My first mission: to overcome the trials set by three masters, claim the three sacred artifacts, and set forth on a journey to slay the Demon Dragon.
--- If only it were so simple---
Comment of the game producer
首先，《文字遊戲》是由 Team9 所串起的黃威愷、陳育律、邱梁鈞、張文瀚、黃鎮洋核心六人參與製作，與發行商 indienova 合作，並與 Flyhighworks 和 ESQUADRA 一同推出了日文版。感謝所有參與的夥伴。
在台灣，我們從小玩著日本的遊戲長大，雖然沒能因此學會日文，這些作品依舊教會了我另一種語言，也就是遊戲的語言——一種關於樂趣的語言。
這種語言，可以跨越文字的隔閡，只靠著點陣閃爍與聲響，就能讓人不禁手心冒汗、驚喜大笑、感動落淚；
這種語言，總是邀請著我們自由地探索樂趣、創造樂趣。就像龜殼訴說著「快來踢我」、香蕉皮訴說著「快來踩我」那樣引人好奇、忍不住嘗試。
當日常的語言，與樂趣的語言交會時，我們開始在中文中辨認出各種好玩的可能性——從珍珠奶茶飲料封膜上的冷笑話開始，一路演變成一場以文字為遊戲的冒險旅程。
我很慶幸透過遊戲認識了這種共通語言，使我們能與全世界的玩家與開發者相遇，一起尋找樂趣、創造樂趣。
最後，再次感謝日本遊戲大獎評審們的肯定，這對我們來說意義非凡。
謝謝！