Blightseed

THIS IS NOT A GAME EVERYONE SHOULD BUY The actual gameplay is very basic. You can beat the game in 1-2h depending on how quickly you figure out the game. The point of the game isn't beating it, it's trying to conduct experiments to learn the language. It's a very interesting idea. I'm not sure if it's a /good/ idea or just a neat art game for a few bucks. I enjoyed my time. If you like weird things you probably will too.

Neat game. A bit tricky to progress in a few spots especially with random loot, but the developer has been giving it some smoothing passes.

Pretty good. You fight other ships by flinging your ship like a slingshot projectile (dealing damage) after which a random module out of the ones you've equipped during the run fires. But the real point of the game is the language: everything is an alien language. Module names, module descriptions, "room" names (when you pick where to go next), even your health. You have to decipher this language by essentially guessing what the symbols mean (there's UI to take note of that) but as you go on you can recontextualize your guesses and improve your understanding. Learning the language is the primary meta-progression in this roguelite, but there's also a web of small puzzles that you can navigate between runs. All in the alien language of course; it's another source of context for meaning of the symbols. Overall I enjoy the language deciphering (I came here from playing Chants of Sennaar after all), less so the slingshot combat. But if that's your thing then you'll have a blast. Recommended.

'Asteroids' meets 'Chants of Sennaar', with the freedom for you to get everything wrong. Deserves much more attention

Overall, a very unique and rewarding game. This is a pretty basic spaceship roguelike, but the twist is that the entire interface and all the cards you draft are in an alien language. You experiment and deduce and gradually you can translate the language. Then there is a whole other side to the game outside of battle where you further develop your knowledge of the language and the learn the story of the aliens. I encountered a few bugs but the dev is very active in discord and responsive to feedback. I'm of the opinion that very unique experiences are worth playing even if they are a bit rough around the edges. Give this a shot if you enjoyed Heaven's Vault or Chants of Sennar.

Very cool genre mix and the developer is working hard to polish it and fix issues based on feedback!