English Is Hard_

English Is Hard_ is the kind of small-scale indie project that immediately distinguishes itself through a sharply defined concept and an almost stubborn commitment to that idea. Developed by The Klertsons and published by DigiPen Institute of Technology, it takes something as mundane as typing practice and fuses it with the urgency of an arcade defense shooter, resulting in a hybrid that feels both playful and unexpectedly demanding. The premise is intentionally absurd—protecting a rural farm and its cows from relentless alien abduction—but that lighthearted framing works in the game’s favor, making it approachable while quietly setting the stage for a surprisingly intense gameplay loop. What makes the experience stand out is how it forces the player to juggle two entirely different skill sets at once. On one hand, you are manually aiming and firing a cannon at incoming threats, tracking multiple targets across the screen in real time. On the other, you are typing words that directly influence your ability to fight back. This isn’t a superficial add-on; the typing mechanic is deeply integrated into the combat system, meaning your speed and accuracy translate into tangible in-game …

Not bad just not interesting enough. Since it is made with unity and coming out of DigiPen there are few bugs but nothing game breaking. I got a record high score off 600k something so I that's cool :) If you are looking to kill some time and compete with highscores this is okay.

Average game. English is Hard is an arcade game about fighting off aliens who are trying to steal your cows. It's pretty simple, except that you must type out words on your screen to improve your cannon. I like the concept, but I don't think this is my type of game. It's chaotic, but hard to manage in the later levels. Typing words out takes time, and fighting off aliens gets a little tricky. The thing I don't like is the alien behavior when they capture your cows. If a cow is on the edge of the screen and an alien spawns on that side, you won't have enough time to react to save your cow. I think other people will enjoy this game. Personally, this isn't for me.

They took my cows ;(

I wandered into this game expecting the typical conjunction of typing and gaming; I quickly found that there was a much more vibrant pace to it thanks to the mouse and click determining your rate of fire, rather than my expectation of typing to fire. The power-ups seemed at an odd balance of not even being able to read what type it is before I type the word, and a number of them had odd effects such as the cowbell which scooted my cows closer to the barn, yet it seems that having your cows spread apart allows them more time between each other if they get caught. On the other hand, in my second of two games, it was far easier to manage the funnel of enemies flowing to my last remaining cow on the far left side; there even seemed to be a bug where a handful of aliens simply ♥♥♥♥♥♥ off after going toward that side of the screen. The game is a markedly thrilling Nerve game, and a beater where the dimensions of input are the sum of niche speed-typing and the more standard gun-ball-goal affair, and that complexity allows for diversity in dexterity between both-hand typing and shooting while typing one-handed. I think the enemy diversity is nearly perfect, although the final enemy didn't…

A good way to learn English vocabulary and improve typing speed, while also enhancing precision, mouse movement, and multitasking skills. 😊